Mali is the African country that contains both the ancient city of Timbuktu and the Niger River’s inland delta.
The Inner Niger Delta is a vast seasonal wetland in central Mali. Rather than flowing directly through a conventional coastal delta, the Niger spreads across low-lying inland floodplains before narrowing again downstream. Seasonal flooding supports fishing, farming and grazing, making the delta an important livelihood zone in an otherwise dry region.
Timbuktu is located near the delta’s northern edge, where the Niger approaches the Sahara. Its strategic position helped it become a major center of trans-Saharan trade and Islamic scholarship. The city’s fame therefore reflects both human history and its location within a larger river-and-desert system.
This question differs from references to the Niger River’s source or mouth: the river rises in Guinea, crosses several West African countries, and reaches the Atlantic in Nigeria. Mali contains a major middle section and the inland delta.