Mungo Park was a Scottish explorer who is historically remembered for his expeditions along the River Niger in West Africa. He undertook two major journeys to trace the course of the Niger: his first expedition in 1795-1797, during which he became one of the first Europeans to reach the Niger and confirm that it flowed eastward, and his second expedition in 1805, during which he attempted to follow the river to its mouth but perished along the way.
The River Niger was at the time largely unknown to Europeans, and Park's explorations provided crucial geographical knowledge about the river's course and the surrounding regions. His published account, Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa (1799), became one of the most important works of African exploration literature.
The other rivers listed were explored or documented by different figures. The River Congo was famously explored by Henry Morton Stanley, the River Nile's source was sought by explorers such as John Hanning Speke and Richard Burton, and the River Benue was explored by Heinrich Barth and others. Mungo Park's name is specifically and definitively linked to the River Niger.