Editing Niger River

{{Short description|Major river in West Africa}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = {{collapsible list|titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:center;|title = Niger River|{{font|{{native name|fr|Fleuve Niger}}|size=76%}}|{{font|{{lang|mnk|Joliba}} {{font|([[Maninka language|Maninka]])|size=81%|css=font-weight:normal;}}|size=76%}}|{{font|{{native name|bm|Jeluba}}|size=76%}}|{{font|{{native name|ff|Mayo Ɓalewo 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤴𞤮 𞤄𞤢𞤤𞤫𞤮}}|size=76%}}|{{font|{{native name|taq|Egerew {{lang|taq|ⴻⴳⴻⵔⴻⵡ}}}}|size=76%}}|{{font|{{lang|dje|Issa Beri}} {{font|([[Zarma language|Zarma]])|size=81%|css=font-weight:normal;}}|size=76%}}|{{font|{{native name|ha|Kwara}}|size=76%}}|{{font|{{native name|ijo|Toru Beni}}|size=76%}}|{{font|{{native name|yo|Ọya}}|size=76%}}|{{font|{{native name|ig|Óshimiri/ Oshimili}}|size=76%}}}}
| native_name        = 
| native_name_lang   = 
| name_other         = 
| name_etymology     = Unknown (possibly from [[Berber languages|Berber]] for River ''Gher'' or local Tuareg word ''n-igereouen'' meaning "big rivers")<ref>{{cite web |title=niger {{!}} Origin and meaning of the name niger by Online Etymology Dictionary |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/niger |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en |access-date=2021-04-26 |archive-date=2022-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014033414/https://www.etymonline.com/word/Niger |url-status=live }}</ref>
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = Niger, Niamey, Pont Kennedy (1).jpg
| image_size         = 325px
| image_caption      = The Pont Kennedy across the Niger at [[Niamey]], early 2019
| map                = {{Infobox mapframe |shape-fill-opacity=.1|wikidata=yes |zoom=4 |frame-height=300 | stroke-width=4 |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}|point = none|stroke-color=#0000FF }}
| map_size           = 
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 
| pushpin_map_caption= 
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Countries
| subdivision_name1  = {{hlist|Guinea|Mali|Niger|Benin|Nigeria}}
| subdivision_type2  = 
| subdivision_name2  = 
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| subdivision_type5  = Cities
| subdivision_name5  = {{hlist|[[Tembakounda]]|[[Bamako]]|[[Timbuktu]]|[[Niamey]]|[[Lokoja]]|[[Onitsha]]}}
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length             = {{cvt|4,200|km|mi}}<ref name="The Niger River Basin - A Vision for Sustainable Management">{{cite book |url=https://econpapers.repec.org/bookchap/wbkwbpubs/7397.htm |title=The Niger River Basin - A Vision for Sustainable Management |last1=Inger |first1=Andersen |last2=Ousmane |first2=Dione |last3=Martha |first3=Jarosewich-Holder |last4=Jean-Claude |first4=Olivry |last5=Katherin |first5=George Golitzen |isbn=9780821362037 |year=2005 |publisher=World Bank |access-date=2023-01-04 |archive-date=2023-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104003516/https://econpapers.repec.org/bookchap/wbkwbpubs/7397.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = {{cvt|1.24|km}} to {{cvt|1.73|km}} ([[Lokoja]])<ref name="35-years decadal changes in platform morphology of the Niger and Benue confluence, West Africa">{{cite journal |url=https://www.authorea.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/essoar.10512089.1 |title=35-years decadal changes in platform morphology of the Niger and Benue confluence, West Africa |last1=Muhedeen |first1=Lawal |last2=Kamaldeen Olakunle |first2=Omosanya |year=2022|doi=10.1002/essoar.10512089.1 |journal=ESS Open Archive}}</ref>
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = {{cvt|37|m}} ([[Lokoja]])<ref name="35-years decadal changes in platform morphology of the Niger and Benue confluence, West Africa"/>
| discharge1_location= [[Niger Delta]]<ref name="WWD Continents">{{cite web |url=http://www.geol.lsu.edu/WDD/AFRICAN/Niger/niger.htm |title=WWD Continents |website=www.geol.lsu.edu |access-date=28 April 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008103921/http://www.geol.lsu.edu/WDD/AFRICAN/Niger/niger.htm |archive-date=8 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="Prabhu TL 2021">{{cite web |author=Prabhu TL |year=2021 |title=Agricultural Engineering: An Introduction To Agricultural Engineering |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t1o0EAAAQBAJ&dq=Niger+6925+m3/s&pg=PT1156 |publisher=NestFame Creations Pvt. Ltd. |access-date=2021-11-18 |archive-date=2022-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125071257/https://books.google.com/books?id=t1o0EAAAQBAJ&dq=Niger+6925+m3/s&pg=PT1156 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| discharge1_avg     =(Period: 2010–2018){{cvt|270.5|km3/year|m3/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Water Accounting in the Niger River Basin"/>
(Period: 1971–2000){{cvt|7,922.3|m3/s|cuft/s}}<ref name="Niger">{{cite web|url=https://www.riversnetwork.org/V1/index.php/component/content/?view=article&id=51&catid=202&Itemid=179|title=Niger|access-date=2024-04-01|archive-date=2024-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401204320/https://www.riversnetwork.org/V1/index.php/component/content/?view=article&id=51&catid=202&Itemid=179|url-status=live}}</ref> 
({{cvt|6,925|m3/s|cuft/s}}<ref name="Prabhu TL 2021"/> to {{cvt|250|km3/year}}<ref name="The Niger River Basin - A Vision for Sustainable Management"/>)
| discharge1_min     ={{cvt|1,200|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = {{cvt|35,000|m3/s}}
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1_location   = [[Guinea Highlands]], [[Guinea-Conakry]]
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|09|05|50|N|10|40|58|W|type:river}}
| source1_elevation  = {{cvt|850|m}}
| mouth              = [[Atlantic Ocean]]
| mouth_location     = Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|5|19|20|N|6|28|9|E|type:river|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = {{cvt|0|m|abbr=on}}
| progression        = [[Gulf of Guinea]]
| river_system       = [[List of drainage basins by area|Niger River]]
| basin_size         = {{cvt|2,117,700|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} to {{cvt|2,273,946|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}<ref name="FAO"/>
| tributaries_left   = [[Tinkisso River|Tinkisso]], [[Sokoto River|Sokoto]], [[Kaduna River|Kaduna]], [[Gurara Waterfalls|Gurara]], [[Benue River|Benue]], [[Anambra River|Anambra]]
| tributaries_right  = [[Niandan]], [[Milo River|Milo]], [[Sankarani River|Sankarani]], [[Bani River|Bani]], [[Béli River|Gorouol]], [[Sirba River|Sirba]], [[Mékrou River|Mékrou]], [[Alibori River|Alibori]], [[Sota River|Sota]], [[Oli River|Oli]], [[Orashi River|Orashi]], [[Escravos River|Warri]]
| custom_label       = 
| custom_data        = 
| extra              = 
|discharge2_location= [[Onitsha]]
|discharge2_avg=(Period: 1971–2000){{cvt|6,470.8|m3/s|cuft/s}}<ref name="Niger"/>
|discharge3_location=[[Lokoja]]
|discharge3_min=(Period: 2000/06/01–2023/05/31){{cvt|1,864|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Niger-Hycos"/>
{{cvt|500|m3/s|cuft/s}}<ref name=study>{{cite web |url=http://www.risorseidriche.dica.unict.it/Sito_STAHY2010_web/pdf_papers/AbrateT_HubertP_SighomnouD.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101085233/http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:gF9Pb96gxA0J:www.risorseidriche.dica.unict.it/Sito_STAHY2010_web/pdf_papers/AbrateT_HubertP_SighomnouD.pdf+niger+river+peak+discharge&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |title=A Study On The Hydrological Series Of The Niger River At Koulikoro, Niamey And Lokoja Stations |first=Ing. Antonio |last=Castano |access-date=28 April 2018 }}</ref>
|discharge3_avg=(Period: 2000/06/01–2023/05/31){{cvt|6,696|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Niger-Hycos"/>
(Period: 1971–2000){{cvt|5,754.7|m3/s|cuft/s}}<ref name="Niger"/>
| discharge3_max     =(Period: 2000/06/01–2023/05/31){{cvt|21,800|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Niger-Hycos"/> {{cvt|27,600|m3/s|cuft/s}}<ref name=study/>
(04/10/2022: {{cvt|33,136|m3/s}}<ref name="Niger-Hycos">{{cite web |url=http://nigerhycos.abn.ne/portal/spip.php?article475 |title=Niger-Hycos |year=2022 |access-date=2023-01-02 |archive-date=2023-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201021022/http://nigerhycos.abn.ne/portal/spip.php?article475 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|discharge4_location=[[Niamey]]
|discharge4_min=(Period: 2000/06/01–2023/05/31){{cvt|60|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Niger-Hycos"/>
|discharge4_avg=(Period: 2000/06/01–2023/05/31){{cvt|964|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Niger-Hycos"/>
(Period: 1971–2000){{cvt|737.7|m3/s|cuft/s}}<ref name="Niger"/>
|discharge4_max=(Period: 2000/06/01–2023/05/31){{cvt|1,994|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Niger-Hycos"/>
|discharge5_location=[[Bamako]]
|discharge5_avg=(Period: 1971–2000){{cvt|1,091.7|m3/s|cuft/s}}<ref name="Niger"/>}}

