Where does the Niger River flow? Niger River or Mystic River. Description, characteristics, photo, video of the Niger River. Herodotus' mistaken assumption that the Niger is a tributary of the Nile

The source of the river is on the slopes of the Leono-Liberian Highlands in southeastern Guinea. The river flows through the territory of Mali, Niger, along the border with Benin, and then through the territory of Nigeria. It flows into the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, forming a delta in the area of confluence. The largest tributary of the Niger is the Benue River.

Etymology

The exact origin of the name of the river is unknown, and among researchers there has long been a dispute on this matter.

Popular is the opinion that the name of the river comes from the Tuareg nehier-ren- "river, flowing water." According to one hypothesis, the name of the river comes in turn from the words "jaegerev n'egerev", which in Tamashek (one of the Tuareg languages) means "great river" or "river of rivers". So called Niger and some other peoples who lived on its shores.

There is also a hypothesis according to which the Latin word niger, that is, "black", is a derivative of the name of the river. Such a hypothesis admits that historically the words "Niger" and "Negro" have the same root, since the latter also comes from the word "black".

The natives living near the coast call the river differently in separate sections of the course: Joliba (in the Mandingo language - “big river”), Mayo, Eghirreu, Izo, Quorra (Kuarra, Kovara), Baki-n-ruu, etc. etc., but at the same time, the vast majority of these names in translation mean "river".

Hydrography

The Niger is a relatively “clean” river, compared to the Nile, the turbidity of its water is about ten times less. This is due to the fact that the upper reaches of the Niger pass through rocky terrain and do not carry much silt. Like the Nile, the Niger floods every year. It starts in September, peaks in November, and finishes by May.

An unusual feature of the river is the so-called Inner Niger Delta, formed at the site of a strong decrease in the longitudinal channel slope. The area is an area of multi-channel channel, marches and lakes the size of Belgium. It has a length of 425 km with an average width of 87 km. Seasonal floods make the inland delta extremely favorable for fishing and agriculture.

Niger loses approximately two-thirds of its flow in the section of the inner delta between Segou and Timbuktu due to evaporation and seepage. Even the waters of the Bani River flowing into the delta near the city of Mopti are not enough to compensate for these losses. Average losses are estimated at 31 km 3 /year (their size varies greatly from year to year). After the inner delta, many tributaries flow into the Niger, but evaporative losses are still very large. The volume of water entering Nigeria in the Yola region was estimated at 25 km 3 /year before the 1980s and 13.5 km 3 /year during the eighties. The most important tributary of the Niger is the Benue, which merges with it at the Lokoji region. The volume of inflows into Nigeria is six times greater than the volume of Niger itself when it enters the country. By the Niger Delta, the flow rates of Niger increase to 177 km 3 / year (data until the 1980s, during the eighties - 147.3 km 3 / year.

Hydrological regime

The Niger is fed by the waters of the summer monsoon rains. In the upper reaches, the flood begins in June and near Bamako reaches a maximum in September - October. In the lower reaches, the rise of water begins in June from local rains, in September it reaches its maximum. The average annual water flow of the Niger at the mouth is 8630 m³ / s, the annual flow is 378 km³, the flow during floods can reach 30-35 thousand m³ / s.

In 2005, Norwegian traveler Helge Hjelland undertook another expedition along the length of the Niger, starting in Guinea-Bissau in 2005. He also removed documentary about his journey, which he called "Nightmare Journey" ( "The Crullest Journey") .

bend in the river

The Niger has one of the most unusual channel plans among major rivers. Similar to a boomerang, such a direction baffled European geographers for nearly two millennia. The source of Niger is located only 240 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean, but the river begins its journey in the exact opposite direction, into the Sahara, after which it turns sharply to the right near the ancient city of Timbuktu and flows southeast to the Gulf of Guinea. The ancient Romans thought that the river near Timbuktu was part of the Nile, such as Pliny believed. The same point of view was also held. The very first European explorers believed that the upper Niger flows west and connects with the Senegal River.

Such a very unusual direction arose, probably due to the unification of two rivers into one in antiquity. The upper Niger, beginning west of Timbuktu, ended approximately at the bend of the modern river, emptying into a now defunct lake, while the lower Niger began from the hills near that lake and flowed south into the Gulf of Guinea. After the development of the Sahara in 4000-1000. BC e., two rivers changed their directions and merged into one as a result of interception (eng. Stream capture ).

Economic use

The most fertile lands are in the inner delta and the mouth delta of the river. The river brings 67 million tons of silt per year.

Many dams and hydropower facilities have been built on the river. The Egrette and Sansanding dams raise water for irrigation canals. The largest hydroelectric facility in Niger, Kainji, was built in the 1960s. The power of the hydroelectric power plant is 960 MW, the reservoir area is about 600 km².

Navigation on the river is developed only in some areas, especially from the city of Niamey to the confluence with the ocean. A large number of fish (perch, carp, etc.) live in the river, so fishing is developed among the locals.

River transport

In September 2009, the Nigerian government allocated 36 billion naira to dredging the Niger from Baro. Baro (Nigeria) ) to Varri in order to clean the bottom from silt. Dredging was intended to facilitate the transport of goods to settlements far from the Atlantic Ocean. Similar work was supposed to be carried out several decades ago, but they were postponed. Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua noted that the project will enable year-round navigation in Niger and expressed his hope that Nigeria will become one of the twenty most industrialized countries in the world by 2020. Alhayi Ibrahim Bio, Nigeria's transport minister, said the ministry would do its best to complete the project within the allotted time frame. Concerns have been raised that such work may have a negative impact on the villages located in the coastal zones. At the end of March 2010, the Niger dredging project was 50% complete.

Financing

Most investment in the development of Niger comes from aid funds. For example, the construction of the Kandaji dam is financed by the Islamic Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the development fund of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. The World Bank approved a low - interest loan in July 2007 for financial projects in the Niger Basin for a twelve - year period . In addition to the goals of restoring dams in Niger, the loan also aims to restore ecosystems and build economic potential.

Cities

downstream

Guinea 22x20px Guinea
Mali Mali
Niger Niger
Nigeria Nigeria

protected areas

Management of the Niger Basin
Upper Niger National Park
Western National Park
Kainji National Park

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Notes

F. L. Ageenko.. - M: ENAS, 2001.
Gleick, Peter H. (2000), The World's Water, 2000-2001: The Biennial Report on Freshwater, Island Press, p. 33, ISBN 1-55963-792-7; online at
Niger (a river in Africa) / Muranov A.P. // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M. : Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
V. K. Gubarev.. retravel.ru. Retrieved March 7, 2012. .
Friedrich Hahn. Africa. - 2nd ed. - St. Petersburg: Printing house of the partnership "Enlightenment", 1903. - S. 393-395. - 772 p. - (World Geography under the general editorship of Prof. V. Sievers.).
Niger // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron
, S. 191
, pp. 191–192
FAO: , 1997
Baugh, Brenda, Documentary Education Resources , . Retrieved 27 January 2010.
New encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 4. John Middleton, Joseph Calder Miller, p.36
Niger // Dictionary of modern geographical names. - Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria. Under general edition acad. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006.
. BBC (10 September 2009). Retrieved September 11, 2009. .
Wole Ayodele. (unavailable link - ). This Day Online (September 9, 2009). Retrieved September 11, 2009. .
(unavailable link - ). Punch on the web (March 25, 2010). Retrieved May 11, 2010. .
Voice of America: July 4, 2007
World Bank : , accessed on January 9, 2010

Literature

Niger // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
Dmitrevsky Yu. D. Internal waters of Africa and their use / Ed. ed. Dr. Geogr. Sciences M. S. Rozin. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1967. - 384 p. - 800 copies.
Zotova Yu. N., Kubbel L. E. Looking for Niger. - M.: Science. The main edition of Eastern literature, 1972. - 242 p. - (Journey through the countries of the East). - 15,000 copies.

River studies and recommendations on improvement of Niger and Benue. - Amsterdam: North-Holland Pub. Co., 1959.
Reader, John (2001) africa, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, ISBN 0-620-25506-4
Thomson, J. Oliver (1948), History of Ancient Geography Biblo & Tannen Publishers, ISBN 0-8196-0143-8
Welcomme, R.L. (1986), "The Niger River System", in Davies, Bryan Robert & Walker, Keith F., The Ecology of River Systems, Springer, ss. 9–60, ISBN 90-6193-540-7

Characteristic
Niger
English Nigeria
250px Bridge over the Niger at Bamako
Length
[]	2,117,700 km²
Water consumption	8630 m³/s (mouth)

Source
- Location
- Height
- Coordinates
mouth
- Location
- Height
- Coordinates	/ / 5.316667; 6.416667 (Niger, estuary)Coordinates :
river slope

water system

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Countries

desert

Regions

Relief

water bodies

oases

Transport infrastructure

An excerpt characterizing the Niger (river)

