Enjoy our range of interesting facts about the nile river. The river, fed by springs in the tunbridge wells sandstone strata, runs westwards before turning south at bucks green, where hard rocks give way to the wealden clay. It includes portions of tanzania, burundi, rwanda, zaire, kenya, uganda, ethiopia, the sudan, and egypt. The length of the nile river is approximately 6,850 kilometers 4,256 miles the nile is an international river as its water resources are shared by eleven countries, namely, tanzania, uganda, rwanda, burundi, congokinshasa, kenya, ethiopia, eritrea, south sudan, sudan. The nile rivers basin spans across the countries of egypt, sudan, south sudan, eritrea, ethiopia, kenya, the democratic republic of the congo, burundi, rwanda, uganda, and tanzania.
The modernday name nile comes from the greek word neilos, which means valley. The nile s two major tributaries, the white nile and the blue nile, meet at khartoum, sudan. The nile river basin water, agriculture, governance and livelihoods the nile is the worlds longest river and sustains the livelihoods of millions of people across ten countries in africa. Majestic bald cypress trees soared several hundred feet into the air. The significance of the nile can be traced backed to ancient egypt. The regime of the river nile in the hieroglyphics of ancient egyptian, the nile is. In this lesson, youll learn about the river and the ways that people use it. Water sharing in the nile river valley hcil umd university of. West nile virus infection can cause serious disease. The area of land that drains into it is a transboundary watershed.
It begins as 2 separate rivers, the blue nile and the white nile. The nile river flows from south to north through eastern africa. Egypts population has depended up the nile for thousands of years. The nile is an international river as its water resources are shared by eleven countries. The nile river has played an extremely important role in the civilization, life and history of the egyptian nation. The flooding of the nile was important for the ancient egyptians because a. River history fact sheet the hillsborough river history fact sheet 3 school district of hillsborough county summer 2000 revision in the late 1800s the valley of the hillsborough river was a land covered by a rich, oldgrowth forest.
How many countries does the river nile run through. It rises near daqwa, north of gondar in the amhara region, flowing west to join the atbarah river. You will see that the land is environment friendly on either side of the river nile. Journey down the nile river amazing egypt duration. This river has been important to africa for thousands of years and continues to be so today. The nile has a length of about 6,695 kilometers 4,160 miles its average discharge is 3. There are two major tributaries that feed the nile, the white nile and the blue nile. The river is distinguished from other great rivers of the world by the fact that half of. The modernday name nile comes from the greek word neilos, which means. Nile river definition, a river in e africa, the longest in the world, flowing n from lake victoria to the mediterranean. It begins in the rivers that flow into lake victoria located in modernday 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. The nile river runs for approximately 6650 kilometres 42 miles and is located in africa but also flows through parts of tanzania, burundi, rwanda, congo kinshasa and kenya. The nile basin is huge and includes parts of tanzania, burundi, rwanda, congo.
The ancient egyptians were probably familiar with the nile as far as khartoum, sudan, and with the blue nile as far as its source in lake tana, ethiopia, but they showed little or no interest in exploring the white nile. Hapi was believed as the god of nile river which played the most important role in constructing the egyptian civilization. Why was the river nile so important to the ancient egyptians. The cataracts of the nile are shallow stretches between aswan and khartoum where the waters surface is broken by numerous small boulders and stones that lie on the river bed, as well as many small rocky islets. One of the tributaries, the white nile is so named because of the light grey color of sediment carried in the water. Most experts consider it as the longest river in the world. West nile virus wnv fact sheet centers for disease. Today, the river continues to serve as a source of irrigation, as well as an important transportation and trade route. Indices of water quality and metal pollution of nile river. It is shaped like the lotus flower so often seen in ancient egyptian art. Odd and izzi think its important to learn about the river nile. Nile river basin the international water management institute. So grab your passport, suncream and shades, and check out our fascinating nile river facts.
Kenya, eritrea, congo, burundi, uganda, tanzania, rwanda, egypt, sudan, south sudan and ethiopia. Traditionally considered to be the longest river in the world, the nile passes through 11 different countries, including kenya, congo, sudan, uganda, and egypt, before it eventually drains into the mediterranean sea. The nile river watershed includes 10 different countries. The nile river basin is immense and occupies an area about onetenth of the continent of africa. The nile river is not only the longest river in africa, but its the longest river in the world. The river nile and ethiopias grand renaissance dam. One of the most well known river nile facts is the river s ability to produce extremely fertile soil, which made it easy for cities and civilizations to spring up alongside the banks of the nile. Most of the money and wealth that the ancient egyptians built was because of the nile river and the many skills they learned from it. This paper examines the significance of the nile for egypt and the. The nile river flows over 6,600 kilometers 4,100 miles until emptying into the mediterranean sea.
