Niger
General data
- Water type: River
- Progression: Atlantic Ocean -> Planet Earth
- Climates: Tropical, Arid (desert)
- Continents: Africa
- Countries: Guinea
Description
The Niger River is the principal river of West Africa, extending about 4,180 km (2,600 mi). Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent through Mali, Niger, on the border with Benin and then through Nigeria, discharging through a massive delta, known as the Niger Delta, into the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa, exceeded only by the Nile and the Congo River. Its main tributary is the Benue River.