| Sanaga River | |
| Map: | Sanaga river map.png |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Cameroon |
| Subdivision Type2: | Regions |
| Subdivision Name2: | East Region, Centre Region, Littoral Region |
| Subdivision Type3: | Cities |
| Subdivision Name3: | Edéa, Nanga Eboko, Bélabo |
| Length: | 603km (375miles), with Djérem River 1067.5km (663.3miles) |
| Discharge1 Location: | Edéa |
| Discharge1 Min: | 234m3/s |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 1985m3/s |
| Discharge1 Max: | 6950m3/s |
| Discharge2 Location: | Bight of Biafra, Cameroon (near mouth) |
| Discharge2 Min: | 473m3/s[1] |
| Discharge2 Avg: | 2072m3/s[2] |
| Discharge2 Max: | 5700m3/s[3] |
| Source1: | Confluence of Djérem River and Lom River |
| Source1 Elevation: | 6280NaN0 |
| Mouth: | Bight of Biafra |
| Mouth Elevation: | 0 m |
| River System: | Sanaga River |
| Basin Size: | 132990km2 |
| Tributaries Left: | Long River, Tete River, Sele River, Mfam River, Ngoba River |
| Tributaries Right: | Mbam River, Mbuku River, Ligene River, Djam River, Dorong River, Jape River, Uem River |
| Bridges: | Japoma Bridge |
The Sanaga River (formerly German: Zannaga) is the largest river in Cameroon located in East Region, Centre Region and Littoral Region. Its length is about from the confluence of Djérem and Lom River. The total length of Sanaga-Djérem River system is about . Djerem is the longest source of Sanaga River with a total length of 464.5 km.
The Sanaga River has its source at the Adamawa Plateau.[4] It is formed by the confluence of the Djérem and Lom Rivers in the north of the East Region. Djérem River has a total length of and Lom River a total length of . Apart from these originating rivers, the largest tributary of Sanaga is Mbam River with a total length of .[5]
The Sanaga River forms a boundary between two tropical moist forest ecoregions. The Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests lie to the north between the Sanaga River and the Cross River of Nigeria, and the Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests extend south of the river through southwestern Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Cabinda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The flow of the river was measured at Edéa in m³/s
Beginning at the headwaters, there are 2 dams on the Sanaga River:
| Dam | Nameplate capacity (MW) | Reservoir | Surface area (km) | Total capacity (Mio. m³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song Loulou | 384 | 10 | ||
| Edea | 264 | |||