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Niger is a West African river flowing through the territory of 5 states. In the world ranking, it occupies the 14th position in terms of length, which is approximately 4180 km. This watercourse is unique and quite interesting, which is why it is important to find out what the regime of the Niger River is. This will be discussed in the article.
On the African continent, the Niger River is second only to the Congo and the Nile. Its waterway is unusual in its shape. It carries its waters like a boomerang from the Guinean Highlands to the bay of the same name. The confluence - the mouth - is considered the Atlantic Ocean. At the very source, the Niger is called Joliboy and flows to the northeast, changing direction to the east in the Timbuktu region and turning to the southeast in the town of Burem. There are several versions about the origin of the name of the river. One, the most reliable, can be considered a translation from the Tuareg, which literally means "river, flowing water."
Features of the currents
In the middle course, the Niger is a flat river. Rapids are often found in its upper and lower parts, where the path runs along the slopes of the Guinea Upland. Originating in the northern side of the mountains, the water stream flows over rough terrain, has several waterfalls. This affects the nature and regime of the Niger River. Here the watercourse is full-flowing and swift. Starting from Saleh, the flow of the river slows down. It moves in a northeasterly direction along the inner delta. The flow of the river becomes faster, bypassing Timbuktu. Here the stream changes its direction of movement. The waters of the smaller rivers flowing into the lower reaches of the basin re-saturate the Niger, making it full-flowing. Among the many tributaries, the main ones are: Benue, Bani, Kaduna, Milano, Sokoto.
River transport
The regime of the Niger River allows the channel to be used for the passage of ships. AT downstream the stream is navigable all year round, in the upper and middle - depending on the high water. Its peculiarity is that in different areas everything is different. For example, the water area of the river from Bammako to Timbuktu is navigable only from July to January. From June to October, the section between Gabba and Lokoji is available for passage of ships.
Feeding regime of the Niger River and water flow
Like most other African rivers, the Niger is rain-fed. The catchment basin covers an area of more than 2,117 thousand square meters. km. Water is consumed in a volume approximately equal to 8630 cubic meters per second. Water consumption during floods increases significantly and reaches about 30-35 thousand cubic meters. meters per second. More than half of the moisture loss occurs through evaporation and filtration. The driest stretch is between Segou and Timbuktu. These losses are not compensated even by the infusion of the waters of the Bani River, near the city of Mopti. During the year, the river carries about 378 cubic meters. km of water.
The Niger River is the largest West Africa and the third longest on the entire continent, after the Nile and. And many thousands of years ago, two rivers flowed along its current course. From its source in the Guinean Highlands, one of them flowed into the ancient drainless lake, the second flowed to the east of this place and was not connected with the first. But time dried up the lake, and these two rivers gradually changed their course, merging, they gave birth to Niger.
For a long time, the serpentine current of the Niger remained the main obstacle for researchers. There was even an assumption that the other African rivers Senegal and Gambia are nothing more than branches of the Niger, although in fact they flow to the north.
Many attempts have been made to solve the mystery of the river. Since the so-called African Association was founded in 1788, the purpose of which was to study African lands in detail, including the course of the Niger: it was necessary to learn everything about the promising trade routes of Africa, and Niger goes to the Atlantic Ocean.
Less than ten years later, the river found its hero. In 1796 the Scottish traveler Mungo Park (1771-1806) reached its waters. Exploring the sources of the rivers of Senegal and the Gambia, he also reached the Niger and during his voyage discovered that the Niger had nothing to do with Senegal and the Gambia. But Park could not thoroughly study the Niger: he fell ill with dengue fever, was captured, fled, but after a relapse of a debilitating illness, he interrupted his journey along the river, returning on foot to the mouth of the Gambia, and with great difficulty reached the English trading settlement of Pisania in June 1797 . But he conveyed the collected materials. They formed the basis of a book published in 1799, which brought Mungo Park prestige in scientific circles and fame among inquisitive compatriots.
This inspired the Scot for another trip to Niger in 1805. The expedition started from the Niger Delta, was well prepared and armed. However, due to illness, heat and endless skirmishes with local tribes, Mungo Park lost most of his team (out of forty people, only eleven reached the Malian territories). In the same year, 1805, he drowned in the waters of Niger when he tried to hide from the arrows of local residents in the water. This became known only in 1808, when the diaries and letters of the brave traveler, which he sent ahead of time with his people, finally reached the addressee: the Park's envoys themselves barely survived. Although Europe already knew about the obstinate nature of the Niger, there were (and still are) a lot of extreme sports lovers who wanted to make a trip along this river. The sad fate of the Park warned real researchers ... But in 1946, a significant event nevertheless occurred geographical event: for the first time, a man managed to overcome absolutely all the obstacles on the way from the source of the Niger to its mouth. It was a French expedition - documentary filmmaker and connoisseur of Africa Jean Rush and his companions Pierre Ponty and Jean Soy.
