Shari River: description and photo

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Africa is an amazing continent. It is fraught with many secrets and dangers. Scientists from all over the world come here to study its mysteries. Tourists visit the Black Continent to enjoy its unique flora and fauna. Nature has gathered all the best here: the tallest animals on earth live in Africa - giraffes, the largest animals on the planet - elephants, the largest birds in the world - ostriches.

Africa has its own geographical features. The climate is predominantly very hot, the relief is flat. I would like to pay special attention to the inland waters of the mainland, in particular rivers.

In this article we will talk about where the Shari River is located and provide complete information about this water stream.

Description

Shari is a river that flows in Central Africa. From the local language "shari" is translated as "flow". The reservoir has a wayward character. Over the past 30 years, it has alternately filled with water, then completely dried up.

The stream flows through the Central African Republic (CAR), touches the south of the country of Chad, flows along its border with Cameroon and flows from the south side into Lake Chad.

The length of the water flow is 1400 kilometers, the area occupies 650 thousand square meters. km, and 1159 m3/s is an indicatorwater consumption. The Shari River, as noted, is the basis of Lake Chad, as it brings 80–90% of the total volume of water into it. When the rainy season comes, the flow not only fills the lake, but can greatly flood the area inhabited by people.

The Shari River (Africa) begins its course from the southeast to the northwest. Along the course, a large number of tributaries flow into it. The main (left) - Logon, 1000 km long, other smaller ones - Bahr-Auk, Bahr-Salamat, Bahr-Keita, Bahr-Sarh.

The source of the Shari River is located at the confluence of the northern rivers - Uam, Bamingi and Gribingi.

A bit of history

Shari was discovered in 1823. It was discovered by the Europeans. This period came at a time when British explorers Hugh Clapperton, W alter Oudney and Dixon Denham were studying Lake Chad, where the river flows into. At that moment, it once again dried up, but on the northeastern side of the ancient Precambrian platform, scientists noticed a trace of a passing channel. It was from this discovery that the study of Shari began.

Meaning of the river

Most of the places inhabited by people, including the city of Sarkh and the capital of Chad, N'Djamena, are concentrated in the area of the Shari River. It is the most important drinking source, widely used for transport purposes and is the basis for irrigation of nearby agricultural lands. The Shari River is a local center for the development of the fishing industry. The Nile perch is the most valuable fish that lives in the river. Its reserves are still significant.

This heavy use has resulted in criticaldecrease in the volume of water flowing from the river into Lake Chad.

The need to build a dam

Due to the fact that the water level in the Shari River is decreasing every year, scientists are considering the implementation of a project that will focus on building a dam at Livingston Falls. It must combine all the water flows that flow into the full-flowing Congo River into one. Thanks to this, the Shari River, and, accordingly, Lake Chad, will be fully saturated with water. Also, this project will help increase their area, which will bring economic benefits to the region.

Also, scientists want to build an artificial canal called the New Nile from Lake Chad to the Mediterranean, which will breathe life into the desert African lands.

These projects have been considered since the 1970s, but no final decision has yet been made. Environmentalists do not give consent to the construction of a dam and a canal, indicating that this could destroy the natural ecosystem of the area.

Population

The Shari River is interesting for the tribes living on its banks. For example, Sir's unusual people. It is their tradition to insert plates into the lips of women. According to the men of the tribe, a woman with such a lip is a real beauty. When the Europeans came here, they thought it was very ugly, which saved the girls from slavery.

One cannot ignore the Sao people, who lived in the river valley from the 5th century BC. BC e. according to the 17th century It was they who, in the basin of the lower reaches of the Shari, built cities from adobehouses. Their main occupation was the manufacture of household items and ornaments from clay, including original sculptures and statues.