He pushed me further. And then I suddenly realized what seemed so strange to me ... The room did not end! .. It looked small, but continued to "lengthen" as we moved along it! .. It was incredible! I looked at Sever again, but he only nodded, as if to say: "Don't be surprised at anything, everything is fine." And I stopped being surprised... A man “came out” right from the wall of the room... Startled by surprise, I immediately tried to pull myself together so as not to show surprise, since for everyone else living here, this was apparently quite familiar. The man came straight up to us and said in a low sonorous voice:
- Hello, Isidora! I am Volkhv Isten. I know it's hard for you... But you chose the path yourself. Come with me - I'll show you what you've lost.
We moved on. I followed the marvelous man, from whom incredible strength emanated, and sadly thought how easy and simple everything would be if he wanted to help! But, unfortunately, he didn’t want to either ... I walked, thinking deeply, not noticing at all how I found myself in an amazing space, completely filled with narrow shelves, on which rested an incredible number of unusual gold plates and very old “packages” similar to ancient manuscripts that were kept in my father's house, with the only difference being that those kept here were made on some very thin unfamiliar material, which I had never seen anywhere before. The plates and scrolls were different - small and very large, short and long, up to a whole human height. And in this strange room there were a great many of them ...
– This is KNOWLEDGE, Isidora. Or rather, a very small part of it. You can drink if you wish. It won't hurt, and maybe even help you in your quest. Try it honey...
Isten smiled affectionately, and it suddenly seemed to me that I had always known him. Wonderful warmth and peace emanated from him, which I lacked so much all these terrible days, fighting with Karaffa. He apparently felt all this very well, as he looked at me with deep sadness, as if he knew what an evil fate awaited me outside the walls of Meteora. And he mourned me in advance.... I went up to one of the endless shelves, "clogged" to the top with semicircular gold plates, to see how Easten suggested... But before I could even bring my hand closer, a flurry of stunning, wonderful visions! Stunning pictures, unlike anything I've ever seen, swept through my exhausted brain, replacing each other with incredible speed... Some of them somehow remained, and some disappeared, immediately bringing new ones, which I I almost didn't get to see it either. What was that?!.. The life of some long-dead people? Our Great Ancestors? The visions changed, flashing by at breakneck speed. The stream did not end, taking me to some amazing countries and worlds, not letting me wake up. Suddenly, one of them flashed brighter than the others, and a stunning city opened up to me ... it was airy and transparent, as if created from the White Light.
- What is this??? – I whispered softly, afraid to frighten off. - Could this be real?
“This is the Holy City, my dear. City of our Gods. He has been gone for a very long time... – Easten said quietly. – This is where we all once came from... Only on Earth no one remembers him – then, suddenly recollecting himself, he added: – Be careful, dear, it will be hard for you. You don't have to look anymore.
But I wanted more!.. Some scorching thirst burned my brain, begging me not to stop! The unfamiliar world beckoned and fascinated with its primordial nature!.. I wanted to go headlong into it and, plunging deeper and deeper, scoop it up endlessly, without missing a single moment, without losing a single precious minute... which, as I understood, there were very, very few of me left here ... Each new plate opened up before me with thousands of amazing images that were surprisingly bright and now for some reason understandable, as if I had suddenly found a magic key to them long lost by someone. Time flew by, but I did not notice it ... I wanted more and more. And it was very scary that right now someone would definitely stop, and it would be time to leave this wonderful storehouse of someone's incredible memory, which I will never be able to comprehend again. It was very sad and painful, but, unfortunately, I had no way back. I chose my life myself and was not going to renounce it. Even though it was incredibly hard...
“Well, that’s all, honey. I can't show you anymore. You are an "apostate" who did not want to know... And the way here is closed to you. But I am sincerely sorry, Isidora... You have a great Gift! You could easily KNOW all this... If you wanted to. It was not so easy for everyone... Your nature yearns for it. But you chose a different path, so you must leave now. My thoughts will be with you, child of Light. Go with FAITH, let it help you. Farewell, Isidora...
The room disappeared... We found ourselves in some other stone hall, also filled with many scrolls, but they already looked different, perhaps not as ancient as the previous ones. I suddenly felt very sad... To the point of pain in my soul, I wanted to comprehend these other people's "secrets", to see the wealth hidden in them, but I left... never to return here.
“Think, Isidora! - as if sensing my doubt, Sever said quietly. You haven't left yet, stay.
I just shook my head...
Suddenly, my attention was attracted by an already familiar, but still incomprehensible phenomenon - as we moved forward, the room lengthened here as we passed further. But if in the previous hall I did not see a soul, then here, as soon as I looked around, I saw a lot of people - young and old, men and women. There were even children here!.. They all studied something very carefully, completely withdrawing into themselves, and detachedly comprehending some "wise truths"... Paying no attention to those who entered.
Who are all these people, Sever? Do they live here? I asked in a whisper.
- These are Witches and Veduns, Isidora. Once one of them was your father... We train them.
My heart ached... I wanted to howl in a wolf voice, pitying myself and my short lost life!.. Dropping everything, sit down with them, with these happy Veduns and Witches, in order to know with your mind and heart the whole depth of the wonderful, so generously opened great KNOWLEDGE! Burning tears were ready to gush like a river, but I tried my best to somehow hold them back. There was no way to do this, since tears were another “forbidden luxury”, to which I had no right if I fancied myself a real Warrior. The warriors did not cry. They fought and won, and if they died, then certainly not with tears in their eyes ... Apparently, I was just very tired. From loneliness and pain... From constant fear for relatives ... From the endless struggle, in which she had not the slightest hope of emerging victorious. I really needed a breath of fresh air, and that air for me was my daughter, Anna. But for some reason, she was nowhere to be seen, although I knew that Anna was here, with them, on this wonderful and strange, "closed" land.
Sever stood next to me on the edge of the gorge, and deep sadness lurked in his gray eyes. I wanted to ask him - will I ever see him? But there was not enough strength. I didn't want to say goodbye. Didn't want to leave. Life here was so wise and calm, and everything seemed so simple and good!.. But there, in my cruel and imperfect world, good people were dying, and it was time to return to try to save at least someone... This is real was my world, no matter how scary it was. And my father, who remained there, probably suffered severely, unable to escape from the clutches of Caraffa, whom I ironically decided, no matter what it cost me, to destroy, even if for this I have to give my short and so dear to me life ...
– May I see Anna? - with hope in my soul, I asked Severa.
– Forgive me, Isidora, Anna is undergoing a “cleansing” from worldly fuss... Before she enters the same hall where you have just been. She can't come to you now...
“But why didn’t I need to “cleanse” anything? I was surprised. - Anna is still a child, she does not have too much worldly "dirt", does she?
– She will have to absorb too much into herself, comprehend the whole infinity ... And you will never return there. You don't need to forget anything "old" Isidora... I'm sorry.
“So I will never see my daughter again…?” I asked in a whisper.
- You'll see. I will help you. And now do you want to say goodbye to the Magi, Isidora? This is your only opportunity, don't miss it.
Well, of course, I wanted to see them, the Lords of this Wise World! My father told me so much about them, and I myself dreamed for so long! Only I could not imagine then how sad our meeting would be for me ...
Sever raised his palms and the rock, shimmering, disappeared. We found ourselves in a very high, round hall, which at the same time seemed either a forest, or a meadow, or a fairy-tale castle, or simply “nothing” ... No matter how hard I tried, I could not see its walls, nor what was happening around. The air flickered and shimmered with thousands of brilliant "drops" similar to human tears... Having overcome the excitement, I breathed in... The "rainy" air was amazingly fresh, clean and light! From it, spilling life-giving force, the thinnest living threads of "golden" heat ran all over the body. The feeling was wonderful!
“Come in, Isidora, the Fathers are waiting for you,” Severus whispered.
I stepped further - the quivering air “parted” ... The Magi stood right in front of me ...
- I came to say goodbye, prophetic. Peace be with you…” I said softly, not knowing how I should greet them.
Never in my life have I felt such a complete, all-encompassing, Great POWER!.. They did not move, but it seemed that the whole hall was swaying with warm waves of some kind of unprecedented power for me... It was real LIFE!!! I didn't know what other words to call it. I was shocked!.. I wanted to embrace it with myself!.. Absorb it into myself... Or just fall to my knees!.. Feelings overwhelmed me with a stunning avalanche, hot tears flowed down my cheeks...
- Hello, Isidora. one of them sounded warm. – We pity you. You are the daughter of the Magus, you will share his path... The Force will not leave you. Go with FAITH, my dear...
My soul aspired to them with the cry of a dying bird!.. My wounded heart rushed to them, breaking against an evil fate... But I knew that it was too late - they slinged me... and pitied me. Never before have I "heard" how deep the meaning of these marvelous words is. And now the joy of their marvelous, new sounding surged, filling me, not letting me breathe from the feelings that overwhelmed my wounded soul...
In these words there lived a quiet, bright sadness, and a sharp pain of loss, the beauty of the life that I had to live, and a huge wave of Love, coming from somewhere far away and, merging with the Earth, flooding my soul and body... Life swept by in a whirlwind , catching every "edge" of my nature, leaving no cell that would not be touched by the warmth of love. I was afraid that I would not be able to leave ... And, probably because of the same fear, I immediately woke up from a wonderful “farewell”, seeing next to me amazing inner strength and the beauty of people. Around me stood tall old men and young men dressed in dazzling white robes that looked like long tunics. Some of them were girdled with red, and for two it was a patterned wide "belt" embroidered with gold and silver.
Oh look! - my impatient girlfriend Stella suddenly interrupted the wonderful moment. - They are very similar to your "star friends", as you showed them to me! .. Look, is it really them, what do you think ?! Well, tell me!!!
To be honest, even when we saw the Holy City, it seemed very familiar to me. And similar thoughts came to me as soon as I saw the Magi. But I immediately drove them away, not wanting to have vain “high hopes” ... It was too important and too serious, and I just waved my hand to Stella, as if saying that we would talk later when we were alone. I understood that Stella would be upset, because, as always, she wanted an immediate answer to her question. But in this moment, in my opinion, this was far from being as important as the wonderful story told by Isidora, and I mentally asked Stella to wait. I smiled guiltily at Isidora, and she answered with her wonderful smile and continued...
My gaze was riveted by a powerful tall old man, who had something subtly similar to my beloved father, who suffered in the cellars of Karaffa. For some reason, I immediately understood that this was Vladyka... The Great White Magus. His amazing, piercing, imperious gray eyes looked at me with deep sadness and warmth, as if he was saying the last “Goodbye!” to me ...
– Come, Child of Light, we forgive you...
A wondrous, joyful white Light suddenly came from him, which, enveloping everything around with a soft radiance, enclosed me in an affectionate embrace, penetrating into the most hidden corners of my pain-torn Soul... The Light penetrated every cell, leaving only goodness and peace in it, “ washing away the pain and sadness, and all the bitterness that has accumulated over the years. I soared in a magical radiance, forgetting everything “earthly cruel”, everything “evil and false”, feeling only the wondrous touch of Eternal Being ... The feeling was amazing!!! And I mentally begged - if only it would not end ... But, according to the capricious desire of fate, everything beautiful always ends faster than we would like ...
– We gave you FAITH, it will help you, Child... Listen to her... And sling, Isidora...
I did not even have time to answer, and the Magi "flashed" with a wondrous Light and ... leaving the smell of flowering meadows, they disappeared. Sever and I were left alone... I sadly looked around - the cave remained just as mysterious and sparkling, only it no longer had that pure, warm light that penetrated the very soul...
“That was Jesus' Father, wasn't it? I asked carefully.
– Just like the grandfather and great-grandfather of his son and grandchildren, whose death is also the fault of his soul...
– ?!..
– Yes, Isidora, He is the one who bears the bitter burden of pain... And you will never be able to imagine how great it is... – Sever answered sadly.
– Perhaps it would not be so bitter today if He had pity on the good people who perished from other people’s ignorance and cruelty in their time? evil executioners? If even now he would not continue to only “observe” from his height how the “holy” accomplices of Caraffa burn Veduns and Witches in the squares? .. How is he better than Caraffa, if he does not prevent such Evil, Sever ?! After all, if he is able to help, but does not want to, all this earthly horror will forever lie on him! And neither the reason nor the explanation is important when a beautiful human life!.. I will never be able to understand this, Sever. And I will not “leave” as long as good people are being destroyed here, as long as my earthly Home is being destroyed. Even if I never see my real one... This is my destiny. And so, farewell...
Farewell, Isidora. Peace be to your soul... Forgive me.
I was again in “my” room, in my dangerous and ruthless being... And everything that had just happened seemed just a wonderful dream that I would never dream of again in this life... Or a beautiful fairy tale in which I was probably waiting someone "happy ending". But not me... I was sorry for my failed life, but I was very proud of my brave girl, who will be able to comprehend all this great Miracle... if Caraffa does not destroy her before she can defend herself.
The door opened with a noise - an enraged Caraffa stood on the threshold.
- Well, where did you "walk", Madonna Isidora? my tormentor asked in a mockingly sweet voice.
“I wanted to visit my daughter, Your Holiness. But she couldn't...
I didn't care what he thought, or whether my "outing" made him angry. My soul hovered far away, in the amazing White City, which Easten showed me, and everything around seemed distant and miserable. But Caraffa, unfortunately, did not allow me to go into dreams for a long time ... Immediately sensing my changed mood, the "holiness" panicked.
– Did they let you into Meteora, Madonna Isidora? - Caraffa asked as calmly as possible.
I knew that in his soul he was simply “burning”, wanting to get an answer faster, and I decided to torment him until he told me where my father was now.
“Does it matter, Your Holiness?” After all, you have my father, whom you can ask everything, which is natural, I will not answer. Or have you not had enough time to interrogate him yet?
– I do not advise you to talk to me in such a tone, Isidora. How you intend to behave will largely depend on his fate. Therefore, try to be more polite.
– And how would you behave if instead of mine, your father turned out to be here, Holiness? .. – trying to change the topic that had become dangerous, I asked.
“If my father was a HERETIC, I would burn him at the stake!” - Caraffa answered quite calmly.
What kind of soul did this “holy” person have?!.. And did he have it at all?.. own father could he answer that?
“Yes, I was in Meteora, Your Holiness, and I am very sorry that I will never get there again ...” I answered sincerely.
“Have you really been expelled from there too, Isidora?” Caraffa laughed in surprise.
“No, Holiness, I was invited to stay. I left on my own...
- It can not be so! There is no such person who would not want to stay there, Isidora!
- Well, why not? And my father, Holiness?
I don't believe he was allowed to. I think he should have left. It's just that his time is probably over. Or the Gift wasn't strong enough.
It seemed to me that he was trying, by all means, to convince himself of what he really wanted to believe.
“Not all people love only themselves, you know…” I said sadly. “There is something more important than power or strength. There is still love in the world...
Caraffa brushed me off like an annoying fly, as if I had just uttered some complete nonsense ...
- Love does not control the world, Isidora, well, but I want to control it!
– A person can do anything... until he starts trying, Your Holiness – I “bite” without restraining myself.
And remembering something that she definitely wanted to know, she asked:
– Tell me, Your Holiness, do you know the truth about Jesus and Magdalene?
– Do you mean that they lived in Meteora? I nodded. - Surely! That was the first thing I asked them about!
– How is this possible?!.. – I asked dumbfounded. – Did you also know that they were not Jews? Caraffa nodded again. – But you don’t talk about it anywhere, do you? Nobody knows about it! And what about the TRUTH, Your Holiness?! ..
- Do not make me laugh, Isidora! .. - Caraffa laughed sincerely. - You real baby! Who needs your "truth"? .. The crowd that never looked for it?! .. No, my dear, Truth is needed only by a handful of thinkers, and the crowd should simply "believe", well, what - it no longer has of great importance. The main thing is that people obey. And what is presented to them at the same time is already secondary. The TRUTH is dangerous, Isidora. Where the Truth is revealed, doubts appear, well, where doubts arise, a war begins... I am waging MY war, Isidora, and so far it gives me real pleasure! The world has always been based on a lie, you see... The main thing is that this lie should be interesting enough to be able to lead "narrow-minded" minds... And believe me, Isidora, if at the same time you start proving to the crowd the real Truth that refutes them “faith” is unknown in what, and you will be torn to pieces, this same crowd ...

