The Location Of River Nile
The Nile River is situated in the African continent. Usually, Egypt is the first name that comes to many people’s minds when they hear the name River Nile; however, the river is much longer than that, spanning 11 countries on the continent.
The Length Of River Nile
At one time in history, many people understood the Nile River to be the longest river globally, with a length of 6,695 km. Nonetheless, modern studies have established that the Amazon River in South America is slightly longer than the river Nile.
In addition, there have been varying arguments about the real origin of the Nile (implying the source of the Nile). Many people now agree that the furthermost distance from River Nile’s mouth is the little streams in Burundi that pour into Lake Victoria.
The River Nile can be divided into three separate parts:
- The White Nile is one of the tributaries of the Nile River, implying that it feeds into the major River Nile. It begins from Lake Victoria.
- The Blue Nile – This is another Nile tributary and begins flowing from Lake Tana in Ethiopia country.
- The White Nile and the Blue Nile converge to form the main Nile River in Sudan.
- General Features Of River Nile
The Nile River begins to flow from the south to the north. It begins from the highlands and flows down the hill heading to the north, heading for the Mediterranean Sea.
Numerous waterfalls, like the Murchison Falls in Uganda and the Blue Niles in Ethiopia, characterize the River Nile.
Once the Blue and White Nile converge in Sudan, the main Nile River features six rapids known as cataracts.
After the River Nile reaches Cairo, Egypt’s capital city, it lacks enough flow momentum to carry any sediments. This sediment is deposited on the river’s bed and eventually creates a form of land mass known as a delta. For example, the Nile Delta is a V-shaped land mass located at the mouth of the Nile River. If you are going to Egypt soon or going on a Nile cruise and looking for somewhere to stay I recommend serenity fun city.
The Significance Of The River Nile
About 300 million depend on the River Nile as a source of their livelihood. For example, in Egypt alone, about 95% of the country’s population (about 102 million people) live near the banks of the River Nile and use its waters for farming, drinking, washing, and numerous other needs.
The Nile Delta is one of the most fertile areas in Egypt, mainly because of the sediments deposited in that area. For this reason, many of the biggest and most vibrant cities and towns in Egypt have grown near the delta. More specifically, almost half of the population in Egypt lives in the delta area. If the River Nile were not there, Egypt would only be a desert, completely lacking conditions that support human settlement in the country.
How The Ancient Egyptians Benefited From The Nile River
River Nile was one of the most important drivers of civilization in ancient Egypt, which set the country on course to become one of the most civilized countries in the world at that time. A majority of the historical sites in Ancient Egypt are found near the banks of the River Nile.
The ancient Egyptians relied on the waters from River Nile for farming, drinking, animal keeping, washing, transportation, cooking, and fulfilling numerous other needs.
The Nile River could flood at least every year between June and September. Once the flooding water had returned to the river, it left behind a thick layer of fertile mud, which was the perfect ground for crop cultivation. These annual floods made it possible for ancient Egypt to become food secure and power itself to civilization.
The Current State Of The River Nile
After the construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1970, the River Nile ceased to flood every year as expected. The goal of the dam was to control the annual flooding of the Nile and achieve a more consistent water supply. In the past, flooding of the River Nile provided water for growing crops. However, when there was no water, crop cultivation became nearly impossible.
