Sokoto
Sokoto is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 12.69°, 5.90°
About Sokoto
The Sokoto River, (formerly known as Gulbi 'n Kebbi), is a river in north-west Nigeria and a tributary of the River Niger. The river's source is near Funtua in the south of Katsina State, some 275 kilometres (171 mi) in a straight line from Sokoto. It flows north-west passing Gusau in Zamfara State, where the Gusau Dam forms a reservoir that supplies the city with water.
Further downstream the river enters Sokoto State where it passes by Sokoto and is joined by the Rima River, then turning south and flowing through Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State. About 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Birnin Kebbi, it reaches its confluence with the Niger River.
The plains around the river are widely cultivated and the river used as a source of irrigation. The river is also an important means of transport. The Bakolori Dam, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) upstream from Sokoto, is a major reservoir on the Sokoto River. It has had significant impact on downstream floodplain cultivation.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Sokoto River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sokoto in Depth
General hydrology of Sokoto Basin
The Sokoto Bowl of northwestern Nigeria lies in the sub-Saharan Sudan belt of west Africa in a zone of savannah-type vegetation. Precipitation, averaging around 30 inches or 760 millimetres yearly in a significant part of the bowl, happens essentially in a wet season which endures from May to October. A delayed dry season reaching out from October to April is overwhelmed by dusty harmattan twists from the upper east. April and May are the most sizzling months, when temperatures every so often reach 105 °F or 40.6 °C. Stream in surges of the Sokoto Bowl is for the most part overland spillover. Just in a couple of compasses, took care of by ground-water release from the sedimentary rocks, are streams enduring.
Climate
One of the hottest cities in Nigeria is Sokoto, with average temperature of 28.3 °C (82.9 °F), the daytime temperatures are most of the year generally under 40 °C (104.0 °F), the months that are slightly warm are February to April where the temperature is under 40 °C (104.0 °F).
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Sokoto River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sokoto: Key Facts
| Length | 600 km |
|---|---|
| Mouth | Niger River |
| Drainage system | Niger basin |
| Tributaries | Rima River, Gaminda |
Facts from Wikidata Q2092438 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Sokoto: Quick Answers
- Where is Sokoto?
- Sokoto is located in Nigeria, at 12.6920° N, 5.9047° E.
- Are there dams on the Sokoto?
- No dam on the Sokoto is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.