Editing Niger River (section)

==Geography==

[[File:Mali.A2001291.1045.250m.jpg|thumb|right|The great bend of the Niger River, seen from space, creates a green arc through the brown of the [[Sahel]] and Savanna.  The green mass on the left is the [[Inner Niger Delta]], and on the far left are tributaries of the [[Senegal River]].]]
[[File:Niger River Center Island.jpg|thumb|right|Mud houses on the center island at [[Lake Debo]], a wide section of the Niger River]]

The Niger River is a relatively clear river, carrying only a tenth as much sediment as the Nile because the Niger's headwaters lie in ancient rocks that provide little [[silt]].{{sfn|Reader|2001|p=191}} Like the Nile, the Niger floods yearly; this begins in September, peaks in November, and finishes by May.{{sfn|Reader|2001|p=191}} An unusual feature of the river is the [[Inner Niger Delta]], which forms where its [[Grade (slope)|gradient]] suddenly decreases.{{sfn|Reader|2001|p=191}} The result is a region of [[Braided river|braided streams]], [[marsh]]es, and large lakes; the seasonal floods make the Delta extremely productive for both fishing and agriculture.{{sfn|Reader|2001|pp=191–192}}
[[File:The NIGER RIVER boy.jpg|thumb|Boy bringing back his canoe on the Niger River (2022)]]
The river loses nearly two-thirds of its [[potential flow]] in the Inner Delta between [[Ségou]] and Timbuktu to seepage and evaporation. The water from the [[Bani River]], which flows into the Delta at [[Mopti]], does not compensate for the losses. The average loss is estimated at 31&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>/year but varies considerably between years.<ref name="FAO">{{cite web |title=Irrigation potential in Africa: A basin approach, The Niger Basin |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/w4347e/w4347e0i.htm |website=www.fao.org |publisher=[[FAO]] |access-date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721033139/http://www.fao.org/docrep/w4347e/w4347e0i.htm |archive-date=2017-07-21 |date=1997}}</ref> The river is then joined by various [[Tributary|tributaries]] but also loses more water to evaporation. The quantity of water entering Nigeria was estimated at 25&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>/year before the 1980s and at 13.5&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>/year during the 1980s.

The most important tributary is the Benue River which merges with the Niger at [[Lokoja]] in Nigeria. The total volume of tributaries in Nigeria is six times higher than the inflow into Nigeria, with a flow near the mouth of the river standing at 177.0&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>/year before the 1980s and 147.3&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>/year during the 1980s.<ref name="FAO" />

===Course===
[[File:Niger river map.PNG|thumb|Map of the Niger, showing its [[Drainage basin|watershed]] and "inland delta"]]
The Niger takes one of the most unusual routes of any major river, a [[boomerang]] shape that baffled geographers for two centuries. Its source ([[Tembakounda]]) is 240&nbsp;km (150&nbsp;mi) inland from the Atlantic Ocean, but the river runs directly away from the sea into the [[Sahara|Sahara Desert]], then takes a sharp right turn near the ancient city of Timbuktu and heads southeast to the [[Gulf of Guinea]]. This strange geography apparently came about because the Niger River is two ancient rivers joined together. The upper Niger, from the source west of Timbuktu to the bend in the current river near [[Timbuktu]], once emptied into a now dry lake to the east northeast of Timbuktu, while the lower Niger started to the south of Timbuktu and flowed south into the Gulf of Guinea. Over time upstream erosion by the lower Niger resulted in [[stream capture]] of the upper Niger by the lower Niger.<ref name="PG462">{{cite book |title=Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation |year=2005 |publisher=Pearson, Prentice Hall |location=Upper Saddle River, New Jersey |isbn=978-0-13-145139-1 |page=462 |author=Tom L. McKnight |edition=8th |author2=Darrel Hess |chapter=16, "The Fluvial Processes"}}</ref>

The northern part of the river, known as the ''Niger bend'', is an important area because it is the major river and source of water in that part of the Sahara. This made it the focal point of trade across the western Sahara and the centre of the Sahelian kingdoms of [[Mali Empire|Mali]] and [[Gao]]. The surrounding Niger River Basin is one of the distinct physiographic sections of the Sudan province, which in turn is part of the larger African massive physiographic division.

===Drainage basin===

The Niger River basin, located in western [[Africa]], covers 7.5% of the [[continent]] and spreads over ten countries.

