The main direction of the Niger River. Where does the Niger River begin and where does it flow? Accumulating real knowledge about the interior of Africa
Niger flows through the territory:,. Niger is the third largest river after and and the 2nd most abundant river in the west, which bears various names among the coastal natives, of which the name Joliba prevails in the upper reaches, Egirreu in the middle, Kwara or Quorra in the lower, the Arabs call it Nil-el -Abid (Nile of slaves). Niger originates at 8°36` and 10°33` west longitude (from Greenwich) in the East of the Kong Mountains, in Kuranko, at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level and at the beginning flows to the North towards, then turns to the South east and south, and through several branches, of which the largest are Sombrero, Nen, Brass and Forcado, pours into the Gulf of Guinea.
At 140 kilometers from its source, which, being sacred, is inaccessible to foreigners and for exact definition, Niger, still called Tembi, receives from the left the wide river Faliko with a tributary of Tamikon, after which, under the name of Joliba, flows north to 10 ° north latitude. Turning to the Northeast, it receives several small tributaries on the left, and significant tributaries on the right: Mifu and Yandan, or Niannu, turning again to the north, it receives Milo and Tankisso; here the Niger slope decreases to half (only 329 meters above sea level), its channel becomes wider, but shallower - and it flows northeast for 400 kilometers, forming a border line between and the kingdom of Segou. At Bomak, the Niger in high water is up to 800 meters wide and forms rapids, capriciously changing the width of the channel; near Niamine it becomes navigable and turns south; its slope becomes even smaller, the channel is lower; at Massino, it divides into two main branches, which head north to Lake Debu. At Diafaraba, these sleeves are interconnected by natural channels, which, crossing, form from the network an island area of Burgu of 200 square kilometers; on one of these islands lies ancient Djenne, or Gineva, ch. d. The land of the Negroes, from which the whole country takes its name of Guinea. Further, the Niger enters the territory of the fellahs, where it is called Issa and heads north, crossing Lake Debo, receives many tributaries and again divides into the branches of Danko and Mayo Balleo; near Kabara, the harbor of the city, reaches 17 ° north latitude and flows to E along the desert; on this route, the rapids of the Tozaie impede navigation in a slow current, and among the extremely low shores, the Niger reaches the country of Ussa, where it already bears the new name of Gulbin-nkovar, or Kovara. At Burrum the river turns sharply to the South-East and enters, after the lowlands of Massina and the rocky desert of Timbuktu, into a hilly country with a tropical and again forms a whole network of branches near Gago, the ancient capital of the Sanray empire. Having broken through the rapids surrounding the island of Bornu-Guntu, Niger spreads like a wide tablecloth over and only at Akarambai, to the South of the island of Ansongo, narrows again, constrained by walls of rocks, to a width of 30 meters.
In the middle reaches of the Niger, it receives: Goradzhende, flowing from Libtako, Kassani, or Tederimt, Sirbia, or Chirba, and Gulbi-n-Sokoto at Gomba. From Gomba to the rapids of Bussa, the Niger is navigable; steamboats run between Rabba and Lokoja, although even here sandy shoals sometimes interfere with navigation. Here the Kaduna or Liful flows into the Niger, and a little further on the Gurara; its most significant tributary, the Benue, flows into the Lokoja, originating north of the Ngauandare in Adamey, in the rainy season it joins the lake. From Lokoja at the Ebo (at the head of the delta), the Niger, joined to the Benue, flows in a majestic stream, rushing south among the rocks and, leaning in gradual terraces, receives on the left a parallel tributary of the Amambaru. The width of Niger is increasing, and it rushes in a stream to, into the Gulf of Guinea, into which it flows through the aforementioned arms. The Niger Delta covers an area of 25,000 square kilometers, is low-lying, swampy and covered with mangroves. The navigability of Niger depends, in addition to rapids and waterfalls, on its high water or shallow water. In the upper reaches of the Niger to Timbuktu, high water occurs from July to early January, and here it is navigable from Bammako to Timbuktu; in the middle reaches the Niger is deep and navigable from Gabba to Lokoja, from June to October; in the lower reaches from Lokoja to Akassa, thanks to the influx of Benue waters, the Niger is full from June to the end of September and has a secondary high water from January to the end of April, depending on the high water in the upper reaches; Here it is navigable at any time of the year.
Way of eating Niger: the river is fed by summer waters.
Tributaries of the Niger: Milo (right), Bani (right), Sokoto (left), Kaduna (left), Benue (left).
