Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 3.djvu/345

 direction in valleys of varying breadth, but everywhere skirted on the horizon by ranges or detached masses of hills and mountains. At many points the stream is over 1,000 yards wide, and here and there divided by islands into several branches. At the Niger confluence the intermingled grey and blackish currents present the aspect of a vast lake encircled by hills, and during the floods in August and September discharging probably over 1,000,000 cubic feet per second. From this point the united stream flows nearly due south for 230 miles to the head of the delta, which is still 60 miles from the coast. This extensive low-lying tract,

developing a remarkably symmetrical semicircle between the Benin and Brass estuaries, and intersected by countless channels, lagoons, marshes, and stagnant waters, has a coastline of about 210 miles, with a total area of 10,000 square miles.

At present the chief branch of the delta is the river Nun, which follows the main axis of the Niger, entering the sea at the southernmost point of this watery region. North-west of it flows the Benin, which gives its name to the