River arteries are randomly scattered throughout the vast body of the Earth. They refresh and decorate the planet. Sometimes rivers wind through the impenetrable jungle, and sometimes openly and boldly rush through wide meadows. The Gambia River is one of the African attractions. It was along its channel that the country of the same name was located, stretching over a long four-hundred-kilometer strip in an effort to merge with the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Unknown Gambia
Among the desert west of Africa, the fertile republic of the Gambia stands out. This is one of the smallest states on a vast continent. The country is located on both sides of the river with the same name. The Gambia River carries its murky waters to the Atlantic Ocean, where numerous tourists bask on its clean sandy beaches under the gentle African sun.
The savannahs, overgrown with baobabs, mangrove and tropical forests - all this is the Gambia. The river, the only one completely crossing the country, is called the most winding in the world, and on its banks there are many nature reserves. The climate of the republic is most favorable in comparison with other states of the region. In Gambia, sunny days prevail, two seasons are clearly distinguished: dry and wet.
Sultry namesake
Both the country and the Gambia River, the description of which deserves special attention, have long become quite famous tourist sites. Tourists from all over Europe flock to the smallest African state, but the reason is not only the beaches and museums of the Gambia. Many want to see the untidy pristine nature of the sultry continent. To do this, go to where the Gambia has been flowing for thousands of years in a valley blown by warm winds.
The river is repeatedly mentioned in ancient documents: travelers who visited these blessed lands were often rafted along it. The water artery is quite long - its length is about 1100 kilometers. The width of the river on average varies from 16 kilometers in the area of the mouth to 200 meters. The depth of the Gambia in some places reaches 8 meters. Near Banjul, the capital of the smallest African country, ferry goes along the river. Several hundred kilometers of the Gambia, at the end of its course, are suitable for shipping.
To the roots
The winding Gambia River, whose source is located in neighboring Guinea, is of considerable importance not only as a transport and fishing artery. Among other things, it performs irrigation functions. The reservoir originates on the picturesque Guinean plateau of Futa Jallon. This alpine stepped formation feeds several large African rivers, so it is dotted with majestic waterfalls and gorges. The locals called the legendary plateau “the river father, ” since the Gambia, Senegal, and Niger originate here.
Personally, you can see the source giving birth to African rivers by hiking on the plateau, which is a rather difficult task. But the hotels located around this picturesque place organize excursions for tourists and provide a guide from local residents.
You carry me, river …
The Gambia River, whose photo takes the viewer to mysterious Africa, although it is the only vast body of water in the country, flows in the territory of two more states: Guinea and Senegal. In the vastness of the latter state, only two rivers, except the Gambia, have a constant flow. These are Casamance and Senegal. Accordingly, we can make an unambiguous conclusion about the importance of the Gambia River in both countries.
If you swim along it from the capital of the Gambia, you can see a changing landscape: from mangroves and steep cliffs to high meadow grass. In addition, the shores of the Gambia is a paradise for an ornithologist. No one will be surprised if a tourist notices a gloomy businesslike baboon or a phlegmatic hippo. The picturesque picture is supplemented by the teeth that are visible from the water of the crocodile now and again: The Gambia is a river that is full of these amphibians. Unfortunately, in recent years there have been fewer such animals, so you can admire them mainly in nature reserves.
Moment Moments
In order to fully characterize such a water body, a few words should be said about changes in its state over a certain amount of time.
From this point of view, the Gambia is a river whose flood regime and water temperature characterize it as a relatively predictable body of water. For example, floods occur between July and October, and as for the tides, the risk and areas of their occurrence are also stable - they penetrate one and a half hundred kilometers inland from the mouth of the river. Frequent flooding of the Lower Valley (the region where the Gambia River with its tributaries is located) led to the fact that constantly moistened soils acquired a marshy character.
At the beginning of the course, the Gambia is capricious and rapids, and then quietly winds through grassy meadows. Before plunging into the hospitable waters of the Atlantic, the river flows in a wide estuary. With the onset of floods, the Gambia with tributaries expands to an area of up to 2 thousand km ₂, which is 18% of the total area of the country.
Wildlife spots or a walk along the river
The Gambia - the river is mostly calm, and the natural landscapes surrounding it are filled with the moist breath of the jungle, the dry savannah wind and mountain air. There are no cold weather, and the temperature does not fall below 25 ниже even in winter. At the end of the 70s of the last century, the eponymous National Park was founded on the left bank of the Gambia. Its territory totals about 600 hectares. This place, overgrown with rainforests, has become a refuge for huge, but defenseless hippos in front of humans. Chimpanzees, baboons, aardvarks and antelopes successfully breed here. The Gambia River Park includes several islands and smoothly passes into a forest reserve called Kiang West.
The islands of the park have mostly flat terrain and marshy soils. The Gambia River Nature Reserve is categorically not happy with tourists: scientists are allowed to enter it only by prior arrangement with the management. It is located far enough from the capital: three hundred kilometers, although you can go a longer way to see its beauty.
Recently, a chimpanzee conservation and breeding program has been launched in the reserve. Non-governmental organizations and government agencies take part in this noble and useful work.
Among other things, in the western Gambia there is a river reserve containing a huge number of birds, many of which nest there. The park is called Tanji.
Gambia and its tributaries
The country has another protected area, where the Gambia also carries its waters. The river, whose tributaries are extremely few, still has a small branch in its basin. These are tributaries of Bao and Bolong. They are located in a beautiful reserve of the same name. Park "Bao Bolong" is spread over an area of 100 kilometers and includes unique wetlands. Birds live here comfortably and colorful mangroves grow wildly. The highlight of the park flora are the wild mango trees.
Excellent roads lead to this relatively young reserve, founded in 1996, and there is a fairly developed infrastructure, since there are several dozen small settlements nearby.
Features of African rivers
Each river on the black continent is unique. It is noteworthy that the African rivers are quite young. In ancient times, Africa was much richer in water resources. Scientists believe that its expanses covered many freshwater lakes, and part of arid Sahara occupied the Sahara Sea. Later, when the relief began to change under the influence of various natural causes, the rivers began to change the beaten path from ancient times. It is because of the superposition of new river channels on the rivers designated by old rivers that the rapids have a rapids structure.
In addition to the Gambia River, nearby countries cross such famous rivers as Niger and Senegal.
Guarded island
On the expanses of a modest African river, there is another famous landmark, which is taken under the protection of UNESCO and included in the world list of conservation.
The island of James, located three dozen kilometers from the mouth of the Gambia, the Europeans discovered almost simultaneously with the country. Before the British strengthened it, either Portuguese or Courlandians lived on the island. But at the end of the 17th century, the British finally settled on this piece of land, building a fort on it. For a long time, the island of James was used by the colonialists as a port. History says that this piece of land was once tarnished by the development of the slave trade on it.
Now it is a rather visited place, excursions are organized there to inspect the ruins of English fortifications. But the problem is that the island was subject to erosion for a long time, as a result of which it significantly decreased in size.
