Nigeria and Niger take their names from the river. The people who live beside the river have many names for it, such as "Jeliba" or "Joliba" ("great river" in Manding), "Isa Ber" ("big river" in Songhay), "Oya," (a Yoruba River Niger goddess), and "Kworra" or "Quorra." The last name was the name that Europeans used for the lower part of the river before they knew that the upper and lower parts were connected.