Niger River

Across central Mali, Mali

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The Niger River flows across central Mali through the expansive Inner Niger Delta, also known as the Macina or Masina, a vast inland wetland spanning up to 30,000 square kilometers of lakes, channels, floodplains, and swamps in the semi-arid Sahel south of the Sahara Desert.

This seasonally flooded area, fed by upstream rains from Guinea and the Bani River confluence near Mopti, supports over a million people reliant on rice, pearl millet, cattle herding, and fishing, while serving as a critical bird sanctuary during wet seasons from September to December. 

Despite high evaporation and seepage losing much of its water—up to two-thirds of inflow—the delta's fertile black soils and grassy expanses sustain diverse ecosystems amid Mali's harsh climate, though climate change and reduced rainfall threaten its productivity.