These seasons, each consisting of four months of thirty days each, were called Akhet, Peret, and Shemu. Nile River - Nile River - Source, Delta, Length: It is thought that approximately 30 million years ago the early Nile, then a much shorter stream, had its sources at about 18 to 20 N latitude. Two start in Burundi: the Ruvyironza River (also known as the Luvironza) and the Rurubu River. Equally impressive is that this 4,258-miles-long Nile River meanders through 11 African countries on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. Bamboo is an important source of food for herbivore animals and building material for humans. At its widest point, the river measure 1.7 miles. The existing Nile has five earlier phases; Flowing north from the Ethiopian Highlands, satellite imagery was used to identify dry watercourses in the desert to the west of the Nile. Their journey of over 5,000 kilometres (3,100mi) took five months. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. The Nile River begins south of the Equator, flowing out of the large Lake Victoria, which is bordered by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The Nile River is approximately 4,100 miles long and was historically thought to be the longest river in the world. The growth of the current Sahara began about 6,000, conquest of the northern and central Sudan, "Pinpointing the sources and measuring the lengths of the principal rivers of the world", Amazon Longer Than Nile River, Scientists Say, "The Quest for Cooperation in the Nile Water Conflicts: A Case for Eritrea", "What's the Blue Nile and the White Nile? [21] Another may be Nymphaea caerulea, known as "The Sacred Blue Lily of the Nile", which was found scattered over Tutankhamun's corpse when it was excavated in 1922. by Elizabeth Howell, Universe Today The Amazon River near Lago do Erepecu (north of this image) in 2014. Credit: NASA The Amazon River is. The Nile is also a vital waterway for the transport of people and goods. The Mellut Basin is nearly 12 kilometers (7.5mi) deep at its central part. ", "Irrigation Management Transfer: Development and Turnover to Private Water User Associations in Egypt", "The Nile Basins |volume 1 The Hydrology of the Blue Nile and Akbara and the Main Nile to Aswan, with some Reference to the Projects Nile control Dept. The second part flows for about 80 kilometers over five cataracts before reaching Sabaloka, the sixth and highest cataract. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Different plant zones exist along the Nile River, including tropical forests near the Nile-Congo divide. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Nile has been the lifeline of civilization in Egypt since the Stone Age, with most of the population and all of the cities of Egypt developing along those parts of the Nile valley lying north of Aswan. The Nile River also flows north through these African countries: Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Burundi, and finally Egypt. The thickness of the silts varies between 50 and 70 feet and contains Africas most fertile soil. [5][6] Of the world's major rivers, the Nile is one of the smallest, as measured by annual flow in cubic metres of water. It originates near the equator and flows nearly 7000 km northward. 692699. It begins in the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria (located in modern-day Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya), and empties into the Mediterranean Sea more than 6,600 kilometers (4,100 miles) to the north, making it one of the longest river in the world. Awange is referring to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), currently under construction on the Blue Nile. 5. The River Nile, known as the father of the African River, is Africa and the world's longest river, stretching approximately 6,650 kilometers from its sources (Blue and White Nile) to the mouth at the Mediterranean Sea. When complete, the GERD will be the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa and one of the largest in the world. The river joins Bahr el Ghazal at Lake One to form the White Nile, then continuous northwards into the neighboring Sudan, where it merges with the Blue Nile to form the Nile River. The Yellow Nile is a former tributary that connected the Ouadda highlands of eastern Chad to the Nile River Valley c. 8000 to c. 1000 BCE. These tropical forests contain tropical plants such as rubber, ebony, bamboo, and coffee shrubs. The remainder of the basin experiences a desert-like climate, characterized by a dry atmosphere, high-temperature variations, and little to no rainfall. Its three main tributaries are the White Nile, the Blue Nile, and the Atbara. Each year, the Ancient Egyptian people eagerly awaited and thanked the gods for the life-giving floods. The Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching north for approximately 4,000 miles from East Africa to the Mediterranean. She has also written 14 science chapter books and numerous teacher resource books for the elementary classroom. A New Dam Threatens That", "Egypt and Thirsty Neighbors Are at Odds Over Nile", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nile&oldid=1164890953, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, i) the Upper Miocenian Eonile, of about 6 million years, ii) the Upper Pliocenian Paleonile, commencing about 3.32 million years BP, and during the. [63] The connection of the different Niles occurred during cyclic wet periods. Allan, for the Ministry of Hydro-power of Sudan, during 195557[79][80][81] Morrice was their hydrological adviser, and Allan his predecessor. 