Geba River
| Geba | |
|---|---|
 Geba River in Guinea-Bissau | |
 Map of Senegal, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau with the catchment area of Geba (light green) | |
| Location | |
| Countries | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Fouta Djallon highlands, Guinea |
| Mouth | |
• location | Atlantic Ocean |
• coordinates | 11°43′20″N 15°38′40″W / 11.72222°N 15.64444°W |
| Length | 550 km (340 mi)[citation needed] |
Basin size | 12,440 km2 (4,800 mi2)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Geba River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Bidigor, Colufe, Undauma |
| • right | Anambé |
The Geba (French: Rivière Geba, Portuguese: Rio Geba) is a river in West Africa. It flows for approximately 550 kilometres (340 mi) through Guinea, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau. It is also called the Kayanga in Senegal.
Geography
[edit]Route
[edit]The Geba rises in the northernmost area of Guinea in the Fouta Djallon highlands, passes through southern Senegal, and reaches the Atlantic Ocean in Guinea-Bissau. It is about 550 kilometres (340 mi) in total length.[2]
It is largely a lowland river, with a higher flow during the rainy season (from June to October). The areas around the lower reaches of the river are floodplains surrounded by savanna and forest, with a high population density based around subsistence farming.[3]: 162
The mouth of the Geba is a wide tidal estuary that is shared with the Corubal River.[4] The tidal range can be as high as 7 metres (23 ft) within the estuary (also called the Geba Channel).[5]
Its tributaries include the Anambe, Gambiel, and Campossa (or Colufe) rivers. The Colufe River joins the Geba at Bafatá. The Geba shares a broad estuary with the Corubal River (which it joins near Xime). Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau is located along the north shore of this estuary. The estuary widens further as the river flows into the Atlantic around the Bijagós Islands archipelago.[6][7][8]
Watershed
[edit]The Geba watershed covers approximately 12,000 square kilometres (4,600 sq mi). 65% of the watershed is in Guinea-Bissau, 34% in Senegal, and the small remainder is in the northern corner of Guinea.[citation needed]
The Geba, along with the Corubal River, drains the Bafatá Plateau. It also drains the Gabú Plain, along with the Farim River (also known as the Cacheu River), and their tributaries.[9]
Economy
[edit]The Geba has long been an important trade route connecting into the interior; it is accessible to 2,000-ton ships some 140 kilometres (87 mi) in, and shallow-draft vessels even further.[citation needed]
The town of Geba, located along the navigable portion of the river, served as a major trading post. It connected Soninke, Mandé, Kaabu, and Biafada trading routes. Geba was involved in the Atlantic slave trade. Kola nuts, metals, and ivory were also traded there.[10]
References
[edit]- ↑ Sambou, Saly; Dacosta, Honoré; Paturel, Jean-Emmanuel (2018). "Variabilité spatio-temporelle des pluies de 1932 à 2014 dans le bassin versant du fleuve Kayanga/Gêba (République de Guinée, Sénégal, Guinée-Bissau)". Physio-Géo (in French). 12: 61–78. doi:10.4000/physio-geo.5798. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ↑ "Golden Sediments from Geba River, Guinea Bissau". Earth Snapshot. Chelys. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ↑ Zúquete, Sara Tudela; Coelho, João; Rosa, Fernanda; Vaz, Yolanda; Cassamá, Bernardo; Padre, Ludovina; Santos, Dulce; Basto, Afonso P.; Leitão, Alexandre (January 2017). "Tick (Acari: Ixodidae) infestations in cattle along Geba River basin in Guinea-Bissau" (PDF). Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. 8 (1): 161–169. doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.10.013. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ↑ Sambou, Saly; Dacosta, Honore; Diouf, Rene Ndimag; Diouf, Ibrahima; Kane, Alioune (16 September 2020). "Hydropluviometric variability in non-Sahelian West Africa: case of the Koliba/Corubal River Basin (Guinea and Guinea-Bissau)". Proceedings of IAHS. 383. Copernicus GmbH: 171–183. doi:10.5194/piahs-383-171-2020. hdl:11343/281039. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ↑ Dièye, Arame; Marchesiello, Patrick; Sow, Bamol Ali; Dieng, Habib Boubacar; Thuan, Duong Hai; Descroix, Luc (August 2025). "Tidal amplification and distortion in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 320. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109318.
- ↑ Patel, Kasha (18 June 2018). "The Meandering Estuaries of Guinea–Bissau - NASA Science". NASA Science. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ↑ Campredon, Pierre; Catry, Paulo (2016). "Bijagos Archipelago (Guinea-Bissau)". The Wetland Book. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 1–8. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6173-5_158-1.
- ↑ Brown, Ashley; Thieme, Michele. "Northern Upper Guinea". Freshwater Ecoregions of the World. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ↑ Pélissier, René. "Guinea-Bissau". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ↑ Havik, Philip J. (2007). "The Port of Geba: at the crossroads of Afro-Atlantic trade and culture". Mande Studies. 9 (1): 21–50. doi:10.2979/mnd.2007.a873447. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
Further reading
[edit]- Salif Diop, La côte ouest-africaine. Du Saloum (Sénégal) à la Mellacorée (Rép. de Guinée), ORSTOM, Paris, 1990, p. 380
