1. Earthshots
  2. Inland Delta of the Niger River, Mali
  3. Northern Delta
Description

In the northern portion of the delta, channels fill in between sand dunes during the flood season. Temporary lakes also fill during high floods. The water reaching these lakes is not returned to the river as flood waters recede.

The north receives far less precipitation than the southern portion. The mean annual precipitation there is just 200 mm (7.9 inches).

(Black stripes run through the 2011 image because of the Scan Line Corrector failure on Landsat 7 in May 2003.)

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

Nov. 10, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Nov. 10, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Nov. 28, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Nov. 28, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Dec. 4, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Dec. 4, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Nov. 29, 2011, Landsat 7 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Nov. 29, 2011, Landsat 7 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Oct. 28, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Oct. 28, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Nov. 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Nov. 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Nov. 10, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Nov. 28, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Dec. 4, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Nov. 29, 2011, Landsat 7 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Oct. 28, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Nov. 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/49) — Northern Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Inland Delta of the Niger River, Mali Additional Imagery & Stories

Annual Change
Annual Change

In the flooded season, this part of Mali’s landscape stands out as bright green against the arid brown African Sahel. The Niger River and the Inland D...

Mopti
Mopti

The busy port city Mopti is located at the confluence of the Niger and Bani Rivers. It is a crossroads of trade between the north and south. Farming i...

Seasonal Flooding
Seasonal Flooding

During the flood season, the delta can grow to 20,000 square kilometers (7,700 square miles). During the dry season, it can shrink to 3,900 square kil...

Southern Delta
Southern Delta

The Inland Niger Delta lies in the transition between a seasonally wet-and-dry climate in the south and a mostly dry climate at the edge of the Sahara...