River · Eritrea
Barka River
Barka River is the longest river of Eritrea. It gathers rain on the central highlands, runs north-west through dry country and ends in a wide delta near Tokar in neighbouring Sudan.
Where is the Barka River?
The river starts here: highlands of central Eritrea.
It ends in the a delta near Tokar in Sudan.
Countries on the river: Eritrea.
The story behind it
For most of the year the Barka looks like a road of pale sand rather than a river. Then the summer rains arrive in the highlands, and within hours a brown flood roars down the valley, carrying branches, stones and soil. Herders know these floods well and move their camels and goats to higher ground in good time. When the water sinks away again, families dig shallow holes in the sandy bed and reach the hidden water underneath, which is enough for gardens of sorghum, beans and melons. Because the river is dry for months and changes its bed after every flood, maps and books do not agree on its exact length or course. Near Tokar in Sudan it spreads into a delta where cotton has been grown for a long time.
Questions children ask
How long is the Barka River?
The Barka is given as about 640 km long. The figure is only approximate, because the river dries out and shifts its sandy bed after strong floods.
Through which countries does the Barka flow?
Where does the Barka River end?
It ends in a wide delta near the town of Tokar in Sudan, not far from the Red Sea. In dry years much of the water soaks away before it gets there.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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