The '''Niger River''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|aɪ|dʒ|ər}} {{respell|NY|jər}}; {{Langx|fr|(le) fleuve Niger}} {{IPA|fr|(lə) flœv niʒɛʁ|}}) is the main river of [[West Africa]], extending about {{Convert|4180|km|abbr=off}}. Its [[drainage basin]] is {{cvt|2,117,700|km2|sqmi|-2}} in area.<ref>{{Citation |last=Gleick |first=Peter H. |author-link=Peter Gleick |title=The World's Water, 2000-2001: The Biennial Report on Freshwater |year=2000 |publisher=Island Press |isbn=978-1-55963-792-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/worldswater200020000glei/page/33 33] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/worldswater200020000glei/page/33 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Its source is in the [[Guinea Highlands]] in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border.<ref>{{cite web |title=Niger River |url=https://geography.name/niger-river/ |website=geography.name |access-date=26 April 2021 |archive-date=26 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426134355/https://geography.name/niger-river/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2005 |title=Niger River |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of World Geography |publisher=Facts On File, Inc. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJgnebGbAB8C&pg=PA665 |last=Thompson |first=Samuel |editor-last1=McColl |editor-first1=R. W. |page=665 |isbn=9780816072293}}</ref> It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Niger, on the border with Benin and then through Nigeria, discharging through a massive [[River delta|delta]], known as the [[Niger Delta]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-12-04 |title=Rivers of the World: The Niger River |url=https://www.radionetherlandsarchives.org/the-niger-river/ |website=Radio Netherlands Archives |language=en-GB |access-date=2021-11-24 |archive-date=2021-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027131915/https://www.radionetherlandsarchives.org/the-niger-river/ |url-status=live }}</ref> into the [[Gulf of Guinea]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa, exceeded by the [[Nile]] and the [[Congo River]]. Its main [[tributary]] is the [[Benue River]].<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web |title=Benue River &#124; Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad &#124; Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Benue-River}}</ref>

==Etymology==
[[File:Niger, Boubon (16), scene at the river front.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Commercial activity along the river front at [[Boubon]], in [[Niger]]]]