4 How many miles wide is Egypt? Cambridge University Press. Akhet, which means inundation, was the time of the year when the Nile flooded, leaving several layers of fertile soil behind, aiding in agricultural growth. From Khartoum, the Nile flows in two distinct parts. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. The Nile River was central to the Ancient Egyptians rise to wealth and power. Controversy has surrounded the project since its beginning in 2011 as downstream nations rely heavily on the Nile's waters for their drinking water, agriculture and industrial needs. Before the placement of dams on the river the yearly discharge varied by a factor of 15 at Aswan. From the canyon, the river flows northwestwards to the border between Ethiopia and Sudan. Resource ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY Nile River The Nile River flows over 6,600 kilometers (4,100 miles) until emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. From Lake Tana, the Blue Nile flows for about 30 kilometers southwards and enters into a 400-km long Grand Canyon of the Nile. It rises south of the Equator and flows northward through northeastern Africa to drain into the Mediterranean Sea. The flow rate of the Bahr al Jabal at Mongalla is almost constant throughout the year and averages 1,048m3/s (37,000cuft/s). Yes, the Nile Is the Longest River in the World | Far & Wide Common vegetations on these plains include reedmace, papyrus, water hyacinth, and water lettuce. [82] From the 70 incidents of drought which took place between 1900 and 2012, 55 incidents took place in Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania. [ad_1] From Historic Egypt to modern instances, the fertile banking companies of the Nile have been the house to a lot of remarkable civilizations. The course of the Nile in Sudan is distinctive. What is the width of the Nile river? The river has a maximum width of 2.8 kilometers and an average depth of 8-11 meters. National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. Author of, Emeritus Fellow of Keble College, Oxford; former Lecturer in Geography, University of Oxford. Nile River Facts | Africa Facts The first use of the Nile for irrigation in Egypt began when seeds were sown in the mud left after its annual floodwaters had subsided. During the dry season the natural discharge of the Blue Nile can be as low as 113m3/s (4,000cuft/s), although upstream dams regulate the flow of the river. From here it meets with the Sobat River at Malakal. Its dark black eyes are surrounded by yellow rings. Morrice and W.N. [2] In Luganda the river is called Kiira or Kiyira. iii) Proto-Nile, commencing about 600,000 years BP. [44] Ninety percent of the water and ninety-six percent of the transported sediment carried by the Nile[45] originates in Ethiopia, with fifty-nine percent of the water from the Blue Nile (the rest being from the Tekez, Atbarah, Sobat, and small tributaries). Map of Nile The Nile River flows away from the equator, from south to north. [65] Peret was the growing season, and Shemu, the last season, was the harvest season when there were no rains.[65]. Two principal tributaries combine to form the Nile River; the White Nile and the Blue Nile. [86], The White Nile Expedition, led by South African national Hendrik Coetzee, navigated the White Nile's entire length of approximately 3,700 kilometres (2,300mi). Considered the widest river in the world, the Amazon has a maximum . The Blue Nile Expedition, led by geologist Pasquale Scaturro and his partner, kayaker and documentary filmmaker Gordon Brown became the first known people to descend the entire Blue Nile, from Lake Tana in Ethiopia to the beaches of Alexandria on the Mediterranean. The Nile River is 1.7 miles wide at its widest point at Edfu, and this African giant is the second-longest river on earth. The Nile River flows over 6,600 kilometers (4,100 miles) until emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile was not only the source of life for the ancient Egyptians, but is still so today for the millions of people living along its banks. The Lates niloticus is a freshwater fish that is found in much of the Afrotropic ecozone including the Nile river system. According to the United States Geological Survey, the Nile is about 100 miles longer than the Amazon. The Nile was much longer at that time, with its furthest headwaters in northern Zambia. 