Majestic River: Mungo Park and the Exploration of the Niger

One of the greatest stories of world exploration ever told.

By the late eighteenth century, the river Niger was a 2,000—year—old two—part geographical problem. Solving it would advance European knowledge of Africa, provide a route to commercial opportunity and help eradicate the evil of slavery.

Mungo Park achieved lasting fame in 1796 by solving the first part of the Niger problem – which way did the river run? Park died in 1806, in circumstances which are still uncertain, in failing to solv...