Thanks to the film materials they brought from this trip, people were able to see the beauty of the hitherto mysterious river, to feel the diversity and originality of its world, bewitchingly attractive, despite all the potential dangers. 
Originating under the name Joliba in the Leono-Liberian Uplands, Niger rushes west to the Gulf of Guinea Atlantic Ocean, absorbing a lot of large and small tributaries along the way and gradually accelerating its course. At the confluence with its largest tributary - the Benue River - Niger acquires the greatest strength. Here, its width reaches three kilometers, and the depth in some areas is kept at the level of twenty meters. The Niger is navigable from Kurusa to Bamako, from the falls of Sotuba to Ansongo, and from Niamey to the mouth. The Niger Delta begins 180 km from the ocean near the city of Aba.
A real oasis is formed along the shores of Niger in the area of its inner delta Masina, in the very place where the waters of the lake that dried up over time splashed. Now this region belongs to the state of Mali (it gained independence in 1960). About half a million people live here. Most of the local settlements belong to the Dogon. Near the Bandiagara ledge one can find their small villages, consisting of adobe houses, merging with the surrounding rocky landscape, and their fields and melons stretch along the Niger coast. Niger sheltered on its shores the Fulbe tribes, who adhere to the ancient traditions of a nomadic lifestyle and animal husbandry. Living conditions here are not easy, even taking into account the proximity of the river: the wind brings hot dry air from the Sahara desert, and temperatures throughout the year can jump up to + 40 ° C. From here the river rushes on, deviating to the east and approaching the southern outskirts of the Sahara. Here, river water is an invaluable and perhaps the only source of life, including for the Malian city of Timbuktu, standing in a bend (inner delta) of Niger. Until the beginning of the 20th century. along the Niger, Timbuktu could only be reached when the water level in the river rose after the summer monsoon rains. The first European to reach this city, previously known only from descriptions, was a British officer, Major Alexander Leng, and this happened in 1825.
There are on the banks of the Niger and others, more big cities(the population of Timbuktu is only a little over 50 thousand people). Downstream of the Inner Delta lies the Malian capital of Bamako, with a population of nearly two million, Africa's fastest growing city. Complex natural conditions West Africans leave their imprint on the appearance of this capital city. At first glance, it may seem that Bamako is not so big. The houses here are low-rise, and the streets, with a fairly high population density, are not so busy (green minibuses of the local fixed-route taxi here sometimes there are much more than private cars).
On the banks of the great African river, the capital, Niamey, is also located. Founded in the 18th century, it really flourished only towards the end of the 19th century, during the French colonization. During the day, living in a bustle, brightly sparkling in the evening lights, this city is one of the largest African centers of trade, both retail and wholesale. And here one can observe, it seems, an ineradicable African paradox: next to the circulation of goods and money - poverty and begging.
general information
River in West Africa.
The third river in terms of length and basin area in Africa (after the Nile and the Congo).
Main tributaries: Benue, Milo, Bani, Sokoto, Kaduna.
Countries through which the Niger flows: Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, Nigeria.
The most important cities in the basin: Timbuktu, Bamako (Mali), Niamey (Niger), Lokoja, Onicha (Nigeria).
The most important port: Port Harcourt (Nigeria, located on the Bonny River in the Niger Delta).
Numbers
Length: 4180 km.
Pool area: 2,117,700 km2.
Delta area: 70,000 km2.
Water consumption (at the mouth): 8630 m 3 / s.
Annual flow: 378 km3.
Economy
The most important route of communication between the countries of West Africa.
Industry: hydropower (the Kainji hydroelectric complex in Nigeria, with a reservoir with an area of 600 km 2), oil production (in the Niger Delta).
Agriculture: growing oranges, bananas, legumes, corn, millet, rice, sugar cane, peanuts, sorghum, cassava, cotton; cattle breeding.
Fishing: carp, perch, barbel, captain fish and other species.
Trade is developed in coastal cities.
Climate and weather
Tropical desert in the north of the region, subequatorial in the south.
