Question #1
Egypt is located in northeast Africa
The Sahara Desert
Question #2
• The world’s hottest desert
• Bigger than the United States in area
The Nile R.
• As we go through the lesson, please identify and label the following features
on your map.
• Make sure to answer the questions on the back (1-16) and 2 Critical Thinking
Question #3
1) Nile River
• Flows North
• Ends in the Mediterranean Sea
• The longest river in the world at
4,160 miles
Question #4
Floods
• Until recently, flooded
annually in July
– Floods were predicatable
• Deposited silt, replenishing the
soil with nutrients
• The silt built up at the mouth
of the river, forming a delta
– The silt blocks the path of the
water, so the river has to get
wider
2) The Red Sea
• The Red Sea lies between Africa and Asia
• It is almost 1400 miles long and only 200 miles
wide
3) The Mediterranean Sea
• The Mediterranean Sea connects 3 continents:
– Africa, Europe, and Asia
• The Mediterranean Sea connects to the
Atlantic Ocean
4) Nile Delta
Question #5 & #6
• Delta- A triangle-shaped deposit of rich soil at
a river’s mouth
• Usually forms many smaller rivers because of
silt deposit
The Nile River
Delta is very
fertile and great
for growing
crops
Question #7
5) Sinai Peninsula
• Small strip of land between Africa and Asia
• The Mediterranean Sea lies to the north and
the Red Sea to the south
Question #8 & #9
6) Lower Egypt
• Although to the
north, it was called
Lower Egypt because
of the low-lying land
that formed the Nile
River Delta
Question #10 & #11
7) Upper Egypt
• Called Upper Egypt
because it is upstream of
the Nile River Delta and
the land is more elevated
• The Nile is hard to travel
in Upper Egypt because of
cataracts (rapids)
Question #12
Influence of Geography on Civilization
• Natural Barriers provide
obstacles to potential
invaders
– Mediterranean Sea to the
North
– Sahara Desert to the West
– Red Sea to the East
• Susceptible to Invasion
– Across the Sinai Peninsula
Effect of Barriers
• Limited invasions
• Limited farming to a narrow
region on either side of the
Nile River
• Caused river villages to be
crowded
– As population grew, villages
along the river expanded
– Forced Egyptians to develop
irrigation systems to create more
farm land
Question #13 & #14
Benefits
Question #15 & #16
• The river served as a highway
– United the villages along the
river
– The river made travel between
villages easy
– Currents carried barges
downstream
– Sails used to catch winds and
travel upstream
• The river attracted wildlife and
fish
• Papyrus grew along the riverUsed to make paper
Nile River Delta from space
Critical Thinking Questions
• Based on what you have learned about
Ancient Egypt’s growing population, what
challenges did the people of Egypt face?
• Why was the Nile River so important to the
growth of Ancient Egypt?
Exit Slip
• List 5 facts about the Nile River and the
physical features of Egypt
Geography of Egypt
Name:_____________________
Block:_________