The Benue River (french: la Bénoué), previously known as the Chadda River or Tchadda, is the major

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through ...

. The river is approximately long and is almost entirely navigable during the summer months. The size of its basin is . As a result, it is an important transportation route in the regions through which it flows.

Geography

It rises in the

Adamawa Plateau The Adamawa Plateau (french: Massif de l'Adamaoua) is a plateau region in west-central Africa stretching from south-eastern Nigeria through north-central Cameroon ( Adamawa and North Provinces) to the Central African Republic. The part of the pl ...

of northern

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

, from where it flows west, and through the town of

Garoua Garoua or Garua (Fula: Garwa 𞤺𞤢𞤪𞤱𞤢) is a port city and the capital of the North Region of Cameroon, lying on the Benue River. A thriving centre of the textiles and cotton industries, the city has approximately 1,285,000 inhabita ...

and Lagdo Reservoir, into

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

south of the

Mandara mountains The Mandara Mountains are a volcanic range extending about 190 km (about 120 mi) along the northern part of the Cameroon–Nigeria border, from the Benue River in the south () to the north-west of Maroua in the north (). The highest e ...

, and through

Jimeta Jimeta is a town in Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria. The town's population was 73,080 in 1991. The elevation of Jimeta is 135 m, and it lies along the Benue River The Benue River (french: la Bénoué), previously known as the Chadda River or T ...

, Ibi and

Makurdi Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016, Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated popul ...

before meeting the

at Lokoja. Large tributaries are the

Faro River The Faro River is a river that flows over the Nigeria–Cameroon border in Africa. Its source is on the Adamawa Plateau, which lies southeast of Ngaoundéré. A tributary of the Benue River, they meet on the border. See also *Communes of Cameroo ...

, the

Gongola River The Gongola River is in northeastern Nigeria, the principal tributary of the Benue River. The upper course of the river as well as most of its tributaries are seasonal streams, but fill rapidly in August and September. The Gongola rises on the east ...

and the

Mayo Kébbi The Mayo Kébbi is a river in Central and West Africa. The river rises in Chad, then flows west into the Bénoué River. Mayo-Kébbi Prefecture in Chad is named for it. The Mayo Kébbi is the major outlet for Lake Fianga, shared between Ca ...

, which connects it with the

Logone River The Logon or Logone River is a major tributary of the Chari River. The Logone's sources are located in the western Central African Republic, northern Cameroon, and southern Chad. It has two major tributaries: the Pendé River (Eastern Logone ...

(part of the Lake Chad system) during floods. Other tributaries are

Taraba River The Taraba River is a river in Taraba State, Nigeria, a tributary of the Benue River. It joins the Benue on a floodplain 10 km wide and 50 km across. The major towns along the River Taraba are Sert-Baruwa, Sarki Ruwa, Karamti, Jamta ...

and

River Katsina Ala The Katsina Ala (or Katsina-Ala) is a river in central Nigeria, located within its Middle Belt. It serves as a major tributary of the Benue River in Nigeria. The source of the river is found in the Bamenda highlands in northwestern Cameroon. It f ...

. At the point of confluence, the Benue exceeds the Niger by volume. The mean discharge before 1960 was for the Benue and for the Niger. During the following decades, the runoff of both rivers decreased markedly due to

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

. The Benue River flooded in October 2012, resulting in a large increase in the population of

venomous snakes Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or gr ...

in the Duguri District, Alkaleri Local Government Area,

Bauchi State Bauchi State (Fula: ''Leydi Bauchi'' 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤦𞤢𞤵𞤷𞥅𞤭) is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Kano and Jigawa to the north, Taraba and Plateau to the south, Gombe and Yobe to the e ...

. A July 2013 report indicated that over 200 people in the district had died of snakebite. The General Hospital in

Kaltungo Kaltungo is a Local Government Area of Gombe State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Kaltungo in the west of the Local Government Area on the A345 highway at . It has a landmark area of 881 km and a population of 149,805 as at ...

Gombe State Gombe State ( ff, Leyddi Gommbe 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤺𞤮𞤥𞥆𞤦𞤫) is a state in northeastern Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by the state of Borno and Yobe, to the south by Taraba State, to the southeast by Adamawa Stat ...

in Nigeria, is the nearest location for treatment of snakebite; "whoever is lucky to make it to Kaltungo is treated in only two days and then they return home." File:Drone view Benoue.jpg, Benoue huts File:Drone view at Benoue.jpg, Benoue view from drone File:Traversée de la Benoué à pirogue.jpg, Crossing the Benue River from Lagdo with a Canoe

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benue River Tributaries of the Niger River Rivers of Cameroon Rivers of Nigeria International rivers of Africa North Region (Cameroon)