The Niger has different names in the different languages of the region:
* [[Fula language|Fula]]: ''Maayo Jaaliba'' {{lang|ff|𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤴𞤮 𞤔𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭𞤦𞤢}}
* [[Manding languages|Manding]]: ''Jeliba'' {{lang|man|ߖߋ߬ߟߌߓߊ߬}} or ''Joliba'' {{lang|man|ߖߏ߬ߟߌߓߊ߬}} "great river"
* [[Tuareg languages|Tuareg]]: ''Eġərəw n-Igərǝwăn'' {{lang|tmh|ⴴⵔⵓ ⵏ ⴴⵔⵓⵏ}} "river of rivers"
* [[Songhay languages|Songhay]]: ''Isa'' "the river"
* [[Zarma language|Zarma]]: ''Isa Beeri'' "great river"<ref>{{citation |last1=Idrissa |first1=Abdourahmane |last2=Decalo |first2=Samuel |date=June 1, 2012 |title=Historical Dictionary of Niger |edition=4th |page=274 |location=Plymouth, UK |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0810860940}}</ref>
* [[Hausa language|Hausa]]: ''Kwara'' {{lang|ha|كوَرَ}}
*[[Nupe language|Nupe]]: ''Èdù''
* [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]]: ''Ọya'' "named after the Yoruba goddess [[Ọya]], who is believed to embody the river"
* [[Igbo language|Igbo]]: ''Orimiri'' or ''Orimili'' "great water"
* [[Ijaw languages|Ijaw]]: ''Toru Beni'' "the river water"

The earliest use of the name "Niger" for the river is by [[Leo Africanus]]<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Niger |volume=19 |page=676 |first=Frank Richardson |last=Cana}}</ref> in his ''[[Description of Africa (Ramusio book)|Della descrittione dell’Africa et delle cose notabili che ivi sono]]'', published in Italian in 1550.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022|reason=A reference is needed for this information.}} Nevertheless, "Nigris" was already the name of a river in West Africa, as mentioned by Pliny the Elder and Solinus, among others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), NIGEIR |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=nigeir-geo |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu |archive-date=2024-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401162754/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=nigeir-geo |url-status=live }}</ref> Whether this river was the same as the actual Niger, or rather the river also known as Ger (currently known as Oued Guir, in Morocco), is a matter of discussion. This Nigris was said to divide "Africa proper" from the land of the (Western) Ethiopians to the south, and its name (as well as that of the river Ger) might well come from the [[Berber languages|Berber]] phrase ''gr-n-grwn'' meaning "river of rivers", as the current Tuareg name for the river Niger.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hunwick |first=John O. |author-link=John Hunwick |title=Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sadi's Tarikh al-Sudan down to 1613 and other contemporary documents |publisher=Brill |place=Leiden |orig-year=1999 |year=2003 |isbn=978-90-04-11207-0 |page=275 Fn 22}}</ref> As [[Timbuktu]] was the southern end of the principal [[Trans-Saharan trade]] route to the western [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], it was the source of most European knowledge of the region. 

[[Medieval European]] maps applied the name ''Niger'' to the middle reaches of the river, in modern Mali, but ''Quorra'' (''Kworra'') to the lower reaches in [[Nigeria|modern Nigeria]], as these were not recognized at the time as being the same river.<ref name=EB1911/> When [[European colonial]] powers began to send ships along the west coast of Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries, the [[Senegal River]] was often postulated to be the seaward end of the Niger. The Niger Delta, pouring into the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] through [[Mangrove forest|mangrove swamps]] and thousands of [[distributary|distributaries]] along more than {{convert|100|mi|km|order=flip}}, was thought to be coastal wetlands. It was only with the 18th-century visits of [[Mungo Park (explorer)|Mungo Park]], who travelled down the Niger River and visited the great [[Sahelian kingdoms|Sahelian empires]] of his day, that Europeans correctly identified the course of the Niger and extended the name to its entire course.

The modern nations of Nigeria and [[Niger]] take their names from the river, marking contesting national claims by colonial powers of the "upper", "lower" and "middle" Niger river basin during the [[Scramble for Africa]] at the end of the 19th century.

== Climate ==
As part of the [[West Africa]] Sahel region, the Niger River has a hot climate characterized by very high temperatures year-round; a long, intense dry season from October to May; and a brief, irregular rainy season linked to the West African monsoon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kiley |first=Penny |date=2011-12-01 |title=Climate change, water and conflict in the Niger river basin |url=https://www.international-alert.org/publications/climate-change-water-and-conflict-niger-river-basin/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=International Alert |language=en-GB |archive-date=2023-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004091209/https://www.international-alert.org/publications/climate-change-water-and-conflict-niger-river-basin/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==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]]

