The Niger River
Nature, Honorable Mention prize stories
1984
The Niger river is a lifeline of more than 50 million people. The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about 4,180 km (2,600 mi). Its drainage basin is 2,117,700 km2 (817,600 sq mi) in area.[3] Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea. It runs in a crescent through Mali, Niger, on the border with Benin and then through Nigeria, discharging through a massive delta, known as the Niger Delta or the Oil Rivers, into the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa, exceeded only by the Nile and the Congo River (also known as the Zaïre River). Its main tributary is the Benue River.
Photo Credit: Dieter Blum
Dieter Blum began his career as a photographer at a young age. Since 1964 he has worked freelance for magazines such as Der Spiegel, Stern, Time, and Vanity fair. He became known to a wider public in particular through his images for a global advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes. For more than 20 years Blum has devoted his work to the themes of music, dance, and art.