@ichala2: THE COURSE OF THE NIGER RIVER Chapter 1 : The source of the Niger river lays just 240 kilometers from the shores of the #atlantic Ocean,but despite this proximity, the #water embark on a mighty 4200-kilometer-long journey through #rainforests , #savannahs , and the #deserts of western Africa.From the Guinean Highlands, the river flows down through Mali's Capital Bamako until a sharp flattening of the topography braids the river out into several smaller streams and lakes to form the Inner Niger Delta. For 400 kilometers, fertile lands stretch far beyond its banks, providing the foundation for human settlement for thousands of years, giving rise to West Africa's most powerful Empires. After the Niger River Bend, south of Timbuktu,the river enters the country of Niger, which has received its name from the river. Despite crossing through only the southwestern tip of the country, it has a significant impact on the lives of Nigerians, as almost half the population resides in the 3 regions closest to the river. After forming the border between Benin and Niger, the river continues to Nigeria, where it plays a major role in supplying the country with electricity Jebba and Kanji Dams are producing a combined 1300 Megawatts of electricity, constituting around 25% on the country's electricity output. The river then continues through the tropical savanna until it dissipates across a 36.000 square kilometer large delta region into the Atlantic Ocean. Chapter 2: The Niger River in History Around 5500 years ago, desertification turned the Sahara from a savanna into a desert,pushing human migration into the Niger River Bend. This region is one of the earliest known regions of human settlement and the domestication of crops. The fertile soil of the Inner Niger Delta is known to have hosted one of the oldest G urbanized centers in human history with thecity of Djenne over 2200 years ago, and the start of Trans-Saharan trade saw many settlements rise to become centers of culture, commerce, education, and religion. In the 14th and 15th century,cities like Timbuktu and Gao in today's Mali were the capitals of the great West African empires like the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai Empire, which boasted the richest civilizations of that time.But just as the Trans-Sahara trade brough riches S to the region, the reliance on the trade routes also cause their downfall. The arrival of Portuguese settlers along the West African coast offered a more efficient trade route compared to the harsh Sahara Desert, causing the shiny empires along the Niger River to fade out. Today, Djenne, Timbuktu and Gao are left as impoverished cities who reminisce the golden ages through several UNESCO World Heritage Sites.From a European perspective, the River has largely been a mystery, and the course of 200 years ago. Theories of the Niger flowing into the Nile or Congo River persisted for hundreds of years and it took many failed expeditions for the first person in the form of Richard Lander to travel the entirety of the river,making it known to the world, that the Niger is in fact one of the longest rivers in the world

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Wednesday 04 November 2026 17:18:00 GMT