Average monthly temperatures throughout the year: from +20 to +34ºС.
Sharp diurnal temperature fluctuations are characteristic: in the morning the air temperature can be around +10ºС, and during the day it can rise to +40ºС.
Average annual rainfall: in the north of the region - less than 100 mm, in the south - up to 800 mm.
Attractions
■ Bamako (Mali): National Museum Mali - dedicated to the history of the country since ancient times; Bamako Cathedral Mosque is one of the most tall buildings Bamako; the VCEAO tower - the bank building, the tallest in West Africa; Palace of Culture Amado - One of the main centers for cultural events;
■ Niamey (Niger): National Museum of Niger; Nigerian Zoo; city market - the largest shopping center the Republic of Niger; great mosque Niamey;
■ national park Kainji Lake;
■ Upper Niger National Park;
■ Western Niger National Park.
Curious facts
■ To say that the Niger Basin is a densely populated area is like saying nothing. Only in the delta region of this African river, the population is about thirty-one million people.
■ The Republic of Niger is one of the largest oil suppliers among African countries. Every day, about two million barrels of black gold are mined in the Niger Delta. True, this figure is far from the limit: before production was three million barrels per day, but in recent years the country's oil industry has lost ground.
■ Steamships are rare in Niger, mostly small sailing ships.
■ Documentary filmmaker and ethnographer Jean Rouch (1917-2004), who explored the Niger in 1946, called the river a living liana that coiled around West Africa, noting the variability of its waters.
■ The most delicious fish found in the waters of Niger is the captain fish.
■ The city of Mopti in Mali, located at the confluence of the Bani River with the Niger, is called the “African Venice”. But not always, but in winter, when, after the monsoon rains, the Niger floods and Mopti is surrounded by water from all sides.
The Niger River is the most important river in West Africa. The length is 4,180 km, the basin area is 2,118 thousand km², the third in these parameters in Africa after the Nile and the Congo. It flows through the territory of Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, Nigeria. Source - Guinea Highlands, southeast of Guinea. Mouth of the Atlantic Ocean. The basin area is 2,117,700 km².
The Niger is fed by the waters of the summer monsoon rains. In the upper reaches, the flood begins in June and near Bamako reaches a maximum in September - October. In the lower reaches, the rise of water begins in June from local rains, in September it reaches its maximum. The average annual water flow of the Niger at the mouth is 8630 m³/s, the annual flow is 378 km³, the discharge during floods can reach 30-35 thousand m³/s.
Water supply along the current is not traditionally distributed. The lower and upper reaches of the river are located in places with high rainfall. but in the middle reaches of the river the climate is already dry.
The main tributaries of the Niger are the rivers Bani, Sokoto, Milo, Kaduna, Benue.
Niger also has an inland delta. locals They call her Masina. This vast area is located in the middle reaches of the river. It is a large heavily swampy floodplain valley. The river there has a large number of branches, oxbow lakes, lakes. Downstream they merge into one channel. The delta is four hundred twenty-five kilometers long and eighty-seven kilometers wide.
So far, the origin of the name of the river has not been established. One of the versions says that the name of the river comes from the Latin word niger - “black”. But the indigenous people call the river in their own way. In the upper reaches, it has the name Joliba, in the middle - Egirreu, and in the lower reaches it is already Kvara. The Arabs also call it differently - Nil el-Abid, which means "Nile of Slaves".
According to one hypothesis, the name of the river came in turn from the words "Jägerev n'Jegerev", which in Tamashek (one of the Tuareg languages) means " great river or "river of rivers". So called Niger and other peoples who lived on its shores.
The source is in Guinea, then the river flows through Mali, Niger, along the border of Benin, then flows through Nigeria and flows into the Gulf of Guinea.
