Niger is a West African river flowing through the territory of 5 states. In the world ranking, it takes 14th position in terms of length, amounting to 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. By boomerang, it carries its waters from the Guinean Highlands to the bay of the same name. The mouth - the mouth - is the Atlantic Ocean. At the very source, Niger is called Joliba and flows to the northeast, changing direction to the east in the Timbuktu region and turning southeast in the town of Burem. There are several versions of the origin of the name of the river. One, the most reliable, can be considered a translation from Tuareg, which literally means "river, flowing water."
River mode
The regime of the Niger River mainly depends on the features of the location of its channel. The upper and lower reaches of the watercourse are located in subequatorial areas. They are characterized by an abundance of summer monsoons. The middle of the Niger is located in the dry semi-desert regions of the equatorial belt. The river regime has a typical tropical character. It is also called the Sudanese type.
How does the Niger River regime depend on climate?
In summer and autumn, the water level is high, in winter and spring - low. From June to September in the upper reaches there is a flood. It depends on the summer rainy season, but its peak falls in November. Arising, it passes downstream, causing the rise of the middle reaches of the waters. A river spills. Numerous sleeves and dry channels are filled with water. In the middle course, a significant part of the moisture evaporates. In the lower section, the Niger river regime is characterized by weakened floods, which “cover” these places only by January. In this area, the water stream has its own, the so-called second flood. It occurs as a result of local heavy rains.
Delta
In the estuary delta, the tide causes a tidal wave. Moving upstream, the river flow rises up to 2 meters in height and is observed for 100 km. In addition to the estuary delta, the river has an inland. It is a very swampy valley with a length of 425 km and an average width of 87 km. The place is called Al-Jof. In antiquity, it is believed, it formed the bottom of a huge reservoir. The valley consists of many lakes, river branches. At the end, these small ponds again form a single riverbed.
Features of the currents
In the middle reaches, Niger is a flat river. Thresholds are often found in its upper and lower parts, where the path runs along the slopes of the Guinean Upland. Originating in the northern side of the mountains, the water stream flows over rough terrain and has several waterfalls. This affects the nature and regime of the Niger River. Here the watercourse is full and swift. Starting from Saleh, the flow of the river slows down. It moves north-east along the inner delta. The flow of the river becomes faster, bypassing Timbuktu. Here the watercourse changes its direction of movement. The waters of the flowing smaller rivers of the lower reaches of the basin again saturate 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 you to use the channel for the passage of ships. In the lower reaches, the stream is navigable all year round, in the upper and middle ones, depending on the high water level. Its feature 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, a section between Gabba and Lokoji is available for passing ships.
