Fishermen on the Niger, in Niamey. The Niger extends 4,180km from its source in Guinea, in a crescent through West Africa before discharging into the Gulf of Guinea through a massive delta in Nigeria
THE POWER OF WATER
Glance at a map of Africa and, with the exception of the damp, lush rainforest zone of the Congo Basin, it is largely an arid land. It’s not surprising that the continent’s waterways — from permanent rivers and lakes to seasonal wetlands — are often the focus of life: magnets to biodiversity, hubs of humanity. Rivers have become life-sustaining arteries for the growth and expansion of numerous African cities, from Cairo to Kinshasa.