==Discharge==

Average, minimum and maximum  discharge of the Niger River at [[Koulikoro]] (Upper Niger), [[Niamey]] (Middle Niger) and [[Lokoja]] (Lower Niger). Period from 2000/06/01 to 2024/05/31.<ref name="Niger-Hycos"/><ref name="Essai de segmentation">{{cite web |url=http://m2hh.metis.upmc.fr/wp-content/uploads/arch/memories2007/Abrate_memorie07.pdf |title=Essai de segmentation des sèries annuelles des dèbits du Niger aux stations de Koulikoro, Niamey at Lokoja |last1=Tommaso |first1=Abrate |last2=Prof. Pierre |first2=Hubert |year=2007 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="AUTORITE DU BASSIN DU NIGER">{{cite web|url=http://www.abn.ne/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=28&lang=en&ltemid=28&lang=en|title=AUTORITE DU BASSIN DU NIGER}}</ref><ref name="BILAN HYDROLOGIQUE DU BASSIN DU NIGER ANNEE 2023/2024">{{cite web|url=http://nigerhycos.abn.ne/portal/spip.php?article517|title=BILAN HYDROLOGIQUE DU BASSIN DU NIGER ANNEE 2023/2024|access-date=2024-09-17|archive-date=2024-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917013217/http://nigerhycos.abn.ne/portal/spip.php?article517|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 ! rowspan="3" | Water year
 ! colspan="9" |Discharge (m<sup>3</sup>/s)
|-
! colspan="3" | [[Koulikoro]]
! colspan="3" | [[Niamey]]
! colspan="3" | [[Lokoja]]
|-
! Min
! Mean
! Max
! Min
! Mean
! Max
! Min
! Mean
! Max
|-
|2000/01
|149
|1,150
|3,860
|70.6
|942
|1,810
|2,112
|8,504
|32,080
|-
|2001/02
|140
|1,270
|5,520
|48.9
|895
|1,680
|2,157
|5,338
|18,885
|-
|2002/03
|177
|904
|3,120
|90.4
|796
|1,610
|2,000
|5,297
|17,012
|-
|2003/04
|92.7
|1,230
|5,210
|21.6
|922
|1,870
|1,592
|6,225
|19,025
|-
|2004/05
|120
|876
|3,370
|59
|890
|1,880
|2,107
|5,683
|16,098
|-
|2005/06
|121
|1,060
|3,400
|73.9
|856
|1,660
|1,801
|4,849
|13,792
|-
|2006/07
|143
|1,111
|3,631
|47.4
|855
|1,710
|1,781
|5,291
|19,389
|-
|2007/08
|34.2
|962
|4,854
|33.2
|925
|1,840
|2,227
|6,767
|19,941
|-
|2008/09
|135
|1,443
|4,837
|34
|945
|1,830
|1,535
|6,161
|20,426
|-
|2009/10
|142
|1,302
|4,660
| colspan="3" rowspan="2" |
|2,101
|7,637
|20,534
|-
|2010/11
|170
|1,260
|3,916
|2,166
|7,225
|21,272
|-
|2011/12
|92
|924
|3,912
|
|801
|
|1,835
|5,736
|16,912
|-
|2012/13
|149
|1,146
|4,562
|73
|1,115
|2,492
|1,731
|8,612
|31,692
|-
|2013/14
|137
|1,080
|6,297
|
|852
|
|1,546
|5,783
|16,430
|-
|2014/15
|104
|863
|3,695
|53
|752
|1,542
|1,570
|6,352
|19,664
|-
|2015/16
|129
|1,002
|3,719
|53
|958
|2,123
|1,753
|6,054
|27,285
|-
|2016/17
|106
|974
|5,845
|
|1,059
|
|2,550
|7,272
|20,613
|-
|2017/18
|77
|677
|2,338
|107
|801
|1,791
|2,058
|6,781
|21,020
|-
|2018/19
|43
|1,256
|7,555
|
|1,223
|
|2,046
|7,900
|25,612
|-
|2019/20
|174
|933
|4,158
|10
|1,060
|2,677
|1,594
|8,751
|24,800
|-
|2020/21
|66
|999
|5,023
|58
|1,418
|3,398
|2,131
|7,570
|28,082
|-
|2021/22
|77
|824
|3,275
|135
|1,106
|2,121
|2,021
|5,913
|17,688
|-
|2022/23
|66
|891
|3,851
|44
|1,074
|1,869
|1,997
|8,288
|33,136
|-
|2023/24
|55
|748
|3,401
|44
|874
|1,595
|2,107
|7,491
|20,578
|}
Average discharge of the Niger River at [[Niger Delta]] (period from 2010 to 2018):<ref name="Water Accounting in the Niger River Basin">{{cite book |url=https://doi.org/10.4060/cb1274en |title=Water Accounting in the Niger River Basin |year=2020 |doi=10.4060/cb1274en |isbn=978-92-5-133378-5|s2cid=242320135 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 ! rowspan="2" | Year
 ! colspan="3" | Average discharge
 |-
 ! (km<sup>3</sup>)
 ! (m<sup>3</sup>/s)
 ! (cfs)
 |-
 | 2010
 | 288.1
 | 9,130
 | 322,410
 |-
 | 2011
 | 245.7
 | 7,786
 | 274,960
 |-
 | 2012
 | 320.3
 | 10,150
 | 358,440
 |-
 | 2013
 | 224.4
 | 7,111
 | 251,120
 |-
 | 2014
 | 251.2
 | 7,960
 | 281,110
 |-
 | 2015
 | 235.3
 | 7,456
 | 263,320
 |-
 | 2016
 | 286.8
 | 9,088
 | 320,950
 |-
 | 2017
 | 270.9