The wadi passes through gharb darfur near the northern border with chad and meets up with the nile near the southern point of the great bend. It has only 10% as much sediment as the nile because the nigers source is in very old rocks that have little silt. The river reemerges from lake albert as the albert nile and journeys northwards to nimule near the south sudanuganda border. The blue nile river starts from ethiopias lake tana and merges with the smaller tributory white nile at khartoum sudan to form the nile river. River history fact sheet9 university of south florida. River cararacts often go with a rapid downdrop of the river, the six first cataracts of the river nile were the main obstacles for boats sailing on the. In fact almost all agriculture in egypt depends on the river nile for. Despite the fact that some case studies are dealing with broad.
The nile river got its name from the greek word neilos which means valley. This fact sheet contains important information that can help you recognize and prevent west nile virus. Interesting facts about the nile river questions and answers. The nile river basins environmental resources and its water provide the basins diverse. The nile river flows north from the heart of africa to the mediterranean sea. It provides fresh water not only for domestic and industrial use,but also. It provided reeds called papyrus that grew along the. The greek historian herodotus, who visited egypt in 457 bce, traveled up the nile. The nile is the deepest, the widest and longest river in the whole african continent. While building their famous pyramids, ancient egyptians fused stone blocks along the nile with rafts and galleys. Generally, he was considered as the god of water and fertility.
The legacy of quaternary sediments and landforms on the valley. In 1843 it was decided to build a series of diversion dams barrages or weirs across the nile at the head of the delta about 12 miles downstream from cairo, so as to raise the level of water upstream to supply the irrigation canals and to regulate navigation. The nile river enters egypt at its southern boundary with sudan and runs through a narrow valley km long which varies from 2 to 20 km in width. Nile river facts for kids interesting facts about the nile. The nile is a major northflowing river in northeastern africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. The nile is located in northeast africa and flows through many different african countries including egypt, sudan, ethiopia, uganda, and burundi. The nile river is important because it provides egypt with irrigation, hydroelectric power, a steady water supply and rich soil. Dec 21, 2017 the nile river flows through the territory of ten countries. The nile has a length of about 6,695 kilometers 4,160 miles. The nile is the main source of fresh water in egypt.
The blue nile, locally known as abbay, is the major tributory of the great nile river the longest river in the world. Numerous introduced populations exist outside its natural range. Make a list of how people use the river nile today. They live near the nile river because it provided water, foods, and good soil forgrowing foodswhat else did the nile river provide for the ancient egyptian. Learn about where the nile river is located, its relationship to ancient egypt, how long it is, the agriculture it supports and more. It was a really important part of ancient egyptian life, where it gave them food, transport, building materials and more. It is also commercially known as mango fish, nilotica, or boulti. The nile basin covers nearly 10% of the landmass of the african continent, and is home to 160 million people. According to the author goro adachi, which many researchers have apparently discredited for his work, the big clue comes from sirius and orions alnitak, two of the prominent stars from the great pyramids staralignment scheme.
Nile river tourist attractions 35 amazing mustsee sites. The entire egyptian civilisation is a result of the river nile. Nile river history egypt nile river facts nile river. Most people actually associate the nile river with egypt, but only one fifth of the actual course of the river runs through that country. Nile river 10 interesting facts by cathrina koay on prezi. It was about 4,2 mileswhy did the egyptians live near the nile river. It is the africas longest river, reaching 4150 miles from the lakes that feed it and the streams that feed those lakes. General data on transboundary water sharing and on the nile river basin. When a river passes through multiple countries it is called a multinational relating to. It has two major tributaries the blue nile the source of most water and silt, and the white nile the headwaters. When a river passes through multiple countries it is called a multinational relating to many nations or countries river.
The blue nile meets up with the white nile near sudans capital city, khartoum. The fact that the nile unlike other great rivers known to themflowed from the south northward and was in flood at the warmest time of. The source of the nile is in the territory of the country of rwanda. The nile river is an international river that covers eleven countries including the republic of sudan, congo, kenya, and particularly egypt. An unusual feature of the river is the niger inland delta. It is over 4,000 miles long, which is even longer than the entire distance across the united states. Nilus, which probably originated from the semitic root na.
The nile river is a very large river in africa with an important history. Here is all info you need to know about nile river. For thousands of years, the river has provided a source of irrigation to transform the dry area around it into lush agricultural land. Geophysical exploration of the blue nile rift system estimated the depth of the. The nile is an international river as its water resources are shared by eleven countries, namely, tanzania, uganda, rwanda, burundi, congo. The only other river to flow north is the genessee river in the united states. It was believed that hapi actually was the name of nile river during the predynastic period in egypt.
The nile basin contains the longest river channel system. Since the ancient period, the civilization in sudanese kingdoms and egyptians kingdom flourished because of the river. People still use the water from the river nile to irrigate water their crops. The analyst would probably favour the yangtze, the romantic, the nile. The nile river is one of the most famous rivers in the world, and it was here that the civilization of ancient egypt was built, in northeast africa. It rises south of the equator and flows northward through northeastern africa to drain into the mediterranean sea.
Hhealthy waterealthy water eexplore the nilexplore the nile. The name nile is derived from the greek neilos latin. Ancient egypt geography the nile river when you think of ancient egypt, one of the first things that may come to mind is the nile river. This delta barrage scheme was not fully completed until 1861, after which it was. The three main tributaries, the white nile, the blue nile.