Inhabitants of Niger: it is very developed in Niger, the main commercial fish species are: carp, perch, barbel (or barbel) and others.
Freezing Niger: does not freeze.
The Niger is the most important river in West Africa. The length is 4180 km, the basin area is 2,117,700 km², the third in Africa after the Nile and the Congo in terms of these parameters. The source of the river is located on the slopes of the Leono-Liberian Upland in southeastern Guinea. The river flows through the territory of Mali, Niger, along the border with Benin, and then through the territory of Nigeria. Drains into the Gulf of Guinea Atlantic Ocean, forming a delta in the confluence area. The largest tributary of the Niger is the Benue River. The exact origin of the name of the river is unknown, and among researchers there has long been a dispute on this matter. Popular is the opinion that the name of the river comes from the Tuareg nehier-ren - "river, flowing water." According to one hypothesis, the name of the river came in turn from the words "Jägerev n'Jegerev", which in Tamashek (one of the Tuareg languages) means " great river or "river of rivers". So called Niger and some other peoples who lived on its shores.
There is also a hypothesis according to which the Latin word niger, that is, "black", is a derivative of the name of the river. Such a hypothesis admits that historically the words "Niger" and "Negro" have the same root, since the latter also comes from the word "black".
The natives, living near the coast, call the river differently in separate sections of the course: Joliba (in the Mandingo language - “big river”), Mayo, Eghirreu, Izo, Quorra (Kuarra, Kovara), Baki-n-ruu, etc. d., but at the same time, the vast majority of these names in translation mean "river".
Hydrography
The source is located on the slopes of the Leono-Liberian Upland in southeastern Guinea. In the upper course, the river is called Dzholiba. The river flows northeast, crossing the border with Mali. In the upper and lower reaches of the Niger there are rapids, flowing mainly in a narrow valley. In the middle reaches of the Niger, it has the character of a flat river. From the Guinean city of Kurusa to the Malian capital of Bamako, and also below the city of Segou, the Niger flows through a wide valley and is navigable. Below the Malian city of Ke Masina, the Niger divides into several branches, forming an inland delta. In the Inner Delta region, the Niger Valley is heavily swamped. Previously, in this place, the Niger flowed into an endorheic lake. In the Timbuktu region, numerous branches merge into one channel. The river then flows east along the southern border of the Sahara for 300 km. Near the town of Burem, the Niger turns to the southeast and flows in a wide valley to the very mouth, navigable. The river flows through the territory of Niger, where there are numerous dry riverbeds (wadis) that once flowed into the Niger, along the border of Benin, then flows through Nigeria and flows into the Gulf of Guinea, forming a vast delta with an area of 24 thousand km². The longest arm of the delta is the Nun, but the deeper Forcados arm is used for navigation.
Major tributaries of the Niger: Milo, Bani (right); Sokoto, Kaduna and Benue (left).
The Niger is a relatively “clean” river, compared to the Nile, the turbidity of its water is about ten times less. This is due to the fact that the upper reaches of the Niger pass through rocky terrain and do not carry much silt. Like the Nile, the Niger floods every year. It starts in September, peaks in November, and finishes by May.
An unusual feature of the river is the so-called Inner Niger Delta, formed at the site of a strong decrease in the longitudinal channel slope. The area is an area of multi-channel channel, marches and lakes the size of Belgium. It has a length of 425 km with an average width of 87 km. Seasonal floods make the inland delta extremely favorable for fishing and agriculture.
Niger loses approximately two-thirds of its flow in the section of the inner delta between Segou and Timbuktu due to evaporation and seepage. 
Even the waters of the Bani River flowing into the delta near the city of Mopti are not enough to compensate for these losses. Average losses are estimated at 31 km³/year (which varies greatly from year to year). After the inner delta, many tributaries flow into the Niger, but evaporative losses are still very large. The volume of water entering Nigeria in the Yola region was estimated at 25 km3/year before the 1980s and 13.5 km3/year during the eighties. The most important tributary of the Niger is the Benue, which merges with it at Lokoji. The volume of inflows into Nigeria is six times greater than the volume of Niger itself when it enters the country. By the Niger Delta, the discharge of Niger increases to 177 km3 / year (data until the 1980s, during the eighties - 147.3 km3 / year.