 | 8,585
 | 303,160
 |-
 | 2018
 | 311.6
 | 9,874
 | 348,700
 |-
 | colspan="4" |
 |-
 | ''2010–2018''
 | ''270.5''
 | '''''8,572'''''
 | ''302,710''
|}
===Niger River at Lokoja===
Niger River at [[Lokoja]] average, minimum and maximum discharge (1946 to 2023):<ref name="Liste des stations avec des mesure de type Debit et du groupe NIGERIA">{{cite web|url=https://nigerhycos.abn.ne/user-anon/htm/listMultiStation.php?group_no=41&type_no=1&option_no=1|title=Liste des stations avec des mesure de type Debit et du groupe NIGERIA}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Niger-Hycos"/><ref name="Essai de segmentation"/><ref name="AUTORITE DU BASSIN DU NIGER"/><ref name="BILAN HYDROLOGIQUE DU BASSIN DU NIGER ANNEE 2023/2024"/>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 ! rowspan="2" | Water year
 ! colspan="3" |Discharge (m<sup>3</sup>/s)
 ! rowspan="2" | Water year
 ! colspan="3" |Discharge (m<sup>3</sup>/s)
|-
! Min
! ''Mean''
! Max
! Min
! ''Mean''
!Max
|-
|1946/47
|788
|''4,824''
|16,600
|1985/86
|1,110
|''4,601''
|15,800
|-
|1947/48
|1,010
|''6,258''
|21,000
|1986/87
|1,210
|''4,027''
|11,400
|-
|1948/49
|915
|''6,427''
|20,900
|1987/88
|1,390
|''3,849''
|11,800
|-
|1949/50
|842
|''5,849''
|19,200
|1988/89
|1,070
|''4,615''
|15,100
|-
|1950/51
|935
|''4,755''
|15,000
|1989/90
|1,110
|''5,589''
|16,300
|-
|1951/52
|1,290
|''6,662''
|20,400
|1990/91
|1,790
|''5,045''
|14,800
|-
|1952/53
|2,260
|''5,674''
|18,300
|1991/92
|1,770
|''6,387''
|18,400
|-
|1953/54
|1,840
|''6,405''
|18,500
|1992/93
|1,930
|''5,570''
|15,300
|-
|1954/55
|2,130
|''7,733''
|24,900
|1993/94
|1,949
|''4,908''
|11,895
|-
|1955/56
|2,400
|''8,247''
|24,600
|1994/95
|1,945
|''5,915''
|20,418
|-
|1956/57
|1,870
|''5,394''
|18,100
|1995/96
|1,945
|''6,284''
|17,713
|-
|1957/58
|1,480
|''7,769''
|23,600
|1996/97
|2,103
|''6,020''
|19,914
|-
|1958/59
|2,020
|''4,828''
|14,700
|1997/98
|2,406
|''5,677''
|15,548
|-
|1959/60
|1,530
|''5,228''
|18,300
|1998/99
|2,315
|''7,175''
|23,491
|-
|1960/61
|1,250
|''6,707''
|22,200
|1999/00
|2,618
|''7,652''
|23,090
|-
|1961/62
|979
|''4,912''
|15,500
|2000/01
|2,112
|''8,504''
|32,080
|-
|1962/63
|1,150
|''7,101''
|24,100
|2001/02
|2,157
|''5,338''
|18,885
|-
|1963/64
|1,710
|''6,764''
|20,500
|2002/03
|2,000
|''5,297''
|17,012
|-
|1964/65
|1,160
|''6,128''
|20,800
|2003/04
|1,592
|''6,225''
|19,025
|-
|1965/66
|1,310
|''5,914''
|18,600
|2004/05
|2,107
|''5,683''
|16,098
|-
|1966/67
|1,320
|''6,545''
|20,000
|2005/06
|1,801
|''4,849''
|13,792
|-
|1967/68
|928
|''5,812''
|19,700
|2006/07
|1,781
|''5,291''
|19,389
|-
|1968/69
|1,720
|''6,558''
|18,800
|2007/08
|2,227
|''6,767''
|19,941
|-
|1969/70
|1,630
|''7,927''
|23,500
|2008/09
|1,535
|''6,161''
|20,426
|-
|1970/71
|1,640
|''6,229''
|20,100
|2009/10
|2,101
|''7,637''
|20,534
|-
|1971/72
|1,270
|''5,360''
|17,600
|2010/11
|2,166
|''7,225''
|21,272
|-
|1972/73
|1,410
|''4,489''
|14,400
|2011/12
|1,835
|''5,736''
|16,912
|-
|1973/74
|839
|''3,698''
|12,200
|2012/13
|1,731
|''8,612''
|31,692
|-
|1974/75
|832
|''5,275''
|17,100
|2013/14
|1,546
|''5,783''
|16,430
|-
|1975/76
|1,300
|''5,848''
|19,600
|2014/15
|1,570
|''6,352''
|19,664
|-
|1976/77
|1,320
|''5,136''
|12,000
|2015/16
|1,753
|''6,054''
|27,285
|-
|1977/78
|1,310
|''4,662''
|15,500
|2016/17
|2,550
|''6,555''
|20,613
|-
|1978/79
|1,080
|''5,636''
|17,000
|2017/18
|2,058
|''6,781''
|21,020
|-
|1979/80
|1,210
|''5,510''
|17,800
|2018/19
|2,046
|''7,900''
|25,612
|-
|1980/81
|1,400
|''5,215''
|16,700
|2019/20
|1,594
|''8,751''
|24,800
|-
|1981/82
|1,340
|''5,312''
|18,400
|2020/21
|2,131
|''7,570''
|28,082
|-
|1982/83
|1,330
|''4,270''
|11,600
|2021/22
|2,021
|''5,913''
|17,688
|-
|1983/84
|862
|''2,877''
|9,180
|2022/23
|1,997
|''8,288''
|33,136
|-
|1984/85
|862
|''3,058''
|8,490
|2023/24
|2,107
|''7,491''
|20,578
|}