The Niger River is the largest in West Africa and the third longest on the entire continent, after the Nile and. And many thousands of years ago, two rivers flowed along its current course. From its source in the Guinean Highlands, one of them flowed into an ancient drainless lake, while the second flowed east of this place and was not connected with the first. But time dried up the lake, and these two rivers gradually changed their course, merging, they gave birth to Niger.
For a long time the serpentine current of the Niger remained the main obstacle for researchers. There was even an assumption that the other African rivers Senegal and Gambia are nothing more than branches of the Niger, although in fact they flow to the north.
There have been many attempts to solve the mystery of the river. Since the so-called African Association was founded in 1788, the purpose of which was to study African lands in detail, including the course of the Niger: it was necessary to learn everything about the promising trade routes of Africa, and Niger goes to the Atlantic Ocean.
Less than ten years later, the river found its hero. In 1796 the Scottish traveler Mungo Park (1771-1806) reached its waters. Exploring the sources of the rivers of Senegal and the Gambia, he also reached the Niger and during his voyage discovered that the Niger had nothing to do with Senegal and the Gambia. But Park could not thoroughly study the Niger either: he fell ill with dengue fever, was captured, fled, but after a relapse of a debilitating illness, he interrupted his journey along the river, returning on foot to the mouth of the Gambia, and with great difficulty reached the English trading settlement of Pisania in June 1797 . But he conveyed the collected materials. They formed the basis of a book published in 1799, which brought Mungo Park prestige in scientific circles and fame among inquisitive compatriots.
This inspired the Scot for another trip to Niger in 1805. The expedition started from the Niger Delta, was well prepared and armed. However, due to illness, heat and endless skirmishes with local tribes, Mungo Park lost most of his team (out of forty people, only eleven reached the Malian territories). In the same year, 1805, he drowned in the waters of Niger when he tried to hide from the arrows of local residents in the water. This became known only in 1808, when the diaries and letters of the brave traveler, which he sent ahead of time with his people, finally reached the addressee: the Park's envoys themselves barely survived. Although Europe already knew about the obstinate nature of the Niger, there were (and still are) a lot of extreme sports lovers who wanted to make a trip along this river. The sad fate of the Park warned real researchers... But in 1946, a significant geographical event nevertheless occurred: for the first time, a person managed to overcome absolutely all the obstacles on the way from the source of the Niger to its mouth. It was a French expedition - documentary filmmaker and connoisseur of Africa Jean Rush and his companions Pierre Ponty and Jean Soy.
Thanks to the film materials they brought from this trip, people were able to see the beauty of the hitherto mysterious river, to feel the diversity and originality of its world, bewitchingly attractive, despite all the potential dangers.

Taking its origin under the name Joliba on the Leono-Liberian Upland, Niger rushes west to the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, absorbing a lot of large and small tributaries along the way and gradually accelerating its course. At the confluence with its largest tributary - the Benue River - Niger acquires the greatest strength. Here, its width reaches three kilometers, and the depth in some areas is kept at the level of twenty meters. The Niger is navigable from Kurusa to Bamako, from the falls of Sotuba to Ansongo, and from Niamey to the mouth. The Niger Delta begins 180 km from the ocean near the city of Aba.
A real oasis is formed along the shores of Niger in the area of its inner delta Masina, in the very place where the waters of the lake that dried up over time splashed. Now this region belongs to the state of Mali (it gained independence in 1960). About half a million people live here. Most of the local settlements belong to the Dogon. Near the Bandiagara ledge one can find their small villages, consisting of adobe houses, merging with the surrounding rocky landscape, and their fields and melons stretch along the Niger coast. Niger sheltered on its shores the Fulbe tribes, who adhere to the ancient traditions of a nomadic lifestyle and animal husbandry. Living conditions here are not easy, even taking into account the proximity of the river: the wind brings hot dry air from the Sahara desert, and temperatures throughout the year can jump up to + 40 ° C. From here the river rushes on, deviating to the east and approaching the southern outskirts of the Sahara. Here, river water is an invaluable and perhaps the only source of life, including for the Malian city of Timbuktu, standing in a bend (inner delta) of Niger. Until the beginning of the 20th century. along the Niger, Timbuktu could only be reached when the water level in the river rose after the summer monsoon rains. The first European to reach this city, previously known only from descriptions, was a British officer, Major Alexander Leng, and this happened in 1825.
There are other, larger cities on the banks of the Niger (the population of Timbuktu is only a little more than 50 thousand people). Downstream of the Inner Delta lies the Malian capital of Bamako, with a population of nearly two million, Africa's fastest growing city. Complex natural conditions West Africans leave their imprint on the appearance of this capital city. At first glance, it may seem that Bamako is not so big. The houses here are low-rise, and the streets, with a fairly high population density, are not so busy (the green minibuses of the local fixed-route taxi are sometimes found here much more than private cars).
On the banks of the great African river, the capital, Niamey, is also located. Founded in the 18th century, it really flourished only towards the end of the 19th century, during the French colonization. During the day, living in a bustle, brightly sparkling in the evening lights, this city is one of the largest African centers of trade, both retail and wholesale. And here one can observe, it seems, an ineradicable African paradox: next to the circulation of goods and money - poverty and begging.

general information

River in West Africa.
The third river in terms of length and basin area in Africa (after the Nile and the Congo).
Main tributaries: Benue, Milo, Bani, Sokoto, Kaduna.
Countries through which the Niger flows: Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, Nigeria.
The most important cities in the basin: Timbuktu, Bamako (Mali), Niamey (Niger), Lokoja, Onicha (Nigeria).
The most important port: Port Harcourt (Nigeria, located on the Bonny River in the Niger Delta).

