Semliki River
| Semliki River | |
|---|---|
Rivers of south west Uganda with the Semliki (center left). | |
| Location | |
| Countries | DR Congo (DRC) Uganda |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Edward |
| • location | Ishango, DRC, North Kivu Province |
| • coordinates | 00°08′25″S 29°36′04″E / 0.14028°S 29.60111°E |
| • elevation | 997 m (3,271 ft) |
| Mouth | Lake Albert |
• location | southeast of Bunia, DRC, Ituri Province |
• coordinates | 01°15′45″N 30°27′46″E / 1.26250°N 30.46278°E |
• elevation | 619 m (2,031 ft) |
| Length | 313 km (194 mi) 140 km (87 mi) |
| Basin size | 35,087.6 km2 (13,547.4 mi2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Near mouth |
| • average | (Period: 1971–2000)238.8 m3/s (8,430 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Nile River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Taiya |
| • right | Lamia, Ndugutu, Nyahuka, Kirumia |
Semliki River (French: Rivière Semliki) is a major river, 140 kilometres (87 mi) long, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda in Central and East Africa. It flows north from Lake Edward in Beni Territory, Nord-Kivu, DRC avoiding the Rwenzori Mountains on its Right (East), emptying into Lake Albert in the Albertine Rift, Irumu Territory, Ituri Province, DRC overlooking the Blue Mountains to its left in the west. Its mouth is near the Village of Katolingo in Kanara subcounty, Ntoroko district, Uganda. Along its lower reaches, it meanders extensively forming part of the international border between the DRC and the western Ugandan districts of Bundibugyo and Ntoroko, near the Semuliki National Park.
Increasing snow melt from the Rwenzoris, overgrazing, and other alterations to the watershed have caused bank erosion and frequent changes to the course of the meandering lower reaches of the river. In some places, Uganda is losing up to 10 metres (33 ft) of land per year on its side of the river to erosion and silt from the Semliki is gradually filling in the southern end of Lake Albert. In other places, it is the DRC that is losing territory as the changing river course alters the apparent location of the border.