7 What was the Red land like in ancient Egypt? It is located just over 300 miles northwest of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Other major tributaries are the White and Blue Nile. Throughout this stretch the White Nile is a wide placid stream, often having a narrow fringe of swamps. [49] Its remains are known as the Wadi Howar. Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopias History-Changing Dam. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. The rivers water is at its lowest level in March. pp. The White Nile starts in equatorial East Africa, and the Blue Nile begins in Ethiopia. The Nile supports much of the population living along its banks, enabling Egyptians to live in otherwise inhospitable regions of the Sahara. The only ancient records available were those that the Egyptians made regarding the river's water levels. In 1970, the Aswan High Dam was built in Egypt to help regulate the Nile's flooding. Ancient Egyptians used the papyrus plant in many ways, such as making cloth, boxes, and rope, but by far its most important use was in making paper. More than half of the Nile's water is lost in this swamp to evaporation and transpiration. Egyptian civilization and Sudanese kingdoms have depended on the river and its annual flooding since ancient times. From Lake Victoria it flows, as the Victoria Nile, into Lake Albert, from which it emerges as the Albert Nile. After leaving the lake, it flows generally north through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt. Thus, the Niles periodic rise remained a mystery for the better of the 19th century until the role played by the tropical region on the rivers regime was discovered. The Ancient Egyptians also called the river Ar or Aur, which means "black," in reference to the black silt left behind after the yearly flooding. The expedition began at the White Nile's beginning at Lake Victoria in Uganda, on 17 January 2004 and arrived at the Mediterranean in Rosetta, four and a half months later.[87]. It begins at Lake Victoria and flows through Uganda and South Sudan. Today, the river continues to serve as a source of irrigation, as well as an important transportation and trade route. Lake Nasser stretches from northern Sudan (where it is known as Lake Nubia) into southern Egypt and is the worlds second-largest artificial lake. The Ancient Egyptians cultivated and traded wheat, flax, papyrus and other crops around the Nile. An overview is given by: Carles Mrcia (2006). The Nile is formed by three principal streams: the Blue Nile (Arabic: Al-Bar Al-Azraq; Amharic: Abay) and the Atbara (Arabic: Nahr Abarah), which flow from the highlands of Ethiopia, and the White Nile (Arabic: Al-Bar Al-Abyad), the headstreams of which flow into Lakes Victoria and Albert. The Nile River was extremely important to settlement patterns in Egypt. The water god Khnum, who ruled over all forms of water, even the lakes and rivers in the underworld, was believed to be in charge of the amount of silt that flooded the river banks every year. However, the Nile used to run much more westerly through what is now Wadi Hamim and Wadi al Maqar in Libya and flow into the Gulf of Sidra. In the ancient Egyptian language, the Nile is called 'p (Hapy) or Iteru, meaning "river". The Nile - The River Nile It flows over six groups of cataracts, from the sixth at Sabaloka just north of Khartoum northward to Abu Hamad. Hippos are only found in the Al-Sudd region. Nile River Nile River basin and its drainage network Nile River, Arabic Bar Al-Nl or Nahr Al-Nl, the longest river in the world, called the father of African rivers. The Delta begins approximately 20 km north of Cairo and extends North for about 150 km. In addition to Egypt, the Nile runs through or along the border of 10 other African countries, namely, Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. This trading system secured Egypt's diplomatic relationships with other countries and contributed to economic stability. While the White Nile contributes more during the drier season than the Blue Nile, the Blue Nile's discharge can drop to a low of 4626 cubic feet per second in the drier season. The East African lake region experiences tropical climates, characterized by well-distributed rainfall and little temperature variations. [2] From north to south the delta is approximately 160 km (100 mi) in length. The Nile River History - Luxor and Aswan This rift is possibly still active, with reported tectonic activity in its northern and southern boundaries. Recommendations were made to the Sudanese authorities. There is plenty of debate surrounding this, however, for many believe the Amazon River in South America might be longer. Visit our corporate site. However, the Blue Nile is the source of most of the water of the Nile downstream, containing 80% of the water and silt. Wrapped up in myths and intrigue, the Nile River is an agricultural oasis and resource of daily life to several who dwell in its vicinity.
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