Kouilou

(Niari in the upper course), a river in Central Africa, in the People’s Republic of the Congo. Length, 708 km; basin area, 60,000 sq km. In its upper and middle course, the river is full of rapids and waterfalls; farther down, it is a calm, lowland river. The Kouilou flows into the Atlantic. Maximum flow occurs during the rainy season, in April-May and November-December. The average annual water flow in the lower course is about 1,000 cu m per sec. Small vessels can navigate for 75 km from the mouth. It is used for floating timber.