Numbers

Length: 4180 km.
Pool area: 2,117,700 km2.
Delta area: 70,000 km2.
Water consumption (at the mouth): 8630 m 3 /s.
Annual flow: 378 km3.

Economy

The most important route of communication between the countries of West Africa.
Industry: hydropower (the Kainji hydroelectric complex in Nigeria, with a reservoir with an area of 600 km 2), oil production (in the Niger Delta).
Agriculture: growing oranges, bananas, legumes, corn, millet, rice, sugar cane, peanuts, sorghum, cassava, cotton; cattle breeding.
Fishing: carp, perch, barbel, captain fish and other species.
Trade is developed in coastal cities.

Climate and weather

Tropical desert in the north of the region, subequatorial in the south.
Average monthly temperatures throughout the year: from +20 to +34ºС.
Sharp diurnal temperature fluctuations are characteristic: in the morning the air temperature can be around +10ºС, and during the day it can rise to +40ºС.
Average annual rainfall: in the north of the region - less than 100 mm, in the south - up to 800 mm.

Attractions

■ Bamako (Mali): National Museum Mali - dedicated to the history of the country since ancient times; Bamako Cathedral Mosque is one of the tallest buildings in Bamako; the VCEAO tower - the bank building, the tallest in West Africa; Palace of Culture Amadou - One of the main centers for cultural events;
■ Niamey (Niger): National Museum of Niger; Nigerian zoo; city market - the largest shopping mall the Republic of Niger; Great Mosque of Niemei;
■ Kainji Lake National Park;
■ Upper Niger National Park;
■ Western Niger National Park.

Curious facts

■ To say that the Niger Basin is a densely populated area is like saying nothing. Only in the delta region of this African river, the population is about thirty-one million people.
■ The Republic of Niger is one of the largest suppliers of oil among African countries. Every day, about two million barrels of black gold are mined in the Niger Delta. True, this figure is far from the limit: before production was three million barrels per day, but in recent years the country's oil industry has lost ground.
■ Steamships are rare in Niger, mostly small sailing ships.
■ Documentary filmmaker and ethnographer Jean Rouch (1917-2004), who explored the Niger in 1946, called the river a living liana that coiled around West Africa, noting the variability of its waters.
■ Most tasty fish, which is found in the waters of Niger, is considered a captain fish.
■ The city of Mopti in Mali, located at the confluence of the Bani River with the Niger, is called the “African Venice”. But not always, but in winter, when, after the monsoon rains, the Niger floods and Mopti is surrounded by water from all sides.

Niger flows through the territory:,. Niger is the third largest river after and and the 2nd most abundant river in the west, which bears various names among the coastal natives, of which the name Joliba prevails in the upper reaches, Egirreu in the middle, Kwara or Quorra in the lower, the Arabs call it Nil-el -Abid (Nile of slaves). Niger originates at 8°36` and 10°33` west longitude (from Greenwich) in the East of the Kong Mountains, in Kuranko, at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level and at the beginning flows to the North towards, then turns to the South east and south, and through several branches, of which the largest are Sombrero, Nen, Brass and Forcado, pours into the Gulf of Guinea.

At 140 kilometers from its source, which, being sacred, is inaccessible to foreigners and for the exact definition, Niger, still called Tembi, takes on the left wide river Faliko with a tributary Tamikon, after which, under the name Joliba, flows to the North to 10 ° north latitude. Turning to the Northeast, it receives several small tributaries on the left, and significant tributaries on the right: Mifu and Yandan, or Niannu, turning again to the north, it receives Milo and Tankisso; here the Niger slope decreases to half (only 329 meters above sea level), its channel becomes wider, but shallower - and it flows northeast for 400 kilometers, forming a border line between and the kingdom of Segou. At Bomak, the Niger in high water is up to 800 meters wide and forms rapids, capriciously changing the width of the channel; near Niamine it becomes navigable and turns south; its slope becomes even smaller, the channel is lower; at Massino, it divides into two main branches, which head north to Lake Debu. At Diafaraba, these sleeves are interconnected by natural channels, which, crossing, form from the network an island area of Burgu of 200 square kilometers; on one of these islands lies ancient Djenne, or Gineva, ch. d. The land of the Negroes, from which the whole country takes its name of Guinea. Further, the Niger enters the territory of the fellahs, where it is called Issa and heads north, crossing Lake Debo, receives many tributaries and again divides into the branches of Danko and Mayo Balleo; near Kabara, the harbor of the city, reaches 17 ° north latitude and flows to E along the desert; on this route, the rapids of the Tozaie impede navigation when slow current and among the extremely low shores, the Niger reaches the country of Ussa, where it bears the new name of Gulbin-nkovar, or Kovara. At Burrum the river turns sharply to the South-East and enters, after the lowlands of Massina and the rocky desert of Timbuktu, into a hilly country with a tropical and again forms a whole network of branches near Gago, the ancient capital of the Sanray empire. Having broken through the rapids surrounding the island of Bornu-Guntu, Niger spreads like a wide tablecloth over and only at Akarambai, to the South of the island of Ansongo, narrows again, constrained by walls of rocks, to a width of 30 meters.

In the middle reaches of the Niger, it receives: Goradzhende, flowing from Libtako, Kassani, or Tederimt, Sirbia, or Chirba, and Gulbi-n-Sokoto at Gomba. From Gomba to the rapids of Bussa, the Niger is navigable; steamboats run between Rabba and Lokoja, although even here sandy shoals sometimes interfere with navigation. Here the Kaduna or Liful flows into the Niger, and a little further on the Gurara; its most significant tributary, the Benue, flows into the Lokoja, originating north of the Ngauandare in Adamey, in the rainy season it joins the lake. From Lokoja at the Ebo (at the head of the delta), the Niger, joined to the Benue, flows in a majestic stream, rushing south among the rocks and, leaning in gradual terraces, receives on the left a parallel tributary of the Amambaru. The width of Niger is increasing, and it rushes in a stream to, into the Gulf of Guinea, into which it flows through the aforementioned arms. The Niger Delta covers an area of 25,000 square kilometers, is low-lying, swampy and covered with mangroves. The navigability of Niger depends, in addition to rapids and waterfalls, on its high water or shallow water. In the upper reaches of the Niger to Timbuktu, high water occurs from July to early January, and here it is navigable from Bammako to Timbuktu; in the middle reaches the Niger is deep and navigable from Gabba to Lokoja, from June to October; in the lower reaches from Lokoja to Akassa, thanks to the influx of Benue waters, the Niger is full from June to the end of September and has a secondary high water from January to the end of April, depending on the high water in the upper reaches; Here it is navigable at any time of the year.

Way of eating Niger: the river is fed by summer waters.

Tributaries of the Niger: Milo (right), Bani (right), Sokoto (left), Kaduna (left), Benue (left).

Inhabitants of Niger: Niger is very developed, the main commercial species fish are: carp, perch, barbel (or barbel) and others.

Freezing Niger: does not freeze.

Location water system Countries

Guinea Guinea, Mali Mali, Niger Niger, Benin Benin, Nigeria Nigeria

K: Rivers in alphabetical order K: Water bodies in alphabetical order K: Rivers up to 5000 km in length K: River card: fill in: Region Niger (river) Niger (river)

The source of the river is on the slopes in southeastern Guinea. The river flows through the territory of Mali, Niger, along the border with Benin, and then through the territory of Nigeria. It flows into the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, forming a delta in the area of confluence. The largest tributary of the Niger is the Benue River.

Etymology

The exact origin of the name of the river is unknown, and among researchers there has long been a dispute on this matter.

Hydrography

The source is on the slopes of the Leono-Liberian Upland in southeastern Guinea. The upper reaches of the river are called Joliba. The river flows northeast, crossing the border with Mali. In the upper and lower reaches of the Niger, there are rapids, flowing mainly in a narrow valley. In the middle reaches of the Niger, it has the character of a flat river. From the Guinean city of Curusa to the Malian capital of Bamako, as well as below the city of Segou, Niger flows through a wide valley and is navigable. Below the Malian city of Ke Masina, the Niger divides into several branches, forming the inland delta. In the Inner Delta region, the Niger Valley is heavily swamped. Previously, in this place, the Niger flowed into an endorheic lake. In the Timbuktu region, numerous branches merge into one channel. The river then flows east along the southern border of the Sahara for 300 km. Near the town of Burem, the Niger turns to the southeast and flows in a wide valley to the very mouth, navigable. The river flows through the territory of Niger, where there are numerous dry riverbeds (wadis) that once flowed into the Niger, along the border of Benin, then flows through Nigeria and flows into the Gulf of Guinea, forming a vast delta with an area of 24 thousand km². The longest branch of the delta is Nun, but for shipping use the deeper branch Forcados.

Hydrological regime

In 2005, Norwegian traveler Helge Hjelland undertook another expedition along the length of the Niger, starting in Guinea-Bissau in 2005. He also made a documentary film about his journey, which he called "Nightmare Journey" ( "The Crullest Journey") .

bend in the river

Economic use

The most fertile lands are in the inner delta and the mouth delta of the river. The river brings 67 million tons of silt per year.

