The Benue River is the major tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Niger River

Niger River

The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...

. The river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 is approximately 1,400 km long and is almost entirely navigable during the summer months. As a result, it is an important transportation route in the regions through which it flows.

It rises in the Adamawa Plateau

Adamawa Plateau

The Adamawa Plateau is a plateau region in west-central Africa stretching from south-eastern Nigeria through north-central Cameroon to the Central African Republic. The plateau was named after Fulani Muslim leader Modibo Adama. The part of the plateau that lies in Nigeria is more popularly known...

 of northern Cameroon

Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

, from where it flows west, and through the town of Garoua

Garoua

Garoua is the capital of the North Province of Cameroon, lying on the Benue River. The city had 235,996 inhabitants at the 2005 Census, and is an important river port.- Overview :...

 and Lagdo Reservoir

Lagdo Reservoir

Lagdo Reservoir is a lake located in the Northern Province of Cameroon. The lake covers an area of 586 km². It is located at .The Lagdo dam was built between 1977 and 1982 by a combination of engineers and Chinese workers, along with Cameroonian laborers. The company that managed the construction...

, into Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

 south of the Mandara mountains

Mandara Mountains

The Mandara Mountains are a volcanic range extending about 200km along the northern part of the Cameroon-Nigeria border, from the Benue River in the south to the north-west of Maroua in the north . The highest elevation is 1,494 m , the summit of Mount Oupay .The region is densely populated,...

, and through Jimeta

Jimeta

Jimeta is a town in Adamawa State, Nigeria. The town's population was 73,080 as of 1991. The elevation of Jimeta is 135 m, and it lies along the Benue River....

, Ibi

Ibi, Nigeria

Ibi is a town and administrative district in Taraba State, Nigeria. The town is located on the south bank of the Benue River, opposite the influx of the much smaller Shemankar River...

 and Makurdi

Makurdi

Makurdi is the capital of Benue State in Nigeria. The city is located in central Nigeria along the Benue river bank and was the base for the Nigerian Air Force's MiG 21 and SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft squadrons...

 before meeting the Niger at Lokoja

Lokoja

Lokoja is the capital city of Kogi State, in central Nigeria, and is a port on Niger River.-History:Founded by William Balfour Baikie according to European historical records, although there have been indigenous people living in the area for thousands of years...

.

The river's largest tributary is the Mayo Kébbi

Mayo Kébbi

The Mayo Kébbi is a river in Central and West Africa. The river rises in Chad, then flows west into the Bénoué River. Mayo-Kébbi Prefecture in Chad is named for it. The Mayo Kébbi is the major outlet for Lake Fianga, shared between Cameroon and Chad....

, which connects it with the Logone River (part of the Lake Chad

Lake Chad

Lake Chad is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Africa, whose size has varied over the centuries. According to the Global Resource Information Database of the United Nations Environment Programme, it shrank as much as 95% from about 1963 to 1998; yet it also states that "the 2007 ...

 system) during floods. Other tributaries are Taraba River

Taraba River

The Taraba River is a river in Taraba State, Nigeria, a tributary of the Benue River.The major towns along the River Taraba are Sert-Baruwa, Sarki Ruwa, Karamti, Jamtari, Gangumi, Gayam and Bali LGA. The major economic activities on the river are fishing, farming of rice, yam, groundnut.the major...

 and River Katsina Ala

River Katsina Ala

River Katsina Ala is a river in central Nigeria.It serves as a major tributary of the River Benue in Nigeria. The source of the river is found on the Bamenda highlands in northwestern Cameroon...

.

Possible impact of Benue River on lake Chad Basin.

Recent studies on the lower Niger River indicate that Benue River is increasing in river discharge. The results of the data collected from the annual river discharge at the Makurdi HYCOS station from 1960 to 2010 shows a strong correlation between annual discharge and yearly duration.

Therefore, from the recent trend in increase in flood discharge this could be harnessed for development of water resources in Nigeria and Chad . However, since the increase of river discharge in the Benue River Basin is significant it may have an impact on the reducing water level in Lake Chad.