# The River Niger

> The River Niger is West Africa's third-longest river, running roughly 4,180 km from Guinea's Fouta Djallon highlands to the Gulf of Guinea. It enters Nigeria from the northwest, is impounded at Kainji Dam, meets the Benue at Lokoja, and fans into the Niger Delta — Africa's largest mangrove ecosystem and the physical base of Nigeria's oil industry.

**Category:** Geography & Environment · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/river-niger

## Key facts
- **Length:** c. 4,180 km / 2,600 mi
- **Source:** Fouta Djallon highlands, southeastern Guinea
- **Drainage basin:** c. 2,117,700 km²
- **Nigerian states on its course:** Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa
- **Confluence with the Benue:** Lokoja, Kogi State
- **Major dam:** Kainji Dam, completed 1968; reservoir c. 1,300 km²; c. 760 MW operating capacity
- **Mouth:** Niger Delta, Gulf of Guinea — Africa's largest river delta
- **First full descent by Europeans:** Richard and John Lander, 1830

## Sources
- Niger River — EBSCO Research Starters (https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/geography-and-cartography/niger-river)
- Niger River — Geology Page (https://www.geologypage.com/2014/06/niger-river.html)
- Nigeria — Geography Profile (CIA World Factbook data) — IndexMundi, reproducing CIA World Factbook (https://www.indexmundi.com/nigeria/geography_profile.html)
- Kainji Dam: What to Know About Nigeria's First Hydroelectric Project — PenGlobal Inc (https://www.penglobalinc.com/kainji-dam-what-to-know-about-nigerias-first-hydroelectric-project)
- Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa may experience flooding — Agency — Punch Newspapers (https://punchng.com/kebbi-niger-kwara-kogi-anambra-delta-bayelsa-may-experience-flooding-agency/)
- Ogoni women restore mangroves and livelihoods in oil-rich Niger Delta — Mongabay (https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/ogoni-women-restore-mangroves-and-livelihoods-in-oil-rich-niger-delta/)
- Majestic River: Mungo Park and the Exploration of the Niger — University of Edinburgh Research Explorer (https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/majestic-river-mungo-park-and-the-exploration-of-the-niger)
- The Lander Brothers — Niger expedition map site — Princeton University Library (https://static-prod.lib.princeton.edu/visual_materials/maps/websites/africa/lander/lander.html)

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