River transport

Financing

Cities

downstream

protected areas

Management of the Niger Basin
Upper Niger National Park
Western National Park
Kainji National Park

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Notes

F. L. Ageenko.. - M: ENAS, 2001.
Gleick, Peter H. (2000), The World's Water, 2000-2001: The Biennial Report on Freshwater, Island Press, p. 33, ISBN 1-55963-792-7; online at
Niger (a river in Africa) / Muranov A.P. // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M. : Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
V. K. Gubarev.. retravel.ru. Retrieved March 7, 2012. .
Friedrich Hahn. Africa. - 2nd ed. - St. Petersburg: Printing house of the partnership "Enlightenment", 1903. - S. 393-395. - 772 p. - (World Geography under the general editorship of Prof. V. Sievers.).
// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron
, S. 191
, pp. 191–192
FAO: , 1997
Baugh, Brenda, Documentary Education Resources , . Retrieved 27 January 2010.
New encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 4. John Middleton, Joseph Calder Miller, p.36
Niger // Dictionary of modern geographical names. - Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria. Under the general editorship of Acad. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006.
. BBC (10 September 2009). Retrieved September 11, 2009. .
Wole Ayodele. (unavailable link - story) . This Day Online (September 9, 2009). Retrieved September 11, 2009. .
(unavailable link - story) . Punch on the web (March 25, 2010). Retrieved May 11, 2010. .
Voice of America: July 4, 2007
World Bank : , accessed on January 9, 2010

Literature

// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
Dmitrevsky Yu. D. Internal waters of Africa and their use / Ed. ed. Dr. Geogr. Sciences M. S. Rozin. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1967. - 384 p. - 800 copies.
Zotova Yu. N., Kubbel L. E. Looking for Niger. - M.: Science. The main edition of Eastern literature, 1972. - 242 p. - (Journey through the countries of the East). - 15,000 copies.

River studies and recommendations on improvement of Niger and Benue. - Amsterdam: North-Holland Pub. Co., 1959.
Reader, John (2001) africa, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, ISBN 0-620-25506-4
Thomson, J. Oliver (1948), History of Ancient Geography Biblo & Tannen Publishers, ISBN 0-8196-0143-8
Welcomme, R.L. (1986), "The Niger River System", in Davies, Bryan Robert & Walker, Keith F., The Ecology of River Systems, Springer, ss. 9–60, ISBN 90-6193-540-7



Countries

desert

Regions

Relief

water bodies

oases

Transport infrastructure

An excerpt characterizing the Niger (river)

“I spent the evening with her last night. Today or tomorrow morning she is going to the suburbs with her nephew.
- Well, how is she? Pierre said.
Nothing, sad. But do you know who saved her? It's a whole novel. Nicholas Rostov. She was surrounded, they wanted to kill her, her people were wounded. He rushed and saved her...
“Another novel,” said the militiaman. - Decisively, this general flight is made so that all the old brides get married. Catiche is one, Princess Bolkonskaya is another.
“You know that I really think she is un petit peu amoureuse du jeune homme. [slightly in love with the young man.]
- Fine! Fine! Fine!
- But how can I say it in Russian? ..

When Pierre returned home, he was served two posters of Rostopchin brought that day.
The first said that the rumor that Count Rastopchin was forbidden to leave Moscow was unfair and that, on the contrary, Count Rostopchin was glad that ladies and merchant wives were leaving Moscow. “Less fear, less news,” the poster said, “but I answer with my life that there will be no villain in Moscow.” These words for the first time clearly showed Pierre that the French would be in Moscow. The second poster said that our main apartment is in Vyazma, that Count Wittgsstein defeated the French, but that since many residents want to arm themselves, there are weapons prepared in the arsenal for them: sabers, pistols, guns, which residents can get at a cheap price. The tone of the posters was no longer as playful as in Chigirin's previous conversations. Pierre thought about these posters. Obviously, that terrible thundercloud, which he called upon with all the forces of his soul, and which at the same time aroused involuntary horror in him, - obviously, this cloud was approaching.
“To enter the military service and go to the army or wait? - Pierre asked himself this question for the hundredth time. He took a deck of cards lying on his table and began to play solitaire.
“If this solitaire comes out,” he said to himself, mixing the deck, holding it in his hand and looking up, “if it comes out, then it means ... what does it mean? .. - He did not have time to decide what it means, when a voice the eldest princess, asking if it is possible to enter.
“Then it will mean that I have to go to the army,” Pierre finished to himself. “Come in, come in,” he added, turning to the princes.
(One older princess, with a long waist and a petrified lead, continued to live in Pierre's house; two younger ones got married.)
“Forgive me, mon cousin, that I came to you,” she said in a reproachfully agitated voice. “After all, we must finally decide on something!” What will it be? Everyone has left Moscow, and the people are rioting. What are we left with?
“On the contrary, everything seems to be going well, ma cousine,” said Pierre with that habit of playfulness that Pierre, who always embarrassedly endured his role as a benefactor in front of the princess, learned to himself in relation to her.
- Yes, it's safe ... good well-being! Today Varvara Ivanovna told me how different our troops are. Certainly an honor to ascribe. Yes, and the people completely rebelled, they stop listening; my girl and she became rude. So soon they will beat us. You can't walk on the streets. And most importantly, today the French will be here tomorrow, what can we expect! I ask one thing, mon cousin, - said the princess, - order me to be taken to Petersburg: whatever I am, but I cannot live under Bonaparte power.
“Come on, ma cousine, where do you get your information from?” Against…
“I will not submit to your Napoleon. Others, as they wish ... If you do not want to do this ...
- Yes, I will, I will order now.
The princess, apparently, was annoyed that there was no one to be angry with. She, whispering something, sat down on a chair.
“But you are being misreported,” said Pierre. Everything is quiet in the city, and there is no danger. So I was reading now ... - Pierre showed the posters to the princess. - The count writes that he answers with his life that the enemy will not be in Moscow.
“Ah, this count of yours,” the princess spoke with malice, “this is a hypocrite, a villain who himself set the people to rebel. Didn't he write in these stupid posters that whatever it was, drag him by the crest to the exit (and how stupid)! Whoever takes, he says, honor and glory. That's where he messed up. Varvara Ivanovna said that she almost killed her people because she spoke French ...
“But it’s so ... You take everything to heart very much,” said Pierre and began to play solitaire.
Despite the fact that the solitaire converged, Pierre did not go to the army, but remained in deserted Moscow, still in the same anxiety, indecision, in fear and together in joy, expecting something terrible.
The next day, the princess left in the evening, and his commander-in-chief came to Pierre with the news that the money he required for uniforming the regiment could not be obtained unless one estate was sold. The commander-in-chief generally represented to Pierre that all these undertakings of the regiment were supposed to ruin him. Pierre could hardly hide his smile, listening to the manager's words.
“Well, sell it,” he said. “What can I do, I can’t refuse now!”
The worse the state of all affairs, and especially his affairs, the more pleasant it was for Pierre, the more obvious it was that the catastrophe for which he was waiting was approaching. Already almost none of Pierre's acquaintances was in the city. Julie has gone, Princess Mary has gone. Of close acquaintances, only the Rostovs remained; but Pierre did not go to them.
On this day, Pierre, in order to have fun, went to the village of Vorontsovo to watch a large balloon that Leppich was building to destroy the enemy, and a trial balloon that was supposed to be launched tomorrow. This ball was not yet ready; but, as Pierre learned, it was built at the request of the sovereign. The sovereign wrote to Count Rostopchin about this ball as follows:
"Aussitot que Leppich sera pret, composez lui un equipage pour sa nacelle d" hommes surs et intelligents et depechez un courrier au general Koutousoff pour l "en prevenir. Je l "ai instruit de la chose.
Recommandez, je vous prie, a Leppich d "etre bien attentif sur l" endroit ou il descendra la premiere fois, pour ne pas se tromper et ne pas tomber dans les mains de l "ennemi. Il est indispensable qu" il combine ses mouvements avec le general en chef.
[As soon as Leppich is ready, make a crew for his boat from loyal and intelligent people and send a courier to General Kutuzov to warn him.
I informed him about it. Please inspire Leppich to pay careful attention to the place where he will descend for the first time, so as not to make a mistake and fall into the hands of the enemy. It is necessary that he consider his movements with the movements of the commander-in-chief.]
Returning home from Vorontsovo and driving along Bolotnaya Square, Pierre saw a crowd at the Execution Ground, stopped and got off the droshky. It was the execution of a French chef accused of espionage. The execution had just ended, and the executioner was untying a pitifully groaning fat man with red whiskers, blue stockings and a green jacket from the mare. Another criminal, thin and pale, was standing right there. Both, judging by their faces, were French. With a frightened, painful look, similar to that of a thin Frenchman, Pierre pushed his way through the crowd.
- What is this? Who? For what? he asked. But the attention of the crowd - officials, bourgeois, merchants, peasants, women in coats and fur coats - was so eagerly focused on what was happening at the Execution Ground that no one answered him. The fat man got up, frowning, shrugged his shoulders and, obviously wanting to express firmness, began to put on his doublet without looking around him; but suddenly his lips trembled, and he wept, angry with himself, as adult sanguine people weep. The crowd spoke loudly, as it seemed to Pierre, in order to drown out the feeling of pity in itself.
- Someone's cook is princely ...
“What, Monsieur, it’s clear that the Russian sauce was sour for the Frenchman ... he set his mouth on edge,” said the wrinkled clerk, who was standing next to Pierre, while the Frenchman began to cry. The clerk looked around him, apparently expecting an assessment of his joke. Some laughed, some fearfully continued to look at the executioner, who was undressing another.
Pierre sniffled through his nose, grimaced and, quickly turning around, went back to the droshky, without ceasing to mutter something to himself while he walked and sat down. As the journey progressed, he shuddered several times and cried out so loudly that the coachman asked him:
- What do you order?
– Where are you going? - Pierre shouted at the coachman, who was leaving for the Lubyanka.
“They ordered to the commander-in-chief,” answered the coachman.
- Fool! beast! Pierre shouted, which rarely happened to him, scolding his coachman. - I ordered home; and hurry up, fool. We still have to leave today, Pierre said to himself.
Pierre, at the sight of the punished Frenchman and the crowd surrounding Lobnoye Mesto, decided so completely that he could no longer stay in Moscow and was going to the army today that it seemed to him that he either told the coachman about it, or that the coachman himself should have known this. .
Arriving home, Pierre gave an order to his coachman Yevstafyevich, who knew everything, knew everything, known throughout Moscow, that he was going to Mozhaisk at night to the army and that his riding horses were sent there. All this could not be done on the same day, and therefore, according to Yevstafyevich's idea, Pierre had to postpone his departure until another day in order to give time for the set-ups to leave for the road.
On the 24th it cleared up after bad weather, and on that day after dinner Pierre left Moscow. At night, changing horses in Perkhushkovo, Pierre learned that there had been a big battle that evening. It was said that here, in Perkhushkovo, the ground trembled from the shots. To Pierre's questions about who won, no one could give him an answer. (It was a battle on the 24th at Shevardin.) At dawn, Pierre drove up to Mozhaisk.
All the houses of Mozhaisk were occupied by troops, and at the inn, where Pierre was met by his coachman and coachman, there was no room in the upper rooms: everything was full of officers.
In Mozhaisk and beyond Mozhaisk, troops stood and marched everywhere. Cossacks, foot soldiers, mounted soldiers, wagons, boxes, cannons could be seen from all sides. Pierre was in a hurry to move forward as soon as possible, and the farther he drove away from Moscow and the deeper he plunged into this sea of troops, the more he was seized by the anxiety of anxiety and the new he had not yet experienced. joyful feeling. It was a feeling similar to the one he experienced in the Sloboda Palace during the arrival of the sovereign - a feeling of the need to do something and sacrifice something. He now experienced a pleasant feeling of consciousness that everything that makes up the happiness of people, the conveniences of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense, which is pleasant to cast aside in comparison with something ... With what, Pierre could not give himself an account, and indeed he tried to make clear to himself for whom and for what he finds a special charm to sacrifice everything. He was not interested in what he wanted to sacrifice for, but the very sacrifice constituted for him a new joyful feeling.