It originates under the name Joliba on the slopes of the Leono-Liberian Upland, flows into the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, forming a delta. The main tributaries: on the right - Milo and Bani, on the left - Sokoto, Kaduna and Benue. From the sources to about 10 ° N. sh. N. flows to the north-east. in the mountains, mostly in a narrow valley, and then goes to the plains of Sudan. From Kurusa to Bamako and below Segou the valley is wide; here the river significantly increases its water content due to the confluence of tributaries; navigable. Between the years Ke-Masina and Timbuktu N. is divided into many branches and flows in a wide, heavily swampy valley with an abundance of channels, oxbow lakes and lakes. This area is the inner delta of N.; here the river once flowed into a large drainless lake. In the Timbuktu region, the arms merge into one channel. Further, the river flows in an easterly direction for about 300 km along the southern edge of the Sahara desert, without receiving significant tributaries. From the village of Burem, the river turns to the southeast, below Mt. Elva it crosses the North Guinea Upland, where it receives many small tributaries. Further, up to the mouth (about 750 km), the river flows in a wide valley, accessible for navigation. Having taken from the city of Lokodzha its largest tributary - the river. Benue, N. turns into a mighty stream up to 3 km wide and up to 20 m deep and more. The N. Delta (24,000 km2) begins 180 km from the ocean (near the city of Aba). In terms of length, the largest branch is Nun, for navigation they use the deeper branch of Forcados. Sea tides cover most of the delta and only 35 km do not reach its top; their height on Forcados is about 1.2 m.
The Niger River flows through five countries. The main current passes through the territory of Mali. This river is the main water artery of this state. In these arid lands, without Niger, existence would be very difficult. The local population still believes that various spirits live in the river.
The Niger River originates just east of the Kong Mountains. There, the height above sea level is eight hundred and fifty meters. First, it heads north, towards the desert, then the river turns southeast, and then south. The river flows into the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean. A large delta with an area of twenty-five thousand kilometers is formed there. This area is covered with dense thickets and marshy.
In the upper reaches of the Niger, rapids often come across, and already in the middle reaches it has the calm character of a flat river.
In the place where the Niger merges with the tributary of the Bani, there was once a large drainless lake. But today this lake is formed only during the wet season, when there is a lot of precipitation. During a flood, the total area of the delta can increase from four to twenty thousand square kilometers.
Niger is rich in fish. Carp, perch, barbel and other fish species live in the river. In the countries where the Niger flows, fishing is very developed. Fishing is often the only source of subsistence for the local population.
There is a large amount of oil in the mouth of the Niger Delta. The wise use of oil resources could help the local population out of poverty. But due to environmental pollution by oil and products of its processing, the situation is only getting worse.
The well-known Niger River is the most important river in Western. The length is 4180 km, the basin area is 2118 thousand km², the third in these parameters in Africa after and. The exact origin of the name of the river is unknown and in our time there is a dispute among scientists. ( 11 photos)
2. The river receives its main water from the summer monsoon rains. The average annual water flow of the Niger at the mouth is 8630 m³/s, the annual flow is 378 km³, the discharge during floods can reach 30-35 thousand m³/s. But there are also tributaries, here are the five main ones - Milo (right), Bani (right), Sokoto (left), Kaduna (left), Benue (left).
5. It is believed that the name of the river came from the Tuareg nehier-ren- "river, flowing water." According to one hypothesis, the name of the river comes in turn from the words "jaegerev n'egerev", which in Tamashek (one of the Tuareg languages) means "great river" or "river of rivers". So called Niger and some other peoples who lived on its shores. There are many different hypotheses, but it is not known for certain where the river takes its name from.
7. In 1805, a Scottish doctor, Mungo Park, visited Niger for the second time and explored its course from Bamako to Bussang, where he was killed by local natives.
The Alps are the highest and most extensive mountain system in Europe, stretching 1200 kilometers through eight countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland. Though Caucasian mountains higher, and the Urals are longer, but they partially lie in Asia, and, accordingly, are not included in the comparison with the Alps within Europe.
Mountains are strongly influenced by their height and size. This difference is most noticeable in nature, so the ibex, that is, the ibex, lives at an altitude of about 3,400 meters, and the Edelweiss plant grows in high mountainous rocky areas. Man settled in the Alps in the Paleolithic era.
Presumably, the earliest traces of human presence in the Alps were discovered on the Austro-Italian border in 1991, the found remains of a mummified person lay in the mountains for about 5,000 years. In the 6th century BC, the Celts settled in the mountains, establishing the first settlements there, which have survived to this day. The Romans also left their mark, whose buildings are still found in modern cities Alp. The mountains gained popularity at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, when a stream of writers and artists flooded into the Alps, and this time is also considered the golden age of mountaineering, and active conquest of the peaks by climbers from all over Europe began.
The Alpine region has a distinctive culture. Traditional farming, cheese making and woodworking still exist in the local villages. Tourism began to develop actively in the early 20th century, and now the mountains are visited by more than 120 million tourists a year. The Alps also hosted the largest number of Winter Olympic Games, at different times the hosts were: Switzerland, France, Italy, Austria and Germany.