==Tributaries==

The main tributaries from the mouth:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 ! Left
tributary
 ! Right
tributary
 ! Length
(km)
 ! Basin size
(km<sup>2</sup>)
 ! Average discharge
(m<sup>3</sup>/s)
|-
| colspan="5" |'''[[Niger Delta]]'''
|-
|Sombreiro
|
|60
|1,500
|65
|-
|
|[[Escravos River|Warri]]
|100
|1,300
|38.3
|-
|
|Okpare
|40
|1,100
|73.1
|-
|
|Eriola
|50
|1,000
|30.8
|-
|Ase (Asse)
|
|180
|3,500
|133.6
|-
|
|[[Orashi River|Orashi]]
|205
|2,800
|147.8
|-
| colspan="5" |'''Lower Niger'''
|-
|[[Anambra River|Anambra]]
|
|256
|14,014
|400.3
|-
|
|Otaw
|40
|1,100
|48.9
|-
|
|Awele (Edien)
|80
|3,300
|111.2
|-
|
|Ubo
|70
|1,400
|25.8
|-
|
|Aguro
|70
|1,900
|28.9
|-
|
|Oiryi (Oji)
|67.72
|927
|15.7
|-
|[[Benue River|Benue]]
|
|1,400
|338,385
|3,477
|-
|[[Gurara Waterfalls|Gurara]]
|
|570
|15,254
|183.9
|-
|
|Epu
|80
|800
|11.7
|-
|Etsuan
|
|70
|1,450
|16.6
|-
|
|Kampe
|175
|9,560
|126.5
|-
|Gbako
|
|156
|7,540
|89.8
|-
|[[Kaduna River|Kaduna]]
|
|575
|65,878
|641.5
|-
|
|Oro
|113
|4,500
|71
|-
|Yunko
|
|70
|1,698
|15.9
|-
|
|Oyi
|120
|2,100
|30.2
|-
|
|Oshin
|125
|2,132
|27.5
|-
|
|Awun
|115.5
|6,300
|81
|-
|Eku
|
|90
|3,230
|25.3
|-
|
|Moshi
|232.22
|9,400
|69.5
|-
|
|[[Oli River|Oli]]
|300
|11,200
|86.6
|-
|[[Kontagora]]
|
|150
|4,500
|30.8
|-
|
|Tama
|55
|900
|4
|-
|
|Menai
|80
|1,300
|8.7
|-
|
|Swashi
|100
|1,500
|10.4
|-
|
|Kpan
|70
|1,800
|11.6
|-
|Malendo
|
|220
|9,127
|62.9
|-
|Baduru
|
|75
|1,500
|9.8
|-
|Dan Zakhi
|
|110
|3,000
|26.7
|-
|[[Sokoto River|Sokoto]]
|
|628
|193,000
|294.1
|-
|
|Shodu
|100
|3,900
|22.3
|-
|Dallol Maouri
|
|250
|72,551
|10.5
|-
|
|[[Sota River|Sota]]
|254
|13,500
|50.3
|-
|
|[[Alibori River|Alibori]]
|408
|13,650
|55.6
|-
|
|Diare
|90
|2,000
|5.6
|-
| colspan="5" |'''Middle Niger'''
|-
|[[Dallol Bosso]]
|
|350
|556,000
|4.4
|-
|
|[[Mékrou River|Mékrou]]
|410
|10,635
|32.5
|-
|
|Tapoa
|260
|5,500
|10.2
|-
|
|Diamangou
|200
|4,400
|5.5
|-
|
|Goroubi
|433
|15.500
|10.2
|-
|
|[[Sirba River|Sirba]]
|439
|39,138
|27.2
|-
|
|[[Béli River|Gorouol]]
|250
|60,842
|9
|-
|Tilemsi
|
|
|93,920
|
|-
| colspan="5" |'''[[Inner Niger Delta|Inner Delta]]'''
|-
|
|[[Bani River|Bani]]
|1,100
|129,400
|559
|-
| colspan="5" |'''Upper Niger'''
|-
|
|[[Sankarani River|Sankarani]]
|679
|33,288
|305.6
|-
|
|Fié
|210
|4,045
|31.7
|-
|Koda (Koba)
|
|80
|4,940
|7.7
|-
|[[Tinkisso River|Tinkisso]]
|
|570
|19,430
|181
|-
|
|[[Milo River|Milo]]
|430
|13,590
|188
|-
|
|[[Niandan]]
|300
|12,930
|251
|-
|
|Mafou
|160
|4,075
|62.3
|-
|Niantan
|
|60
|
|12.1
|-
|Bale
|
|80
|
|31.6
|}
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/ |title=FAO |access-date=2010-01-09 |archive-date=2011-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918232726/http://www.fao.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Niger"/>

==History==

[[File:African rice niger.png|thumb|Growing African rice, ''Oryza glaberrima'' along the Niger River in [[Niger]]. The crop was first domesticated along the river.]]

[[File:Ravenna Cosmography 1889 Africa crop.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A reconstruction of the [[Ravenna Cosmography]] placed on a [[Ptolemy's world map|Ptolemaic map]].  The '''River Ger''' is visible at bottom.  Note it is placed, following [[Ptolemy]], as just south of the land of the [[Garamantes]], in modern [[Libya]], constricting the continent to the land from the central [[Sahara]] north.]]

[[File:1561 map of West Africa by Girolamo Ruscelli.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|1561 map of West Africa by Girolamo Ruscelli, from Italian translation of Ptolemy's Atlas "La geografia di Claudio Tolomeo alessandrino, Nuovamente tradotta di Greco in Italiano".  The writer was attempting to square information gleaned from Portuguese trade along the coast with [[Ptolemy's world map]].  The mouths of the [[Senegal River]] and [[Gambia River]] are postulated to flow into a lake, which also feeds the "Ger"/"Niger River", which in turn feeds the "Nile Lake" and [[Nile River]].]]

At the end of the [[African humid period]] around 5,500 years before present, the modern Sahara Desert, once a [[savanna]], underwent [[desertification]]. As plant species sharply declined,<ref name="Cubry">{{cite journal |last1=Cubry |first1=Philippe |title=The Rise and Fall of African Rice Cultivation Revealed by Analysis of 246 New Genomes |journal=Current Biology |volume=28 |issue=14 |pages=2274–2282 |year=2018 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.066 |issn=0960-9822 |pmid=29983312 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2018CBio...28E2274C }}</ref> humans migrated to the fertile Niger River bend region, with abundant resources including plants for grazing and fish.<ref name="Mayor">{{cite journal |last1=Mayor |first1=Anne |title=Ceramic Traditions and Ethnicity in the Niger Bend, West Africa |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261296160 |journal=Ethnoarchaeology |year=2010 |volume=2 |pages=5–48 |publisher=University of Geneva |doi=10.1179/eth.2010.2.1.5 |s2cid=128409342 |issn=1944-2890}}</ref> Like in the [[Fertile Crescent]], many food crops were [[Domestication#Plants|domesticated]] in the Niger River region, including [[Yam (vegetable)|yams]], African rice ([[Oryza glaberrima]]), and [[Pearl millet#Africa|pearl millet]].<ref name="Scarcelli">{{cite journal |last1=Scarcelli |first1=Nora |title=Yam genomics supports West Africa as a major cradle of crop domestication |url= |journal=Science Advances |volume=5 |issue=5 |pages=eaaw1947 |bibcode=2019SciA....5.1947S |year=2019 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aaw1947 |issn=2375-2548 |pmid=31114806 |pmc=6527260}}</ref> The Sahara [[aridification]] may have triggered, or at least accelerated, these domestications.<ref name="Cubry"/> Agriculture, as well as fishing and animal husbandry, led to the rise of settlements like [[Djenné-Djenno]] in the Inner Delta, now a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name="sub">{{cite journal |last1=Mcintosh |first1=Susan Keech |last2=Mcintosh |first2=Roderick J. |title=Initial Perspectives on Prehistoric Subsistence in the Inland Niger Delta (Mail) |journal=World Archaeology |date=Oct 1979 |volume=11 |issue=2 Food and Nutrition |pages=227–243 |doi=10.1080/00438243.1979.9979762 |issn=0043-8243 |pmid=16470987}}</ref>

