Niger River, Origin, Drainage, Length, Course, Latest News

The largest cities are Bamako in Mali, Niamey in Niger, and Onitsha in Nigeria.

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Niger River Latest News

An accident involving a boat carrying passengers on the Niger River in north-central Nigeria has killed at least 26 people recently.

It is the principal river of western Africa.
With a length of 4,200 km, it is the third longest river in Africa, after the Nile and the Congo.
In West Africa, it’s the longest and largest river and is nicknamed the “Boomerang River” due to its serpentine shape.
Course:
- It takes one of the most unusual routes of any major river.
- It rises in Guinea, just 240 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean, but the river runs away from the sea into the Sahara Desert.
- It then takes a sharp right turn near Mali’s Timbuktu city.
- It flows through Mali, Niger, Benin, and Nigeria, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Niger Delta.
Niger Delta:
- It is located in southern Nigeria, where the Niger River meets the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Guinea).
- It is the largest river delta in Africa and features the fifth largest mangrove forest on Earth.
The Niger passes through virtually all of the vegetational zones of western Africa, including grasslands, rainforests, and swamps.
The Niger River Basin covers 7.5 percent of the African continent, and its main tributary is the Benue River.
The northern part of the river, known as the Niger Bend, is an important area because it is the closest major river and source of water to the Sahara desert.
The Niger Valley is sparsely settled. The largest cities are Bamako in Mali, Niamey in Niger, and Onitsha in Nigeria.