The Niger River

For five nations of west Africa the river Niger is a source of food, water and drainage. Also more than 20 African tribes rely on it. It is the third longest river in Africa and the thirteenth longest river in the world. The river Niger is 4180km long. Its drainage basin is 2,117,700km squared in area. The river Niger runs through Niger, Mali, Nigeria and Benin. The Benue river is its main tributary. The river Nigers source is in Guinea highlands in southeastern Guinea.

The Niger Inland Delta is an unusual feature of the river Niger as it forms whre its gradient suddenly decreases. A region of marshes, braided streams and lakes are formed because of this. The floods make the Delta extremely productive for fishing and agriculture. Heavy rainfall in the highlands of Guinea feed the Niger. The heavy rainfall floods the flatlands of Mali. During the flood season many fish enter the marshes to spawn. Fish are very easy to catch as the water recedes and they are left in shallow waters. The river Niger is also a source of oil and because of it Nigeria is in the worlds top ten producers of petroleum. Also the raffia palm grows in this region and this provides material for making brooms, building houses and making mats.

There are many different types of animals living in the river Niger some of these are hippopotami, crocodiles, manatees and black-crowned cranes.






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