Niger River basin: areas and rainfall by country<ref name="FAO"/>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 |-
! rowspan="2" |Country
! colspan="2" | Area of the country 
within the basin
! rowspan="2" | Average
rainfall

in the

basin

(mm)
|-
! (km<sup>2</sup>)
! (%)
|-
|[[Algeria]] {{flagicon|Algeria}}
|193,449
|8.5
|20
|-
|[[Benin]] {{flagicon|Benin}}
|46,384
|2.0
|1,055
|-
|[[Burkina Faso]] {{flagicon|Burkina Faso}}
|76,621
|3.4
|655
|-
|[[Cameroon]] {{flagicon|Cameroon}}
|89,249
|3.9
|1,330
|-
|[[Chad]] {{flagicon|Chad}}
|20,339
|0.9
|975
|-
|[[Côte d'Ivoire]] {{flagicon|Côte d'Ivoire}}
|23,770
|1.0
|1,466
|-
|[[Guinea]] {{flagicon|Guinea}}
|96,880
|4.3
|1,635
|-
|[[Mali]] {{flagicon|Mali}}
|578,850
|25.5
|440
|-
|[[Niger]] {{flagicon|Niger}}
|564,211
|24.8
|280
|-
|[[Nigeria]] {{flagicon|Nigeria}}
|584,193
|25.7
|1,185
|-
| colspan="4" |
|-
|''For Niger basin''
|''2,273,946''
|''100.0''
|''690''
|}
Hydrometric stations on the Niger River<ref name="GRDC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bafg.de/GRDC/EN/05_cllbrtn/54_rvrbsns/nba.html;jsessionid=B68338B0CA980923BCCBB2D34823EBD4.live21323?nn=201642 |title=GRDC |access-date=2023-01-11 |archive-date=2023-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111211402/https://www.bafg.de/GRDC/EN/05_cllbrtn/54_rvrbsns/nba.html;jsessionid=B68338B0CA980923BCCBB2D34823EBD4.live21323?nn=201642 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Niger"/><ref name="Niger River">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Niger-River |title=Niger River |date=14 June 2023 |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-date=30 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230110955/https://www.britannica.com/place/Niger-River |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="The Niger River Basin - A Vision for Sustainable Management"/>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 ! rowspan="2" | Station
 
! rowspan="2" |River
kilometer

(rkm)
! rowspan="2" |Altitude
(m)
! rowspan="2" |Basin size
(km<sup>2</sup>)
! colspan="3" | Multiannual average discharge
 |-
 ! Year
start
 ! (m<sup>3</sup>/s)
 ! (km<sup>3</sup>)
|-
|[[Niger Delta]]
|0
|0
|2,273,946
|1914
|7,922.3
|250
|-
| colspan="7" |'''Lower Niger'''
|-
|[[Onitsha]]
|270
|14
|2,240,019
|1914
|6,470.8
|204
|-
|[[Lokoja]]
|480
|34
|2,204,500
|1914
|5,754.7
|182
|-
|[[Baro (Nigeria)|Baro]]
|600
|47
|1,845,300
|1914
|2,349.8
|74
|-
|[[Jebba]]
|810
|73
|1,751,000
|1970
|1,457.3
|46
|-
|[[Kainji Dam]]
|900
|100
|1,711,300
|1970
|1,153.9
|36
|-
| colspan="7" |'''Middle Niger'''
|-
|[[Gaya, Nigeria|Gaya]]
|1,120
|156
|1,404,600
|1929
|1,086.7
|34
|-
|[[Malanville]]
|1,130
|157
|1,399,238
|1929
|1,086.7
|34
|-
|[[Niamey]]
|1,420
|176
|791,121
|1929
|893.4
|28
|-
|[[Ansongo]]
|1,770
|241
|647,527
|1949
|806.8
|26
|-
|[[Gao]]
|1,860
|245
|549,876
|1947
|875.6
|28
|-
|[[Timbuktu]]
|2,460
|256
|382,469
|1975
|950.7
|30
|-
| colspan="7" |'''[[Inner Niger Delta|Inner Delta]]'''
|-
|[[Diré]]
|2,540
|257
|372,588
|1924
|1,113
|35
|-
|[[Mopti]]
|2,900
|261
|308,186
|1922
|1,742.9
|55
|-
| colspan="7" |'''Upper Niger'''
|-
|[[Macina, Mali|Ké Macina]]
|3,050
|271
|143,361
|1945
|1,330
|42
|-
|[[Ségou]]
|3,200
|280
|132,838
|1945
|1,344.5
|42
|-
|[[Koulikoro]]
|3,440
|289
|119,029
|1907
|1,351
|43
|-
|[[Bamako]]
|3,500
|316
|114,800
|1907
|1,371.2
|43
|-
|[[Siguiri]]
|3,600
|337
|67,631
|1967
|919
|29
|-
|[[Kouroussa]]
|3,800
|357
|18,900
|1950
|232
|7
|-
|[[Faranah]]
|4,040
|424
|3,196
|1950
|69.5
|2
|}
[[File:River Niger at Bomadi.jpg|thumb|River Niger at Bomadi]]