Senegal River

The river starts in highlands far inland.

Two rivers join together. Then the river flows west, all the way to the ocean.

The Bafing begins in the Fouta Djallon, highlands in Guinea, where FAO gives the source's height as about 1,200 meters. At Bafoulabé in Mali it meets the Bakoye, and from there the joined river is called the Senegal. Other rivers, such as the Falémé and the Gorgol, add more water on the way.

When the rains come, the river rises and spreads over its floodplain. In 1975, FAO described a flood season from August to November, highest in September.

FAO's 1975 data sheet places the source (the Bafing, in the Fouta Djallon) at about 1,200 m and records a flood regime of August to November with a September maximum: in the rains the river overflowed downstream of Bakel across about 1,300,000 ha, of which about 1,200,000 ha were dry at low water. Its listed discharge at the mouth was 5,000 m³/s for a 100-year flood.

All of these FAO figures date from its 1975 report.

Near the sea, the river spreads into lakes, streams and ponds.

Pelicans, herons and spoonbills come there in huge numbers.

In the Senegal River delta, the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary protects about 16,000 hectares of wetland: a large lake surrounded by streams, ponds and backwaters. UNESCO says it shelters more than 1.5 million birds.

For many migrating birds, Djoudj is their first stop after crossing the Sahara. White pelicans, purple herons, African spoonbills and great egrets nest there, and crocodiles and manatees live in its waters.

UNESCO's World Heritage listing (1981) describes Djoudj as a wetland of about 16,000 ha with more than 1.5 million birds of 365 species, including over 120 species of Palaearctic migrants, and calls it 'an oasis in the desert': a chain of lakes, backwaters, fords and sandbanks that is the first migration stopover after the Sahara for Palaearctic and Afrotropical birds.

Nesting species include the white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), purple heron, African spoonbill, great egret, night heron and cormorant, and the property holds large populations of crocodiles and manatees.

Many kinds of fish swim in the river and its branches.

In 1975, people along the river caught many fish.

FAO's 1975 survey counted 54 kinds of fish in just two of the river's branches, the Baoulé and the Bakoye. Fishing was important along the river then: Mauritania and Senegal together caught 28,000 to 40,000 tonnes of fish a year.

In northern Senegal lies Lake Guiers, which FAO described as filled and emptied through a channel joined to the Senegal River.

FAO's 1975 data sheet cites 54 fish species in the Baoulé and Bakoye rivers (Daget, 1961) and a total annual catch of 28,000-40,000 t (Mauritania 13,000-15,000 t; Senegal 15,000-25,000 t).

It describes Lake Guiers in northern Senegal (170 km², about 70 km long, 3.5 m deep at most) as having no inflowing river: it fills and empties through the Tawey channel, which connects it to the Senegal River.

The river looks calm, but rivers can be deep and strong.

Wear a life jacket on a boat, and stay close to your grown-up.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says life jackets lower the risk of drowning while boating, for people of all ages and swimming abilities, and that children should wear them for all activities in and around natural water.

Grown-ups should watch children closely near water, even when lifeguards are there.

The CDC advises that life jackets reduce the risk of drowning while boating for people of all ages and swimming abilities, that children should use them for all activities in and around natural water, and that air-filled or foam toys are not safety devices. Adults should supervise children closely, even when lifeguards are present.

In Djoudj, UNESCO notes, no exploitation is permitted except for scientific purposes, and the park works with an inter-village committee and community eco-guards.