WHAT IS A DELTA?

“A delta is an area of low, flat land shaped like a triangle where a river splits and spreads out into several branches before entering the sea.”

There are over 50 countries in the world that have deltas.

“The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria.”

“It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include all six states from the South South geopolitical zone, one state (Ondo) from the South West geopolitical zone, and two states (Abia and Imo) from the Southeast geopolitical zone.”

In 1991, a political Niger Delta state comprised of various ethnic groups was created out of the entire Nigerian Niger Delta.

Niger Delta is therefore not only the states designated as such in Nigeria but more, as the map below shows.

Niger Delta is therefore not a tribe. It is a vast, low-lying region through which the waters of the Niger River drain into the Gulf of Guinea.

NB: The last (3rd) map is that of the political Delta state while 1st and 2nd maps are that of the Nigerian Niger Delta.

Angelo Chidi Unegbu
Angelo Chidi Unegbu
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