Nile river facts cool kid facts fun facts for kids. In fact white nile is called so because it appears white due to the. Pdf along the nile river and its tributaries, bank and gully erosion represent. The river nile is a major northflowing river in northeastern africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. Other sources believe that amazon river located in south america is the longest river in. It covered the fields with a kind of mud that was good for growing crops in.
The river nile is in the beautiful continent of africa. From there, the river flows north through the desert in egypt, and. River nile has two tributaries namely the blue nile and the white nile. Nile river, the worlds longest river, which flows northward through northeastern africa to drain into the mediterranean. Feb 22, 2019 the nile river flows over 6,600 kilometers 4,100 miles until emptying into the mediterranean sea. It was considered the source of life by the ancient egyptians and has played a vital role in the countrys history. You could use the internet to add additional facts about the nile, e. Nile river 10 interesting facts rosetta stone facts aswan high dam in 1787, the famous rosetta stone was found in the nile delta in the city of rosetta. It is estimated to drain an area of 1,293,000 square miles. Egyptian people had to learn to become experts in irrigation by. At over 4,000 miles long, it is the longest river in the world. Nile river facts for kids national geographic kids.
This ancient egyptian artifact played a key role in modern understanding of egyptian hieroglyphics. Browse 14,536 nile river stock photos and images available, or search for egypt or nile river delta to find more great stock photos and pictures. It was the lifeblood of ancient egyptian transport, commerce and agriculture, and remains crucial for sustaining life in the barren deserts of egypt today. The nile river is filled with narrow cliffs, boulders, and wild rapids cataracts. There is no denying the fact that cruises along the nile offer travelers the very best opportunity to visit and explore the most famous nile river tourist attractions. The oldest known skeletal found of anatomically modern human beings or homo sapiens have been found at parts of east africa. The nile may be longer, have a larger basin and more wild animals, but the yangtze starts higher, has a larger discharge, feeds more people and has a much larger economic influence on the world. Most of egypts population and settlements lie along the banks of the nile. The mereb river or gash river, is a river flowing out of central eritrea. Wnv is established as a seasonal epidemic in north america that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall.
So grab your passport, suncream and shades, and check out our fascinating nile river facts nile river facts 1 found in northeast africa, the nile has long been recognised as the longest river in the world stretching a massive 6,695km. The nile delta in northern egypt is where the nile river drains in to the mediterranean sea. The nile river is one of the oldest, longest, and most famous rivers in the world today. Read amazing facts about the river nile if you want to know the notable river in the world. The angereb also known as the bahr assalam is a river of ethiopia and eastern sudan, and one of the sources of the nile. West nile virus wnv fact sheet what is west nile virus. The river arun rises 120 metres above sea level in the high weald of st leonards forest, to the east of horsham. The ancient egyptians called the nile, the great river.
Like the nile, the niger river has a flood every year. Archived pdf from the original on 27 september 2011. The nile river is not only the longest river in africa, but it is also the longest river in the whole world. The nile river basin the 6850km long nile is the worlds longest river, and flows from south to north with a catchment basin covering approximately 10% of the african continent exhibit 1. The river spreads across 10 countries with an area of 3. The worlds longest river, located in egypt, the nile flows 4,2 miles 6,650 kilometres northward to the mediterranean sea a very unusual direction for a river to take.
The nile is a major northflowing river in northeastern africa, and is the longest river in africa. Aug 11, 2015 the nile is africas longest river, covering 4,101 miles roughly the distance of flying between tahiti and san francisco. It originates inside burundi, south of the equator, and flows northward to northeastern africa, eventually flowing through egypt and then draining into the mediterranean sea. The white nile, which is the longer of the two, begins at lake victoria in tanzania. Cruise liners, as well as other more traditional boats, travel back and forth between luxor and aswan all year round, stopping several times along the way to allow passengers an. Human remains were identified at omo in ethiopia that have been dated as 195, 000 yrs. The wadi passes through gharb darfur near the northern border with chad and meets up with the nile. The first name leads to easy confusion with another tilapia traded commercially, the mango tilapia sarotherodon galilaeus. The length of the nile river is approximately 6,850 kilometers 4,256 miles. In fact, ethiopian monarchs, who had a fair awareness of the vitality of the nile floods for the. Blue nile, about 20 miles from sudan border dam size. The yellow nile is a former tributary that connected the ouaddai highlands of eastern chad to the nile river valley c.
For, travelling along water, hundreds of nile river cruises can be found to explore the wonders of nature, along the river nile. Africas longest river the river nile, stretching across half of africa, flows northwards from the tropical mountains and forests of the equator to the temperate mediterranean sea. Why is the soil around the nile rich and fertile, especially towards the end of the river. The river nile is probably one of the most renowned rivers in the world and here are some interesting facts to reveal why. Were off on an exciting adventure to northeast africa to learn about one of the worlds most famous rivers and youre coming with us.