Congo Basin
Discover Africa's amazing rainforest home to gorillas, elephants, and thousands of unique animals and plants
Dense Congo Basin rainforest with tall trees and thick green canopy in central Africa
The Congo Basin is Africa's incredible green heart! This amazing rainforest covers a huge area in central Africa and is the second-largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon. It's home to some of the most fascinating animals on Earth, including our closest relatives - the great apes!
Land of the Great Apes
The Congo Basin is famous for being home to amazing gorillas and chimpanzees! Mountain gorillas are gentle giants that live in family groups led by a big silverback daddy gorilla. Baby gorillas love to play, tumble, and ride on their mothers' backs just like human children.
Mountain gorilla family with baby gorillas playing in Congo forest
Chimpanzees are incredibly smart - they use sticks as tools to fish termites out of holes and even teach their babies how to do it! They live in communities and talk to each other with different sounds, gestures, and facial expressions.
Amazing Forest Animals
The Congo is full of animals you can't find anywhere else! Forest elephants are smaller than savanna elephants and help plant the forest by spreading seeds in their droppings. Okapis look like zebra-horses but are actually related to giraffes - they have super long tongues for grabbing leaves!
Forest buffalo are tough and strong with curved horns. Leopards are spotted hunters that climb trees and store their food high in branches. Thousands of colorful birds fill the forest with beautiful songs, including the spectacular African grey parrots that can learn to talk like people!
The Congo Basin shows us how people and wildlife can live together - protecting this incredible forest helps ensure that future generations will get to see real gorillas, elephants, and all the amazing creatures that call Africa's green heart home!