The region of the Niger bend, in the [[Sahel]], was a key origin and destination for [[trans-Saharan trade]], fueling the wealth of great empires such as the [[Ghana Empire|Ghana]], Mali, and [[Songhai Empire]]s. Major trading ports along the river, including Timbuktu and Gao, became centers of learning and culture. Trade to the Niger bend region also [[Islamization of the Sudan region|brought Islam to the region]] in approximately the 14th century CE. Much of the northern Niger basin remains Muslim today, although the southern reaches of the river tend to be Christian.

Classical writings on the interior of the Sahara begin with [[Ptolemy]], who mentions two rivers in the desert: the "Gir" (Γειρ)<ref>Geographia, [https://books.google.com/books?id=4ksBAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA222 Book IV, Chapter 6, Section 13].</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Claudii Ptolemaei |title=Geographia |date=1843 |publisher=Sumptibus et typis Caroli Tauchnitii |at=Book IV, Chapter 6, Section 13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ksBAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA222 |access-date= |language=el}}</ref> and farther south, the "Nigir" (Νιγειρ).<ref name="meek1960">{{cite journal |first=C. K. |last=Meek |jstor=179702 |title=The Niger and the Classics: The History of a Name |journal=Journal of African History |volume=1 |issue=1 |year=1960 |pages=1–17 |doi=10.1017/S0021853700001456 |s2cid=163134704 |issn=0021-8537}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Law |first=R. C. C. |year=1967 |title=The Garamantes and Trans-Saharan Enterprise in Classical Times |journal=Journal of African History |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=181–200 |doi=10.1017/S0021853700007015 |s2cid=165234947 |issn=0021-8537}}. Law carefully ties together the classical sources on this, and explains the mix of third hand reports and mythology that was current in both the European and Arab worlds.</ref>  The first has been since identified as the [[Oued Guir|Wadi Ghir]] on the north-western edge of the [[Tuat]], along the borders of modern [[Morocco]] and [[Algeria]].<ref name="meek1960" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bunbury |first1=Edward Herbert |last2=Stahl |first2=William H. |title=A History of Ancient Geography Among the Greeks and Romans: From the Earliest Ages Till the Fall of the Roman Empire |date=1879 |publisher=J. Murray |location=London |isbn= |pages=626–627 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MktN8xy48XcC |access-date=}}</ref>  This would likely have been as far as Ptolemy would have had consistent records.  The Ni-Ger was likely speculation, although the name stuck as that of a river south of the Mediterranean's "known world". [[Suetonius]] reports Romans traveling to the "Ger", although in reporting any river's name derived from a [[Berber languages|Berber]] language, in which "gher" means "watercourse", confusion could easily arise.{{sfn|Thomson|1948|pp=258–259}} [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] connected these two rivers as one long watercourse which flowed (via lakes and underground sections) into the Nile,{{sfn|Thomson|1948|p=258}} a notion which persisted in the Arab and European worlds – and further added the Senegal River as the "Ger" –  until the 19th century.

While the true course of the Niger was presumably known to locals, it was a mystery to the outside world until the late 18th century. The connection to the [[Nile River]] was made not simply because this was then known as the great river of "[[Aethiopia]]" (by which all lands south of the desert were called by Classical writers), but because the Nile like the Niger flooded every summer.{{Sfn|Law|1967|pp=182-184}} Through the descriptions of Leo Africanus and even [[Ibn Battuta]] – despite his visit to the river – the myth connecting the Niger to the Nile persisted.

Many European expeditions to plot the river were unsuccessful.{{Sfn|Plumb|1952}} In 1788 the [[African Association]] was formed in [[England]] to promote the exploration of Africa in the hopes of locating the Niger, and in June 1796 the Scottish explorer [[Mungo Park (explorer)|Mungo Park]] was the first European to lay eyes on the middle portion of the river since antiquity (and perhaps ever). He wrote an account in 1799, ''[[Travels in the Interior of Africa]]''.<ref>{{citation |last=de Gramonte |first=Sanche |year=1991 |title=The Strong Brown God: Story of the Niger River |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-395-56756-2}}</ref> Park proposed a theory that the Niger and [[Congo River|Congo]] were the same river. Although the Niger Delta would seem like an obvious candidate, it was a maze of streams and swamps that did not look like the head of a great river. He died in 1806 on a second expedition attempting to prove the Niger-Congo connection.<ref name="Maclachlan" /> The theory became the leading one in Europe.<ref name="Maclachlan" /> Several failed expeditions followed; however the mystery of the Niger would not be solved for another 25 years, in 1830, when [[Richard Lander]] and his brother became the first Europeans to follow the course of the Niger to the ocean.<ref name="Maclachlan">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/mungopark00maclrich |pages=[https://archive.org/details/mungopark00maclrich/page/130 130]–142 |title=Mungo Park |publisher=Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier |location=Edinburgh |last=Maclachlan |first=T. Banks |year=1898}}</ref>

In 1946, three Frenchmen, Jean Sauvy, Pierre Ponty and movie maker [[Jean Rouch]], former civil servants in the African [[French colonial empire|French colonies]], set out to travel the entire length of the river, as no one else seemed to have done previously. They travelled from the beginning of the river near [[Kissidougou]] in Guinea, walking at first till a raft could be used, then changing to various local crafts as the river broadened and changed. Two of them reached the ocean on March 25, 1947, with Ponty having left the expedition at [[Niamey]], somewhat past the halfway mark. They carried a [[16 mm film|16mm movie camera]], the resulting footage giving Rouch his first two ethnographic documentaries: "Au pays des mages noirs", and "La chasse à l’hippopotame". A camera was used to illustrate Rouch's subsequent book "Le Niger En Pirogue" (Fernand Nathan, 1954), as well as Sauvy's "Descente du Niger" (L'Harmattan, 2001). A typewriter was brought as well, on which Ponty produced newspaper articles he mailed out whenever possible.<ref>{{Citation |last=Baugh |first=Brenda |title=About Jean Rouch |publisher=Documentary Education Resources |url=http://www.der.org/jean-rouch/content/index.php?id=about |access-date=27 Jan 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820055522/http://www.der.org/jean-rouch/content/index.php?id=about |archive-date=2009-08-20}}</ref>

