Gambia River . It is one of the largest rivers in West Africa . It has 1,130 kilometers from its source in the Futa Yallon Mountains in northern Guinea , to its mouth in the city of Banjul on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean . Half of its route is navigable.
The river crosses the entire territory of The Gambia , the smallest country in continental Africa, which occupies half of the lower reaches of the river and its two banks.
Summary
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- 1 Course
- 2 tributaries
- 3 History
- 4 Flora and fauna
- 5 Related Articles
- 6 Sources
Course
The Gambia River is born in the Futa Yallon Mountains in Guinea , and flows northwest into the Senegalese province of Tambacounda , where it bathes the Niokolo-Koba National Park ; and then enter the territory of the Gambia . From this point on, the river flows in a westerly direction, in a meandering path, reaching a width of ten kilometers at its mouth. Near the mouth is James Island , used as a port of departure for the slave trade that is currently declared by Unesco as a World Heritage Site .
From its source to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gambia travels a little over 480 km if considered in a straight line, but the sinuous course of its course makes its length approach 1,130 kilometers.
Tributaries
Its tributaries are: the Nieri Ko River and the Koulountou River .
History
The Gambia River met the Carthaginians in the 5th century BC, and the area subsequently became part of several African empires.
The first settlers of the Gambia River lived by hunting and fishing, they believed in natural forces and worshiped them. Many came from present-day Senegal attracted by the coast, conducive to navigation and trade, settling along the river, practicing subsistence agriculture.
For a long time it was the only major commercial artery in The Gambia . It was discovered by Portuguese sailors in 1446 and was explored in 1455 by the Venetian navigator Alvise da Ca’da Mosto .
The river that crosses the entire territory of the Gambia, along 500 kilometers, is what gives a good part of the geographical personality to this small country.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation in the Gambia River presents a dense landscape of mangroves and reed beds ; while the lower areas of fresh water, inland, are covered with Tropical Forests . Among the trees, the following stand out: the flat-topped acacia , the silk cotton tree that produces “kapok”, the palm tree (such as the oil palm and the coconut tree ), the Flamboyan , the kola nut tree and the baobab . As for fauna , (depending on the course of the river) crocodiles of the Nile , hippos , warthogs ,antelopes , monkeys , baboons and chimpanzees . There are also snakes , lizards (such as the great monitor lizard ), lizards, and turtles ; as well as 100 species of butterflies