History of the Niger River
In the Middle Ages, Arab geographers believed that the Niger was connected to the Nile. The beginning of this idea was laid by Greek geographers - according to Herodotus, for example, Nager was the source of the Nile, flowing down from the Atlas. One of the first to challenge this opinion in his work "Travels in Africa" (1799) was W. G. Brown. In 1796, a young Scottish doctor, Mungo Park, was the first European to reach Niger. The park found that the Niger flows to the east and has nothing to do with either Senegal or the Gambia - earlier Europeans believed that the Niger was divided into these two rivers. M. Park was going to find out where the actual current of the Niger was directed, but due to tropical fever he was forced to turn back. In 1805, he again visited the Niger and explored its course from Bamako to Bussang, where he was killed by the locals. At that time, nothing was known about the lower course of the Niger, but it was believed that it flows into the Gulf of Guinea. This opinion was confirmed by the voyages of Dixon Denham and Hugh Clapperton in 1825 and Clapperton's second voyage in 1827. In the late 1920s, the French traveler Rene Calle visited Timbuktu, posing as an Arab merchant. In 1830, the British government sent Richard Lender (English) Russian, Clapperton's companion on a previous journey, to the banks of the Niger, to more carefully study the course of the river, Lander, with his brother (English) Russian, reached Bussang by land, descended from there downstream and, having sailed a path of 900 km, reached the Gulf of Guinea. In 1832, Lander entered the Niger through the Bay of Benin and sailed up the river; the same journey, at the same time, was made by Laird (English) Russian. and Oldfield, of which the latter sailed to Rabbi, 750 km from the mouth. Tales (English) Russian, together with English naval officers, explored in 1857-64 the lower reaches of the Niger to Rabba and founded missions and trading stations along its banks. The middle course of the river, from Timbuktu to Sai, was explored by Barth in 1854. The course of the Niger between the mouth of the Benue and the Rabbah was explored by Ralph in 1867, but as early as 1832 Lang almost reached the headwaters of the Niger, the main springs of which, Thembi, were discovered by Mustier and Zweiffel in 1879. An exact study of the course of the Niger between Gammaki and Timbuktu, with its mapping, was made by the French officer Caron in 1887.
In the 19th century, the French established themselves in the upper part of the middle reaches of the Niger, near Timbuktu. Trade from here was directed to the west, that is, to the lower reaches of the Senegal River. Meanwhile, in the lower reaches of the Niger, European trading posts had long existed - in the 80s of the 19th century, the British bought French trading posts.
On October 24, 1946, three Frenchmen, Jean Sauvy, Pierre Ponty and film director Jean Rouch, all former employees in the African 
French colonies, decided to make a trip along the entire length of the river, which, most likely, no one had ever done before them. They began their journey from the very source of the Niger in the region of Kisidougou, Guinea-Bissau, at first on foot, as conditions did not allow the use of a raft. They then traveled in a wide variety of watercraft as the river widened and deepened. Pierre Ponty stopped the journey at Niamey and two others reached the ocean on 25 March 1947. They filmed their journey with a 16mm camera, from which Jean Rouch edited his first two ethnographic documentaries: "Au pays des mages noirs" and "La chasse à l'hippopotame". The film served as an illustration for Rusch's later published book, Le Niger En Pirogue (1954), as well as Descente du Niger (2001). Pierre Ponty also carried a typewriter with him and sent articles to newspapers along the way.
In 2005, Norwegian traveler Helge Hjelland undertook another expedition along the length of the Niger, starting in Guinea-Bissau in 2005. He also made a documentary about his journey called The Cruellest Journey.
bend in the river
Niger has one of the most unusual shapes channel in plan among major rivers. Like a boomerang, this direction has baffled European geographers for almost two millennia. The source of the Niger is located only 240 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean, but the river begins its journey in the opposite direction, into the Sahara, after which it turns sharply to the right about ancient city Timbuktu and flows southeast to the Gulf of Guinea. The ancient Romans thought that the river near Timbuktu was part of the Nile, as Pliny thought, for example. Ibn Battuta also held the same point of view. The first European explorers believed that the upper Niger flows west and joins the Senegal River.
Such a very unusual direction arose, probably due to the union of two rivers into one in ancient times. The upper Niger, beginning west of Timbuktu, ended approximately at the bend of the modern river, emptying into a now defunct lake, while the lower Niger began from the hills near that lake and flowed south into the Gulf of Guinea. After the development of the Sahara in 4000-1000. BC e., two rivers changed their directions and merged into one as a result of interception (eng. Stream capture).