== Management and development ==

The water in the Niger River basin is partially regulated through dams. In Mali the [[Sélingué Dam]] on the [[Sankarani River]] is mainly used for hydropower but also permits irrigation. Two diversion dams, one at [[Sotuba]] just downstream of [[Bamako]], and one at [[Markala]], just downstream of [[Ségou]], are used to irrigate about 54,000 hectares.<ref name="FAO"/> In Nigeria the [[Kainji Dam]], [[Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Station|Shiroro Dam]], [[Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Station|Zungeru Dam]], and [[Jebba Hydroelectric Power Station|Jebba Dam]] are used to generate hydropower.

The water resources of the Niger River are under pressure because of increased water abstraction for irrigation. The construction of [[Dam|dams]] for [[Hydropower|hydropower generation]] is underway or envisaged in order to alleviate chronic power shortages in the countries of the Niger basin.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/03/04/niger-basin-countries-collaborate-on-hydropower-irrigation-and-improved-water-resource-management |title=In the Niger Basin, Countries Collaborate on Hydropower, Irrigation and Improved Water Resource Management |work=World Bank |access-date=2017-09-20 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920195403/http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/03/04/niger-basin-countries-collaborate-on-hydropower-irrigation-and-improved-water-resource-management |archive-date=2017-09-20}}</ref> The [[FAO]] estimates the irrigation potential of all countries in the Niger river basin at 2.8 million hectares. Only 0.93m hectares (ha) were under irrigation in the late 1980s. The irrigation potential was estimated at 1.68m ha in Nigeria 0.56m ha in Mali, and the actual irrigated area was 0.67m ha and 0.19m ha.<ref name="FAO" />

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Azawagh}}
* {{annotated link|Niger Basin Authority}}

==Notes==

{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==

{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{citation |first=Sanche de |last=Gramont |title=The Strong Brown God: The Story of the Niger River |publisher=Hart-Davis |year=1975 |isbn=0-246-10759-6}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Plumb |first1=J. H. |title=The Niger Quest |journal=History Today |date=1952 |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=243–251 |doi= |url= |access-date= |issn=}}
* {{citation |last=Reader |first=John |title=Africa |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Geographic Society |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-620-25506-6}}
* {{citation |first=J. Oliver |last=Thomson |title=History of Ancient Geography |publisher=Biblo & Tannen Publishers |year=1948 |isbn=978-0-8196-0143-8}}
* {{citation |first=R.L. |last=Welcomme |chapter=The Niger River System |editor-first=Bryan Robert |editor-last=Davies |editor2-first=Keith F. |editor2-last=Walker |title=The Ecology of River Systems |publisher=Springer |year=1986 |isbn=978-90-6193-540-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ecologyofriversy0000unse/page/9 9–60] |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/ecologyofriversy0000unse/page/9}}

{{refend}}

==External links==

{{wikimedia|voy=Nigeria|d=Q3542|c=Category:Niger River|species=no}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041027204023/http://www.earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/maps_detail_static.cfm?map_select=298&theme=2 Information and a map of the Niger's watershed] on http://www.wri.org/resources {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130024628/http://www.wri.org/resources |date=2015-11-30 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061111145727/http://www.waterandnature.org/eatlas/html/af14.html Map of the Niger River basin at Water Resources eAtlas] (link broken)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130616141219/http://nigercurrents.ca/ Niger Currents: Exploring life and technology along the Niger River]
* {{cite news |last1=Maas |first1=Pierre |last2=Mommersteeg |first2=Geert |title=Fishing in the Pondo |url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199004/fishing.in.the.pondo.htm |access-date= |work=Saudi Aramco World |issue= |date=1990 |archive-date=2014-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018030141/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199004/fishing.in.the.pondo.htm |url-status=dead }}

===International law and the Niger River===
* [http://www.ppl.nl/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=82 Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218211327/http://www.ppl.nl/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=82 |date=2009-02-18 }} Peace Palace Library
* {{cite journal |last1=Spadi |first1=Fabio |title=The International Court of Justice Judgment in the Benin–Niger Border Dispute: The Interplay of Titles and 'Effectivités' under the Uti Possidetis Juris Principle |journal=Leiden Journal of International Law |date=December 2005 |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=777–794 |doi=10.1017/S0922156505003006 |s2cid=145119157 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/leiden-journal-of-international-law/article/international-court-of-justice-judgment-in-the-beninniger-border-dispute-the-interplay-of-titles-and-effectivites-under-the-uti-possidetis-juris-principle/8A2A7DDD601C070DFA7846C12576E5FF |access-date= |language=en |issn=1478-9698 |archive-date=2018-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180609153720/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/leiden-journal-of-international-law/article/international-court-of-justice-judgment-in-the-beninniger-border-dispute-the-interplay-of-titles-and-effectivites-under-the-uti-possidetis-juris-principle/8A2A7DDD601C070DFA7846C12576E5FF |url-status=live }}

{{Niger River}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Niger River| ]]
[[Category:Benin–Niger border]]
[[Category:International rivers of Africa]]
[[Category:Inner Niger Delta]]
[[Category:Physiographic sections]]
[[Category:Rivers of Benin]]
[[Category:Rivers of Guinea]]
[[Category:Rivers of Mali]]
[[Category:Rivers of Niger]]
[[Category:Rivers of Nigeria]]
[[Category:Border rivers]]
[[Category:Lowest points of countries]]