The word Alps comes from the Latin, Moor Servius Honoratus, an ancient commentator on Virgil, writes that all high mountains called the Celts - the Alps. This is the most likely theory about the origin of the name. Although there are many others, for example: Sextus Pompeius Festus in his first book testifies that the name comes from Albus (white), and refers to the eternal snows on the tops of the mountains.
Geography
From space and on high-scale maps, the Alps resemble the shape of a crescent. With an uneven width, ranging from 800 kilometers in the east to 200 in the west. Average Height mountain peaks is 2.5 kilometers. The Alpine system stretches from mediterranean sea in the southwest to the north of the French Po basin, and descends in an easterly direction, passing next to Adriatic Sea. Countries with the largest alpine territories: Switzerland in the center and north, France with most of the western part, with the eastern tip, and Italy with the entire southern side of the Alpine crescent.
Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc in French) is a mountain located in the region of the northwestern Alps. With a height of 4810.90 m (the last official measure in September 2009) is the most high mountain in the Alps, Italy, France and Central Europe in general. There are numerous glaciers on its peaks.
The roads in the Alps were made by wars, trade, pilgrims and tourists. Downgrades in mountainous areas with the most convenient passage are called passes, the most famous alpine passes are: Col de Il Seran, Brenner, Col de Tende, Mont Cenis, Grand St. Bernard Pass, Gotthard Pass, Semmiringa and the Stelvio Pass.
Alps on the map
Minerals
The Alps are an important source of minerals that have been mined here for thousands of years. In the 8th-6th centuries BC, the Celts mined copper there, later the Romans discovered gold deposits, from where it was mined for minting coins, and with the development of industry in the Alps, they began to extract iron ore for steel production. Also in this vast mountainous region, there are other minerals that are most commonly found: cinnabar, amethyst and quartz. Alpine crystals have been studied and collected for hundreds of years, and began to be qualified in the 18th century. And by the 20th, a special commission was created to control and standardize the names of Alpine minerals.
Climate
The Alps are an important climate divide for Europe. In the north and west relative to the mountains there are territories with a temperate climate, in the south there are subtropical Mediterranean landscapes. Precipitation on the windward western and northwestern slopes is 1,500 - 2,000 mm, in some places up to 4,000 mm per year. For Alpine mountains characterized by a typical climate of the highlands. As the altitude increases, the temperature decreases. At around 3000 meters or more, the temperature does not exceed zero degrees Celsius, which contributes to the formation of glaciers there. In the Alps, there are the sources of large rivers (the Rhine, Rhone, Po, Adige, the right tributaries of the Danube), as well as numerous lakes of glacial and tectonic-glacial origin (Bodenskoe, Geneva, Como, Lago Maggiore and others).
Population
As of 2001, the total population in the Alps was 12 million inhabitants, the bulk of which are French, Germans and Italians. Slovenes are also a significant community. The largest cities in the Alps are: Grenoble, located in France, with a population of 155,100, Innsbruck (Austria) - 127,000 people, Trento (Italy) - 116,893 people and Bolzano (Italy) - 98,100 people.
Geology and Hydrology
The Alps are part of an orogenic tertiary belt called the Alpine-Himalayan chain, which extends almost continuously from the southwest to Asia, formed as a result of the collision between the African and European plates.
The most important European rivers start from the Alps, such as the Po with its tributaries, the Rhine, Rhone, Adige, Brenta, Piave, Tagliamento, etc. Also on the slopes of the Alps are numerous lakes that are fed by water from the mountains, such as Lake Geneva, lake constance, Lake Lugano, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Iseo, Lake Garda and many others. The Alps are also a reservoir fresh water with numerous glaciers.
Flights
Traveling in the Alps is best to start from east to west, this is the most popular tourist option, which allows you to look at different areas of the mountains and completely drive through the most picturesque region of Europe.
The easternmost point of the massif is near Vienna, where international airports with regular flights from Moscow. From the airport in Vienna constantly walks public transport linking the capital with other cities and popular tourist destinations.
Relaxation
Tourism has been well developed in the Alps for a long time. Back in the 18th century, prominent people went to the mountains to rest in resorts “not for everyone”. Now the situation has changed and it is not at all necessary to have an impressive fortune in order to relax in the Alpine resorts.
These are small cheap hotels near a lake in the mountains, and middle-class recreation centers with large ski slopes and premium hotels swiss alps with its own slopes and resorts.
