The Niger River
Located in Northern Africa, the Niger River runs some 2,600 miles, making it the third-longest river on the continent. The river originates in southeast Guinea, ending at the Gulf of Guinea, where it flows out into the Atlantic Ocean. (Gleick, 2000) By looking at the image to the right, it can be seen that the river has an interesting shape to it, looking almost like a boomerang. The Niger is joined by the Bani River, and at this point, it becomes a place containing backwaters, smaller streams, and lakes called the "internal delta." By the late 1700s leading into the mid 1800s, explorations began by many different Europeans. Mungo Park determined that the river flowed east, but in 1805, he and his crew died after hitting a patch of rapids. In 1830, the lower and second half of the river was determined by John and Richard Lander. (Mabogunje, 2009) |
The largest of rivers in Africa, the Nile River runs over 4,000 miles, starting near the equator and flowing north all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. To see the Nile's path, click here. Like the Niger, the Nile has several other rivers that flow into it, including the Blue Nile, White Nile, and the Atbara. Historically speaking, most of the river was mapped and explored throughout the 1800s. For about 30 years, starting in 1821, parts of north and central Sudan were explored, and later, in 1850, lakes farther south were found. (Harold Edwin Hurst, 2016)
The source of the Nile was found in 1858 by a man named John Hanning Speke while on an expedition throughout east Africa. He later went on to name that source Lake Victoria. (Cavendish, 2008) |