River transport
In September 2009, the Nigerian government allocated 36 billion naira to dredging the Niger from Baro 
(Eng. Baro (Nigeria)) to Warri in order to clean the bottom of silt. Dredging was intended to facilitate the transportation of goods to settlements located far from the Atlantic Ocean. Similar work was supposed to be carried out several decades ago, but they were postponed. Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua noted that the project will enable year-round navigation in Niger and expressed his hope that Nigeria will become one of the twenty most industrialized countries in the world by 2020. Alhayi Ibrahim Bio, Nigeria's transport minister, said the ministry would do its best to complete the project within the allotted time frame. Concerns were raised that such work could negatively affect villages located in coastal zones. At the end of March 2010, the Niger dredging project was 50% complete.
Information
- Length: 4180 km
- Pool: 2,117,700 km²
- Water consumption: 8630 m³/s (mouth)
- mouth: Gulf of Guinea
Source. wikipedia.org
Niger River flows through the territory of five countries: Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, Nigeria. The middle course of the river falls on the territory of the state of Mali. Mali is deprived of access to the sea and therefore the river is its main artery. Without it, existence in these arid lands would be very difficult. Many locals still retain their traditional beliefs and believe that the river is inhabited by various spirits.
River length: 4180 km.
Watershed area: 2,117,700 km. sq.
Estuary water flow: 8630 m3/s.
The origin of the name of the river is still not exactly established. According to one version, the name of the river comes from the Latin word niger, i.e. "black". The indigenous people call the river differently. In the upper reaches, the name Joliba is most common, in the middle reaches it is Egirreu, in the lower reaches the river is called Kvara. The Arabs, in turn, also came up with a rather original name - Nil el-Abid (Nile of Slaves).
Where does it run: The Niger River originates east of the Cong Mountains, in Guinea. The height of the source above sea level is 850 meters. First, the river flows north, towards the desert, then, on the territory of Mali, the river changes its direction of flow to the southeast, and even further, downstream - to the south. The river flows into the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, forming a large delta at the mouth with an area of 25,000 square meters. km. The delta is swampy and covered with dense mangroves. Rapids are often found in the upper and lower reaches, and in the middle reaches of the Niger it has the character of a flat river flow.
River mode
Niger is fed by the summer monsoons. The flood begins in June and reaches a maximum in September-October. It is characterized by a large dependence of water consumption on the season. The average water flow at the mouth is 8630 m³/s, during floods it rises to 30-35 thousand m³/s.
The feeding of the river is rather unusually distributed along the current. The upper and lower reaches of the river are located in areas with high rainfall, while in the middle reaches the climate is characterized by great dryness.
Main tributaries: Milo, Bani, Sokoto, Kaduna, Benue.
In addition to the estuarine delta, Niger also has inland delta or as the inhabitants of Mali call it - Masina. Masina is a vast area in the middle reaches of the river. It is a heavily swampy floodplain with a large number of branches, lakes and oxbow lakes, connecting downstream again into one channel. The length of the delta is 425 kilometers, the average width is 87 km.
Inner Delta:
Interesting fact: At the confluence of the Niger with the tributary of the Bani, in the old days there was a large drainless lake. Today, the lake only forms during the wet season. During a flood, the area of the delta increases from 3.9 to 20 thousand km2. sq.
Biological resources: quite a lot of fish live in Niger (carp, perch, barbel). This contributes to the development of fisheries. Fishing is the main source of subsistence for many locals.
Oil: there is a large amount of oil in the mouth of the Niger Delta. These guys are chasing her.
In fact, the wise use of resources could help the inhabitants of the delta get out of poverty, but today the situation is only worsening due to pollution. environment oil.
The Niger River on the map:
The well-known Niger River is the most important river in Western. The length is 4180 km, the basin area is 2118 thousand km², the third in these parameters in Africa after and. The exact origin of the name of the river is unknown and in our time there is a dispute among scientists. ( 11 photos)
2. The river receives its main water from the summer monsoon rains. The average annual water flow of the Niger at the mouth is 8630 m³/s, the annual flow is 378 km³, the discharge during floods can reach 30-35 thousand m³/s. But there are also tributaries, here are the five main ones - Milo (right), Bani (right), Sokoto (left), Kaduna (left), Benue (left).
5. It is believed that the name of the river came from the Tuareg nehier-ren- "river, flowing water." According to one hypothesis, the name of the river comes in turn from the words "jaegerev n'egerev", which in Tamashek (one of the Tuareg languages) means "great river" or "river of rivers". So called Niger and some other peoples who lived on its shores. There are many different hypotheses, but it is not known for certain where the river takes its name from.