On the 24th there was a battle at the Shevardinsky redoubt, on the 25th not a single shot was fired from either side, on the 26th the Battle of Borodino took place.
Why and how were the battles at Shevardin and Borodino given and accepted? Why was the Battle of Borodino given? Neither for the French nor for the Russians it made the slightest sense. The immediate result was and should have been - for the Russians, that we approached the death of Moscow (which we feared most in the world), and for the French, that they approached the death of the entire army (which they also feared most of all in the world) . This result was obvious at the same time, but meanwhile Napoleon gave, and Kutuzov accepted this battle.
If the commanders were guided by reasonable reasons, it seemed, as it should have been clear to Napoleon, that, having gone two thousand miles and accepted the battle with the probable accident of losing a quarter of the army, he was going to certain death; and it should have seemed just as clear to Kutuzov that, accepting the battle and also risking losing a quarter of the army, he was probably losing Moscow. For Kutuzov, this was mathematically clear, as clear as it is that if I have less than one checker in checkers and I change, I will probably lose and therefore should not change.
When the opponent has sixteen checkers, and I have fourteen, then I am only one-eighth weaker than him; and when I exchange thirteen checkers, he will be three times stronger than me.
Before the battle of Borodino, our forces were approximately in relation to the French as five to six, and after the battle as one to two, that is, before the battle one hundred thousand; a hundred and twenty, and after the battle fifty to a hundred. And at the same time, the smart and experienced Kutuzov accepted the battle. Napoleon, the brilliant commander, as he is called, gave battle, losing a quarter of the army and stretching his line even more. If it is said that by occupying Moscow he thought he would end the campaign by occupying Vienna, then there is much evidence against this. The historians of Napoleon themselves say that even from Smolensk he wanted to stop, knew the danger of his extended position, knew that the occupation of Moscow would not be the end of the campaign, because from Smolensk he saw in what position the Russian cities were left to him, and did not receive a single answer to their repeated statements about their desire to negotiate.
Giving and accepting the Battle of Borodino, Kutuzov and Napoleon acted involuntarily and senselessly. And historians, under the accomplished facts, only later summed up the intricate evidence of the foresight and genius of the generals, who, of all the involuntary tools of world events, were the most slavish and involuntary figures.
The ancients left us models of heroic poems in which the heroes are the whole interest of history, and we still cannot get used to the fact that for our human time this kind of history has no meaning.
To another question: how the battles of Borodino and the Shevardino battles preceding it were given - there is also a very definite and well-known, completely false idea. All historians describe the case as follows:
The Russian army, as if in its retreat from Smolensk, was looking for the best position for itself for a general battle, and such a position was allegedly found at Borodin.
The Russians allegedly fortified this position forward, to the left of the road (from Moscow to Smolensk), at almost a right angle to it, from Borodino to Utitsa, on the very spot where the battle took place.
In front of this position, a fortified advanced post on the Shevardinsky barrow was allegedly put up to observe the enemy. On the 24th, Napoleon allegedly attacked the forward post and took it; On the 26th, he attacked the entire Russian army, which was in position on the Borodino field.
So the stories say, and all this is completely unfair, as anyone who wants to delve into the essence of the matter will easily be convinced of.
The Russians did not look for a better position; but, on the contrary, in their retreat they passed many positions that were better than Borodino. They did not stop at any of these positions: both because Kutuzov did not want to accept a position that was not chosen by him, and because the demand for a popular battle had not yet been expressed strongly enough, and because Miloradovich had not yet approached with the militia, and also because other reasons that are innumerable. The fact is that the former positions were stronger and that the Borodino position (the one on which the battle was given) is not only not strong, but for some reason is not at all a position more than any other place in Russian Empire, which, guessing, would indicate with a pin on the map.
The Russians not only did not fortify the position of the Borodino field to the left at a right angle from the road (that is, the place where the battle took place), but never before August 25, 1812 did they think that the battle could take place on this place. This is evidenced, firstly, by the fact that not only on the 25th there were no fortifications in this place, but that, begun on the 25th, they were not completed on the 26th; secondly, the position of the Shevardinsky redoubt serves as proof: the Shevardinsky redoubt, in front of the position on which the battle was taken, does not make any sense. Why was this redoubt fortified stronger than all other points? And why, defending it on the 24th until late at night, were all efforts exhausted and six thousand people lost? To observe the enemy, a Cossack patrol was enough. Thirdly, the proof that the position on which the battle took place was not foreseen and that the Shevardinsky redoubt was not the forward point of this position is the fact that Barclay de Tolly and Bagration until the 25th were convinced that the Shevardinsky redoubt was the left flank of the position and that Kutuzov himself, in his report, written hastily after the battle, calls the Shevardinsky redoubt the left flank of the position. Much later, when reports about the battle of Borodino were written in the open, it was (probably to justify the mistakes of the commander in chief, who had to be infallible) that unfair and strange testimony was invented that the Shevardinsky redoubt served as an advanced post (whereas it was only a fortified point of the left flank) and as if the battle of Borodino was accepted by us in a fortified and pre-selected position, while it took place in a completely unexpected and almost unfortified place.
The case, obviously, was like this: the position was chosen along the Kolocha River, which crosses the main road not at a straight line, but at an acute angle, so that the left flank was in Shevardin, the right flank was near the village of Novy and the center was in Borodino, at the confluence of the Kolocha and Vo rivers. yn. This position, under the cover of the Kolocha River, for the army, whose goal is to stop the enemy moving along the Smolensk road to Moscow, is obvious to anyone who looks at the Borodino field, forgetting how the battle took place.
Napoleon, having left for Valuev on the 24th, did not see (as the stories say) the position of the Russians from Utitsa to Borodin (he could not see this position, because it was not there) and did not see the advanced post of the Russian army, but stumbled in the pursuit of the Russian rearguard on the left flank of the position of the Russians, on the Shevardinsky redoubt, and unexpectedly for the Russians transferred troops through Kolocha. And the Russians, not having time to enter into a general battle, retreated with their left wing from the position they intended to take, and took up a new position, which was not foreseen and not fortified. Having crossed to the left side of Kolocha, to the left of the road, Napoleon moved the entire future battle from right to left (from the side of the Russians) and transferred it to the field between Utitsa, Semenovsky and Borodino (in this field, which has nothing more advantageous for the position than any another field in Russia), and on this field the whole battle took place on the 26th. In rough form, the plan for the proposed battle and the battle that took place will be as follows:

If Napoleon had not left on the evening of the 24th for Kolocha and had not ordered to attack the redoubt immediately in the evening, but had begun the attack the next day in the morning, then no one would have doubted that the Shevardinsky redoubt was the left flank of our position; and the battle would have taken place as we expected it to. In that case, we would probably have defended the Shevardino redoubt, our left flank, even more stubbornly; they would attack Napoleon in the center or on the right, and on the 24th there would be a general battle in the position that was fortified and foreseen. But since the attack on our left flank took place in the evening, following the retreat of our rearguard, that is, immediately after the battle of Gridneva, and since the Russian military leaders did not want or did not have time to start a general battle on the 24th evening, the first and main action of Borodinsky the battle was lost on the 24th and, obviously, led to the loss of the one that was given on the 26th.
After the loss of the Shevardinsky redoubt, by the morning of the 25th we found ourselves without a position on the left flank and were forced to bend back our left wing and hastily strengthen it anywhere.
But not only did the Russian troops stand only under the protection of weak, unfinished fortifications on August 26, the disadvantage of this situation was further increased by the fact that the Russian military leaders, not recognizing a completely accomplished fact (the loss of a position on the left flank and the transfer of the entire future battlefield from right to left ), remained in their stretched position from the village of Novy to Utitsa and, as a result, had to move their troops from right to left during the battle. Thus, during the entire battle, the Russians had against all French army, aimed at our left wing, twice the weakest forces. (The actions of Poniatowski against Utitsa and Uvarov on the right flank of the French constituted actions separate from the course of the battle.)

Where does the Niger River begin and where does it flow?, the third largest river in Africa? Perhaps, in the history of world science there are not many problems that would occupy the minds for so long. The problem of Niger was born in the 5th century. BC e.

Herodotus on a Journey to South Africa

Greek Herodotus, who has been called the "father of history", told about the journey from Libya to the southwest Africa five young nomads from the Nasamones tribe. The Nasamones set off on their journey, trying to penetrate as far as possible into southern Africa. They crossed sandy deserts and reached fertile country, replete with various unfamiliar plants. But here they were captured by some short people with black skin, speaking a language they did not understand, and taken away with them. The captives passed through vast swampy areas, behind which they saw big river flowing from west to east; they noticed a large number of crocodiles in its waters. After many adventures, the young Nasamones returned home safely.

