United Ijaw States

The Niger River Delta, one of the largest and beautiful deltas in the world, is the largest delta in Africa, and it covers approximately 14,000 square miles (36,260 square kilometers). Its origination is in the highlands of the Fouta Djallon Plateau in western Guinea 150 miles (240 kilometers) from the Atlantic Ocean.

       
The Niger River is Africa’s third longest river covering approximately 2,600 miles or 4185 kilometers. It flows northeast into Mali. In central Mali, the Niger forms a vast inland delta, a maze of channels and shallow lakes. Just below Timbuktu, the Niger bends, flowing first east, then southeast from Mali through the Republic of Niger, and finally into Nigeria.

At Lokoja in central Nigeria, the Niger is joined by its chief tributary, the Benue. The Niger then travels south 250 miles or 400 kilometers, becoming a great  fan shaped delta before emptying into the Gulf of Guinea. It is this delta that the Ijaws have called home for over 7,000 years.

The Niger Delta covers an area of about 70,000 square kilometer, and is spread across eight of the 36 Nigerian states. These are Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Abia and Imo. It is endowed with immense natural resources, particularly crude oil. The process of the formation of the present Delta started about 75,000 years ago and over the centuries, accumulation of sedimentary deposits washed down the Rivers Niger and Benue resulted in the vast flood plain there is today.