Gongola River

Gongola River

      principal tributary of the Benue River, northeastern Nigeria. It rises in several branches (including the Lere and Maijuju rivers) on the eastern slopes of the Jos Plateau and cascades (with several scenic waterfalls) onto the plains of the Gongola Basin, where it follows a northeasterly course. It then flows past Nafada and takes an abrupt turn toward the south. Its lower course veers to the southeast, and, after receiving the Hawal (its chief tributary, which rises on the Biu Plateau), it continues in a southerly direction before joining the Benue, opposite the town of Numan, after a journey of 330 miles (531 km). During the dry season, however, the upper Gongola and many of the river's tributaries practically disappear, and even the lower course becomes unnavigable.

      Almost all of the Gongola Basin lies in a dry savanna area. The basin has been enlarged by the Gongola's capture of several rivers that formerly flowed to Lake Chad—the sharp southerly bend east of Nafada is the result of the capture of the upper Gongola, and the Gungeru, another tributary from the Biu Plateau, is also a captured stream. The Gongola's floodplains are covered with a fertile black alluvial soil. Cotton, peanuts (groundnuts), and sorghum are grown for export to other parts of the nation; but millet, beans, cassava, onions, corn (maize), and rice are also cultivated. The government built the Dadin Kowa Dam (completed 1984) on the river near Numan to provide irrigation and electricity for its Gongola sugar plantation project. The basin is also used as grazing ground for cattle, goats, sheep, horses, and donkeys.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gongola River — The Gongola River is a river in northeastern Nigeria. It is the principal tributary of the Benue River …   Wikipedia

  • Niger River — or Joliba or Kworra Principal river of western Africa. The third longest on the continent, it rises in Guinea near the Sierra Leone border and flows into Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea. It is 2,600 mi (4,183 sq km) long, and its middle course is… …   Universalium

  • Benue River — or Bénoué River River, western Africa. Rising in northern Cameroon (as the Bénoué), the river flows west across east central Nigeria (as the Benue). About 870 mi (1,400 km) long, it is the chief tributary of the Niger River and transports a… …   Universalium

  • Nigeria — Nigerian, adj., n. /nuy jear ee euh/, n. a republic in W Africa: member of the Commonwealth of Nations; formerly a British colony and protectorate. 107,129,469; 356,669 sq. mi. (923,773 sq. km). Cap.: Abuja. Official name, Federal Republic of… …   Universalium

  • Dadin Kowa Dam — Location Gombe State, Nigeria Coordinates 10°19′19″N …   Wikipedia

  • Bauchi State —   State   Nickname(s): Pearl of Tourism …   Wikipedia

  • Gombe — ▪ Nigeria       town and traditional emirate, southeastern Gombe state, northeastern Nigeria. Gombe emirate was founded in 1804 by Buba Yero (Abubakar), a follower of the Muslim Fulani leader Usman dan Fodio. The emirate headquarters of Gambe was …   Universalium

  • Numan — ▪ Nigeria       town and port on the Benue River, Adamawa state, eastern Nigeria. It is located about 30 miles (50 km) from Yola, opposite the mouth of the Gongola River, which is the principal tributary of the Benue River. Numan is connected by… …   Universalium

  • Bauchi — ▪ Nigeria       town, capital of Bauchi state and traditional emirate, northeastern Nigeria. Bauchi town lies on the railroad from Maiduguri to Kafanchan (where it joins the line to Port Harcourt) and has road connections to Jos, Kano, and… …   Universalium

  • Yobe — ▪ state, Nigeria       state, northeastern Nigeria. It borders the Republic of Niger to the north and the Nigerian states of Borno to the east, Gombe to the southwest, Bauchi to the west, and Jigawa to the northwest. Yobe state was created in… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”