Herodotus' mistaken assumption that the Niger is a tributary of the Nile

It is hardly possible to say with certainty whether the journey of the Nasamones actually took place or whether it was fiction. Based on the story of Herodotus in Europe, they first learned about the existence of a large river deep in West Africa, flowing from west to east. But at the same time, Herodotus made a mistake, understandable and justified given the then level of human knowledge about the world in which he lives, but finally refuted only in the 19th century. The Greeks had no idea about the actual size of the African continent, but they already knew the Nile quite well, in the valley of which great civilization ancient egypt Greece owed a lot to her. Naturally, therefore, Herodotus suggested like a big river, which was discussed in the story he wrote down about the journey of the Nasamones, - west tributary of the Nile . And this view lasted more than two millennia. Geographic representations of Herodotus became the basis on which the maps of the interior of Africa were created, which appeared in the writings of such ancient scholars as the Roman Pliny the Elder(I century AD) and in particular the great geographer ancient world Claudius Ptolemy. Exactly Ptolemy's map for many centuries became a source of geographical information for the people of the Middle Ages. This map, with all its imperfections for its time, was major scientific achievement.

Cultural Heritage of the Middle East

The knowledge accumulated by the scientists of antiquity, medieval Europe received mainly in the transmission of Arab scientists: on Middle East cultural heritage much better preserved than in the early medieval states of Europe, where the all-powerful Catholic Church was suspicious of most pagan monuments, and the closed natural economy feudal society did not really encourage the development of geography. In the Middle East at that time there were huge flourishing cities with developed handicrafts and lively trade relations.

The Arabs were attracted by the geographical work of Ptolemy

It is clear that Arabs were attracted by the geographical work of Ptolemy. native Central Asia, the great mathematician, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi in the ninth century revised "Geography" of Ptolemy, supplementing it with the information that the Arabs were able to accumulate by this time. A century later, some Suhrab in turn, he reworked al-Khwarizmi's "Book of the Earth's Appearance", supplementing and enriching with new features the appearance of the then known part of the globe, drawn by Ptolemy.

But neither al-Khwarizmi nor Sukhrab made any significant changes to the map of West Africa. Arab geography of that time was a "bookish" science and was based on ancient and Hellenistic theories. And Muslim merchants, by the 9th century. well mastered trade routes to Ghana - largest country in West Africa of that period, were not too interested in the nature of this part of the continent: trade routes or goods that could be obtained here absorbed all their attention.

Accumulating real knowledge about the interior of Africa

But gradually, as they accumulated real knowledge about the hinterland of Africa, among Arab geographers, ideas about these areas begin to become more complicated. Of course, this does not mean that they could give a clear answer to the question of what, for example, the basins of the Nile and Niger look like. The complication of the picture was expressed mainly in the appearance (starting from the third quarter of the 10th century) in the works of Arab geographers and on the maps compiled by them, along with the familiar and well-known "Nile of Egypt" several more Nils: "Black Nile", "Zinj Nile", etc. At the same time, the majority of Arab writers, as it were, tacitly adhered to the old point of view of Herodotus: for them, the connection Nile West African With Nile of Egypt was taken for granted. In the same way, they had no doubts that the “big river” on the map of West Africa (“Countries of the Blacks”) flows from west to east.

Conflicting accounts of the Niger and Sinegal rivers

But as the Muslim merchants moved south, complications arose: having become acquainted with two different rivers - Niger and Senegal, merchants, and after them, geographers begin to mix them up. For the first time such a mixture of these large West African rivers appears in the "Book of Ways and States" by the Spanish-Arab geographer and historian al-Bekri in the middle of the 11th century. Sam al-Bekri never been to west africa, he described it based on the materials of the rich archives of Cordoba, where many reports of Muslim merchants from different cities of Spain were stored. These merchants traded more than anyone else with the peoples living south of the Sahara. And al-Bekri either did not pay attention to the contradiction between different documents that spoke of a large river in ancient Ghana and adjacent countries (in some documents it was stated that the river flows from east to west, and in others - from west to east), or, as Arab historians and geographers of the Middle Ages often did, he cited the information of both of them without criticism, relying on the usual formula in such cases: “Allah knows best!” But if al-Bekri simply fixed a contradiction, then the great geographer al-Idrisi(XII century) adopted a point of view that was directly opposite to the previously prevailing one. It also mixes Niger and Senegal, but its West African "Nile" flows only from east to west. The scientific authority of al-Idrisi turned out to be great enough to make this mistake (however, one of many) set for several centuries. It could not be refuted by the quite definite evidence of a traveler Ibn Battuty(XIV century) that the "Black Nile" flows from west to east. But Ibn Battuta was the first of the authors of Arabic geographical works, who personally visited Niger. At the same time, being a man of practice, far from scientific discussions, he firmly adhered to the old point of view: "Nile of Egypt" and "Nile of blacks" are one and the same river. Of course, in the eyes of people involved in geographical science, the testimony of a simple merchant could not compete with the opinion of such a scientist as al-Idrisi.

African lion saw Niger

More than that, even when a century and a half after Ibn Battuta, the regions along the Niger were twice visited by the North African traveler and scholar al-Hasan ibn Wazzaz al-Fasi, known in Europe under the name African lion, the authority of al-Idrisi remained decisive. Lion African Not only seen Niger with my own eyes; he sailed on it more than once and went down this river from Timbuktu to Djenne. It seemed that he could not but know in which direction the river was flowing! But, unfortunately, in his Description of Africa, which glorified his name, Leo Africanus did not say a single word about the direction in which the Niger flows. And this silence was taken as an agreement with al-Idrisi.

For two and a half centuries, the book of Leo Africanus remained in Europe the main source of information about the African continent.. And it never occurred to anyone to refute the opinion of al-Idrisi about the direction of the flow of the Niger. Of course, it cannot be said that the accumulation of information about the geography of the interior regions of West Africa has completely stopped. European scholars heard vague rumors about the existence somewhere far from the coast of a huge lake, to which you can go through the lands of the Hausa people, that is, through the current Northern Nigeria. And a major geographer of the late XVI century. Ortelius connected with this lake - real Lake Chad- Niger flow. On his map, the river begins south of the equator, crosses it, flows into Chad, and from there flows west, to a certain "Lake Guber." Having passed this alleged lake, the Niger flows into the Atlantic Ocean in the area actual mouth of Senegal. The performances of Ortelius are interesting, among other things, because they contain a lot of quite real, but absolutely fantastically mixed material.

Portuguese Knowledge of West Africa

Portuguese probably already at the end of the 15th century. became aware of the existence of several lakes along the upper reaches of the Niger above Timbuktu - lake Debo, Fagibin, Tanda and others. Something became known about the wealthy Hausan cities further to the east; one of the most important among them was gobir. And in 1564 on the map of the Italian Giacomo di Castaldi appears in the depths West Africa the huge “Lake Huber” (by the way, for the first time Europeans learned about Huber from the same “Description of Africa” by Leo Africanus). “Lake Guber” was regularly reproduced on their maps by everyone who was engaged in the geography of Africa until the end of the 18th century. And almost all the time continued to consider the Niger and Senegal as one river. True, there was a certain positive side to these erroneous views: already did not mix Niger with the Nile, and the very name "Niger" since the 16th century. firmly established on European maps.

Expanding geographic knowledge about Africa

But in general expanding geographical knowledge about Africa in the period between the appearance in 1550 of the first Italian edition of the "Description of Africa" and the first expedition Mungo Parka in the mid 90s of the XVIII century. went much more slowly than at the beginning of the era of the great geographical discoveries of the XV - the first quarter of the XVI century. The discovery of America and the successful penetration of Europeans into the regions of the South Seas led to the fact that the leading role in the economy of Europe passed from the countries of the Mediterranean to the countries of the Atlantic coast. At the same time, the capture of almost all of North Africa by the Ottoman Empire contributed to an even greater weakening of the usual contacts Southern Europe with the Middle East. And in Africa itself, the main ties with Europeans have moved to West Coast: from here the main export product was sent to the New World - slaves for plantations and mines. Africa was turning, in the words of K. Marx, into a "reserved hunting ground for blacks."

Slave trade

In search of new sources of this terrible product, European sailors quickly examined Atlantic coast Africa and put it on the map quite accurately. But in the deep regions, things were different. Since slaves were brought to the coast by African rulers, there was no need for a European to move away from coastal markets and penetrate deep into the continent. Besides, slave trade was so profitable for the African rulers themselves that they would hardly have welcomed the penetration of Europeans deep into the country. Therefore, the difficulties and obstacles in the way of those who tried to move at least a little away from the coastal forts-factories were great. For a time, this position more or less suited European merchants and African leaders. But in the second half of the XVIII century. circumstances began to change rapidly. In European countries, the positions of those who sought to ban the slave trade. Many reasons contributed to this, and the desire of British merchants and industrialists to prevent the development of the economy of the former North American colonies, which was largely based on the massive use of plantation slavery, played an important role.

The Industrial Revolution won in England

In the same time in England finally industrial revolution won I; The capitalist mode of production became the dominant force in the country's economy. The strengthened British bourgeoisie needed new sources of raw materials, new strongholds in all parts of the world. After the successful end for England in 1763 of the Seven Years' War the question of the possession of India was decided in favor of the British. Britain's colonial interests moved from North America and West Indies to the east. But this did not mean a weakening of attention to other regions of the globe. It is no coincidence that just at that time in England interest in geographical research of overseas lands was growing unusually rapidly, and among these lands Africa ranks first. But discoveries could be expected only with a certain level of organizational and financial support for research enterprises. Well, the British bourgeoisie was rich enough, and enterprising enough, and far-sighted enough to give such support to their compatriots who would dare to take on the hard work of exploring unknown lands.

Creation of the African Society

In 1788 in London there was organized by the African Society(Society for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior of Africa). It is characteristic that, when announcing the creation of the society, its founders specifically drew attention to the fact that European ideas about the interior regions of Africa are almost entirely based on information provided by al-Idrisi and Leo Africanus. And in the first place among the tasks to be solved, it was put to determine where does the Niger begin and where does it flow. The report on the founding meeting of the society stated:

"The course of the Niger, the places of its source and end, and even its existence as an independent river, have not yet been determined."

