The Niger River is the main river of West Africa and it is the third longest river in Africa. Its total length is about 4,180 Km (2,600 miles). The Niger River Map shows that its origin is in the Guiana Highland in the Southeastern Guiana near the border with Sierra Leone. Then, this river flows toward the northeast into Mali. Then, it turns to the east, when it reaches Timbuktu and then, it turns the southeast direction reaching Gao. This river then reaches the border of Mali and Benin. Then, the Niger River enters Nigeria and drains into the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean. At the end, the Niger River has made the Niger Delta.
The Niger River is relatively clear because headwater areas are ancient rocks that have very little silt. The Niger River floods every year, which begins in September, peaks in November, and ends in May. When the river gradient suddenly decreases in the Inner Niger Delta, it creates unusual features of the river. The Niger is very productive, suffering from seasonal floods, presence of large lakes, marshes, and braided streams.
Tributaries of the Niger River
The Niger River Map shows that the most important tributary of the Niger River is the Benue River. The Benue River joins with the Niger at Lokaja River in Nigeria. The total volume of water supplied by tributaries in the Niger River is six times more than the inflow into Nigeria. Other major tributaries from the left side are Guarana, Kaduna, and Sokoto Rivers; and the Sankarani River from the right side.
Niger River Basin
The Niger River Map shows that the majority of the areas of the Niger River are in Mali, Benin, Niger and Nigeria. Other parts of the basin areas are in many countries like Guinea, Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Cameroon. The basin area is 2,117,700 km2 (817,600 sq mi). Almost 76% of the total basin area falls in three countries Nigeria, Mali, and Niger. These three countries share nearly the same area of the Niger River Basin. The rest of the countries share the highest (8.5%) in Algeria and the lowest in Chad (0.9%).