7. In 1805, a Scottish doctor, Mungo Park, visited Niger for the second time and explored its course from Bamako to Bussang, where he was killed by local natives.
The basin area reaches 2 million 118 square meters. km. The water flow begins its journey in the Guinean Highlands (southeast of Guinea), and ends in Gulf of Guinea Atlantic Ocean.
This African river notable for its unusual waterway. It has the shape of a boomerang, and for 2.5 thousand years it has baffled all geographers. The source of Niger is only 240 km from the Atlantic coast. It would seem that water should flow towards a salty reservoir, as all self-respecting rivers of the world do. However, contrary to the laws of geology, our heroine does not flow towards the ocean, but away from it.
Niger River
Its waters flow northeast to the Sahara, and then turn southeast 20 km from the ancient city of Timbuktu. Only after that the river rushes towards the Atlantic coast. But this is 3940 extra kilometers. The figure is impressive and requires explanation.
Many experts believe that in ancient times, when there was no Sahara, 2 rivers flowed in these places. Their path began in the northern regions of Africa, and the rivers flowed into a large lake near Timbuktu. Already a single stream flowed from it, which carried its waters to the Gulf of Guinea. It is conditionally called the Lower Niger.
The Sahara began to form about 5,000 years ago. Accordingly, the rivers and their sources disappeared. The lake also disappeared, and a new river appeared in its place, formed from small streams and rivers of West Africa. It was she who became the beginning of the Lower Niger with its source off the coast of the Atlantic. That is, the great desert is to blame for everything, which radically changed the entire North and Central Africa.
Niger River on the map
The Niger River originates in Central Guinea.. Here is the Futa Jallon Plateau in the administrative province of Labe. Its height above sea level is 1530 meters. The source itself is located at an altitude of 745 meters above sea level. Several streams join together and form a river that carries its waters to the northeast along a narrow valley, squeezed on both sides by mountains.
In Mali, the valley is expanding. Between the cities of Ba-Mako and Segou it becomes more full-flowing and calm. Further, up to Timbuktu, the water stream breaks up into several branches and carries its waters through a swampy flat area with many channels and small lakes. It was in this area that in ancient times there was a lake into which rivers flowed from the north.
Beyond Timbuktu, the river again forms a single channel and flows eastward along the southern border of the Sahara. The length of this route is approximately 320 km. The waters reach the village of Bureem and turn sharply to the southeast. Not far from the city of Ayora they cross state border and end up in Niger. On the river is the capital of the state of Niamey with a population of 1 million 60 thousand people. The city is located on both banks, at an altitude of 207 meters above sea level.
Further, the river forms the state border between Niger and Benin, and then flows into the territory of Nigeria. Here, below the city of Elva, the North Guinea Upland begins. The water stream receives many tributaries. Near the city of Lokoja, the largest tributary flows into the Niger - the Benue River (length 1400 km).
After that, the water flow expands in breadth up to 3 km, and its depth reaches 25-30 meters. It is from Lokoja that the current rushes strictly to the south. Delta begins outside the city of Asaba, 180 km from the ocean coast. Its area is 24 thousand square meters. km. It consists of many sleeves. The longest of them is Nun. But sea vessels enter the river along the deepest branch, called the Forcados.
Fishermen on the Niger River
The Niger River is notable for its steady and slow expansion from source to mouth. It does not have sharp narrowings and the same extensions. It is fed by monsoon rains. During this period comes the time of floods. They run from September to May. The peak is in November.
Shipping carried out in separate sections in the upper reaches. In the lower reaches, ships sail from the city of Niamey to the mouth. The seaport is located in the capital of the state of Rivers (Nigeria). This is the city of Port Harcourt, located in the river delta.
There are dams on the river. One of them is located near the city of Bamako, the second near the city of Sansanding in the Segou region. They serve to raise water into irrigation canal systems. As for the HPP, there is one in Nigeria with a design capacity of 960 MW. Near the dam there is a reservoir Kaindzhi. Its length reaches almost 100 km, and the area is 600 square meters. km.
The West African Stream is considered relatively clean. The Niger River carries ten times less rainfall to the ocean than the Nile. This is explained by the presence of rocks that give a minimum of silt. In general, it should be noted that the river is of great economic importance for West Africa. There are projects for the construction of dams and hydroelectric power plants. Their implementation rests only on finances. There is always a shortage of money, and therefore the work stretches over a long period of time.
Stanislav Lopatin