Benué River

Catchment area of ​​the Benue

Satellite image of the Benue

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

Benue ( emphasis on both " e" also Binue, Binue, Bénoué, Bantu language for Mother of Waters, Tschadda ) is a river in central Africa and the largest tributary of the Niger.

Course

The source of the Benue lies north of Ngaoundéré in the southern highlands of Adamawa below 7 ° 30 ' north latitude and slightly east from 13 ° east longitude. From there, the river attracts a large, open to the west arc northward, receives in turn the coming of the East Mayo Kebi, now turns westward and unites 206 m above sea level. M. with the coming from the south, swift and well-watered Faro (the main river is 1000 m, the tributary 700 m wide). From right, it assumes the longest tributary of the Gongola on, then the Kadera and Ssungo. In the rainy season at ordinary level 3-4 m deep water rises to 10-15 m and caused massive flooding. Below Adamaua the current runs through a broad valley with majestic pronounced Talrändern; the interior of the country is usually met with in the south forest thickets, broken by ravines and inaccessible, in the north it is more cultured. Below 7 ° 46 ' latitude north of the Benue flows across from Lokoja to Niger.

At the confluence of the Benue exceeds the Niger in size. Before 1960 was its average discharge 3400 m³ / s compared to 2500 m³ / s of the Niger. During the subsequent decades declined, mainly because of the growing water needs of agriculture, water management both rivers by more than a third.

Exploration and History

The Benue was discovered in 1851 by Heinrich Barth and again in 1854 by Eduard Vogel; William Balfour Baikie was the first to use a steam ship sailed up it in 1854 and 1857-58 close to the borders of Adamawa. Since then, his underflow has been very common to travel on so by Gerhard Rohlfs, Adolph Burdo and Eduard Flegel, who is also the source discovered in 1882. Flowing through wide fertile and rich countries, this current was once one of the main entrance doors of Central Africa. The most important place on its shores in the 19th century in Yola Adamawa, the former port for ivory (60-80 tonnes per year ); further west, just south of the Benue lies the equally important Wukari.

From Adamawa from the Benue formed in the 19th century the border between the Fulbereich Sokoto and the southern states of the actual small -Saharan Africa.