One of Africa’s largest rivers, the Niger, is critical to hundreds of millions. Perhaps it is no less important than the mighty Nile, which rolls its waters in another part of this continent. However, only Niger river saves the already arid lands of West Africa from the final drying up and turning into deserts, and millions of hectares of fields are irrigated with water from it.
16 interesting facts about the Niger River
Niger brings more than 67 million tons of silt into the delta annually. That is why agriculture flourishes in the delta of this river.
Its length is only slightly short of 4200 kilometers.
The Niger flows through five countries.
Niger ranks third among African rivers, both in length and in terms of water surface area, behind the Congo and the Nile. To get the latest stories, install our app here
The water in Niger is much cleaner than in other major rivers in Africa.
The origin of the name “Niger” is still unknown, and scientists argue on this topic to this day. To get the latest stories, install our app here
Among all the world’s rivers, the Niger ranks 14th in length.
There are rich oil fields in the Niger Delta. It produces more than 2 million barrels of “black gold” per year.
The Niger River flows through five countries.
Scientists believe that the modern Niger River was formed due to the confluence of two rivers about 3-5 thousand years ago, which, in turn, was caused by the formation of the Sahara desert.
Since its shores are very fertile, a significant proportion of the population of the surrounding countries is concentrated around them. More than 30 million people live in the river delta alone. To get the latest stories, install our app here
The total basin of the Niger River exceeds 2 million kilometers in area.
On average, more than 8,600 cubic meters of water is poured into the ocean from Niger every second; in the rainy season, this figure rises to 35,000 cubic meters. For comparison, from 2800 to 5700 cubic meters of water per second passes through the famous Niagara Falls, depending on the season.
The waters of the Niger River are rich in life, there is a lot of different fish, so the locals are willing to fish. To get the latest stories, install our app here
Most of the volume of the Niger River is filled with rain. Tributaries and soil feed it only slightly.
The ancient Greeks believed that the Niger flows into the Nile. Time has shown that they were wrong.