Thus, from the end of the 18th century systematic exploration of inner Africa begins. Already in the first year of its existence, the society sent two researchers to Africa, who were supposed to cross the continent in different directions. First, John Ledyard, it was instructed to pass "from east to west along the latitude of Niger." Second, Simon Lucas, had

"cross the Sahara desert, moving from Tripoli to Fezzan",

and then return to England

"through the Gambia or across the Guinean coast".

Neither Ledyard nor Lucas failed to complete these tasks. The first died before he even left Cairo, and the second, having landed in Tripoli in October 1788, could not wait for the end of the war that was being waged between the nomadic tribes who lived along the main caravan route to Fezzan. And without this there was nothing to think about the journey. In July 1789 Lucas returned to England. Then the leaders of the society decided to try another route to Niger - through the Gambia (this route was shorter, although they did not yet know about it).

Houghton's trip to Africa

It was from here that he began his journey to the hinterland Africa retired major Houghton, who served for several years in the colonial troops on the coast of West Africa. In November 1790, he moved from the mouth of the Gambia to the east with the task of visiting

"Cities of Timbuktu and Hausa"

. He had succeeded in reaching the region of Bamboo in the upper reaches of Senegal, and Houghton hoped to reach Timbuktu. But, crossing Senegal, not far from the present Malian city of Nioro, Houghton died. Scientific results of the Houghton expedition despite his death, were very important. Houghton installed:

that the Niger flows from west to east.
His news from Africa contained confirmation that the river in its middle course passes through the areas inhabited by the Hausa people.

But at the same time, Houghton's discovery helped revive the old error of thinking that the Niger and the Nile were the same river. Houghton himself believed that the Niger and the Nile had one source, and although not all geographers of that time agreed with this point of view, they did not have data to refute it. The death of Houghton suspended for several years attempts to use the western route to the Niger. It was not so easy, apparently, to find a person who would agree again go to certain death in the unexplored expanses of African land.

Mungo Park Expedition

And only in 1795 did a young Scottish doctor offer his services to society Mungo Park. In May 1795 he went from the mouth of the Gambia the same way as Houghton. It took him more than a year to reach the city of Segou (in the modern Republic of Mali), where he first saw Niger. It was July 20, 1796.

“I,” Park wrote, “with great pleasure saw the main goal of my expedition - the majestic Niger, which I thought about for so long, wide, like the Thames at Westminster, sparkling in the morning sun and flowing east”

. Park was the first modern European who saw with his own eyes that the river still flows from west to east(Houghton's data was based on numerous inquiries from local residents who had a good idea of the real picture). Of course, it was a great success. However, no less successful was the fact that Park managed to return to England and in 1799 published an account of his journey.. The book was accompanied by a voluminous note by the greatest geographer of England at that time James Rennell dedicated to the scientific results of Park's journey. In it, Rennell hypothesized that the Niger flows into "vast lakes" in eastern Africa, from where excess water evaporates due to large area water mirror. This theory has gained almost universal acceptance.

Friedrich Hornemann's notes

However, some researchers still preferred to believe that the Niger is connected to the Nile. The flow of the Niger into the Nile was also mentioned in the diaries sent from Fezzan by Friedrich Hornemann, a young German scientist who was invited by the African Society to try to approach the Niger from the north. Latest records in the diary he kept Horneman, which contains the assumption of the connection of the Niger with the Nile, refer to April 1800, after which there was no information about Horneman. Later it became known that he managed to reach the state of Nupe in the lower Niger and died there. After the great success of the Park expedition science had only hypotheses regarding the origins of the Niger and its mouth. And only new travels could confirm or refute them. By this time the organization geographical research English scientists in Africa, there was a significant change. Under pressure from the British bourgeoisie, interested in opening up new markets, the British government is decisively involved in planning and financing expeditions.

Mungo Park's second expedition

List of government expeditions opened Mungo Park's second expedition, which set off for Africa from England in January 1805. The park should have reached the Niger and descended along it to the mouth, wherever it was. The traveler was going to repeat his route, which he took ten years ago. He intended to build a ship in Sega and go downstream (it was for this purpose that he included shipbuilders in the expedition). In total, the Park group included forty-four Europeans and one African guide. Perhaps this choice of satellites to a large extent predetermined the tragic failure of the entire enterprise: in the last letter of the Park, written by him in November 1805, it was reported that only five Europeans remained alive - the unusual climate and tropical diseases did their job. And although the Park managed to go down the Niger for more than one and a half thousand kilometers (to the city of Busa in modern Nigeria), the expedition ended complete disaster: on the thresholds near Busa, Park and three of his companions who had survived by that time died. The expedition did not produce any scientific results. All of Park's records died with him..

Before the departure of the Park in the second expedition was put forward new hypothesis that Niger and Congo are one river(V early XIX V. European sailors knew only the mouth of the third great river of Africa, although the first Portuguese ships reached this mouth more than three hundred years before). To test the hypothesis that the Niger and the Congo are one river, the British government tried in 1816.

Captain Takka's Expedition

Captain Takka's Expedition was supposed to climb up the Congo, and the second expedition, led by Major peddy, go to the Niger and go downstream. But almost all the participants of both expeditions died of illness during the journey, and these expeditions also remained inconclusive. Then in England for some time they abandoned attempts to pass to Niger from the ocean, and the northern direction again came to the fore.

Ritchie and Lyon Expedition

The very next year, from Tripoli moved south Ritchie and Lyon Expedition, whose goal was to achieve Timbuktu. But she couldn't do it either. Travelers have only reached Murzuka, center Fezzan region: here Ritchie died, and Lyon, who tried to continue his journey, soon had to return due to lack of funds. However, Lyon, after questioning a large number of Africans involved in one form or another in the caravan trade across the Sahara, came to the conclusion that the waters of the Niger are connected to the great Nile of Egypt.

Dr. Audney's Expedition

The first successful attempt to explore the interior of West Africa from the Mediterranean coast belongs to an expedition that set off in 1821. It was led by Dr. Audney, the expedition included Major Denham and lieutenant of the fleet Clapperton. Coming out of Tripoli, the expedition, after long months of struggling with the harsh nature and obstacles that were repaired by the warlike tribes roaming the desert, reached Lake Chad. True, this did not bring Denham and his comrades any closer to solving the Niger problem, although Denham really hoped that the solution would be found here. But already what for the first time Europeans reached Lake Chad, it was no small event. Denham remained in the state of Bornu on the shores of Chad, while Clapperton and Audney moved west, intending to explore the areas of the Hausa people and, if possible, reach Niger. But in Kano, the largest of the Hausa cities, only Clapperton arrived; Audney died on the road. In Kano, Clapperton first heard that Quorra(as Niger was called here) flows into the ocean in the Yoruba country (in the southwest of present-day Nigeria), where European ships come. True, this idea in itself was not unexpected: after all, at the beginning of the century, the German geographer Karl Reichard wrote about such a possibility. But then his point of view did not meet with support: it was believed that the path to the Gulf of Benin was blocked by a chain of granite mountains.

From Kano, Clapperton moved further west. In Sokoto, the capital of the huge sultanate just created by the Fulbe people, he was warmly received by the Sultan Muhammad Bello. In conversations with a European, the Sultan confirmed that it was really possible to get to the sea along a large river. However, on the map that Mohammed Bello drew for his guest, Niger was connected to the Nile, and in order to avoid misunderstanding, an explanation was given to the map:

"This is the river Quorra that reaches Egypt and is called the Nile."

Now it is difficult to say how one can explain the unexpected contradiction between the words of the Sultan and his map: admiration for the traditional ideas of Muslim geographers or sober political calculation. After all, Mohammed Bello had enough information to fear the penetration of the British into his country. The Sultan was fully aware that, in addition to losing the advantages of mediation in trade, the penetration of a guest’s compatriots into his country could lead to unpleasant political implications. Not without reason, during Clapperton's second visit to Sokoto in 1827, he was told:

"If the British are too encouraged, they will certainly come to the Sudan one by one until they are strong enough to take over the country ... as they did in India, which was wrested from the hands of the Muslims."

Perhaps it was hard to say. Be that as it may, Clapperton was not allowed to Niger. He had to return to Bornu. Denham, who remained here, also collected information about the Niger and heard confirmation that this river merges with the Nile. Thus, the expedition, despite its undoubted success, did not establish the main thing - where the Niger begins and where it flows: neither the source nor the mouth of the Niger has yet been found. In 1824 Denham and Clapperton returned to their homeland. After their journey, to a certain extent, it strengthened erroneous point of view regarding the connection of the Niger and the Nile. But in essence, by this time it had already been irrefutably proven that to merge with Nilom nigga can't, no matter which direction it flows. Moreover, this was proved not speculatively, but strictly experimentally, based on a barometric measurement of the absolute height of the most likely source of the great West African river. The man who made this discovery was called

Etymology

Hydrography

Hydrological regime

bend in the river

Economic use

River transport

Financing

Cities

protected areas

see also

Write a review on the article "Niger (river)"

Notes

Literature

An excerpt characterizing the Niger (river)

general information

Numbers

Economy

Climate and weather

Attractions

Curious facts

Etymology

Hydrography

Hydrological regime

bend in the river

Economic use

River transport

Financing

Cities

protected areas

see also

Write a review on the article "Niger (river)"

Notes

Literature

An excerpt characterizing the Niger (river)

Herodotus on a Journey to South Africa

Herodotus' mistaken assumption that the Niger is a tributary of the Nile

Cultural Heritage of the Middle East

The Arabs were attracted by the geographical work of Ptolemy

Accumulating real knowledge about the interior of Africa

Conflicting accounts of the Niger and Sinegal rivers

African lion saw Niger

Portuguese Knowledge of West Africa

Expanding geographic knowledge about Africa

Slave trade

The Industrial Revolution won in England

Creation of the African Society

Houghton's trip to Africa

Mungo Park Expedition

Friedrich Hornemann's notes

Mungo Park's second expedition

Captain Takka's Expedition

Ritchie and Lyon Expedition

Dr. Audney's Expedition