The Gift of the Nile
Pages 82-85
Fun Facts about the Nile River
 World’s longest river
 Flows north over 4,000 miles from the mountains in east
Africa
 Flows through modern Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and
Egypt.
 Empties into the Mediterranean Sea
 Separates into the Nile delta
 Floods its banks every year
 Egypt’s major resource
Delta: A very fertile, flat land made of silt dropped
by a river as it grains into a larger body of water.
 Map View
 Satellite View
Lower Egypt
 Northern Egypt is called Lower Egypt because it lies “lower”,
or downstream.
Upper Egypt
 The south is “upstream”. The Nile cuts through some cliffs
and desert sands.
Shadoof
 A tool used to lift water into the fields.
Upper and Lower Egypt
 UPPER EGYPT
 LOWER EGYPT
 Southern
 Northern
 Upstream
 Downstream
 Nile River Valley
 Nile Delta
 Stone cliffs
 Fertile
 Desert sands
 lowlands
Flooding
 Causes: The rainy season from May to September had heavy
rainfall that caused the river to rise, carrying silt as it flows North.
When they reach Egypt they slow down and flood the banks.
 Effects:
 Too much=villages destroyed and animals drowned
 Too little=crops would fail
 Right amount=fertile soil and Egyptian agriculture would
thrive
 Actions taken:
 Used an irrigation system that included canals
 Used a shadoof to lift water into the fields
 Built a “Nilometer”, or special staircase with measured steps, to
keep track of how much flooding took place
Hymn to the Nile
 Why is Egypt called the “Gift of the Nile”?
 This passage praises the Nile like a God for everything it
provides for the people of Egypt.
 Egypt is called the “Gift of the Nile” because without the
Nile the Egyptian civilization would not have been
possible. The Nile River made agriculture possible in the
dry, desert regions of Egypt and made the Nile Delta
lowlands very fertile. The prosperity from agriculture
allowed the Egyptians to have specialization of jobs,
which increased trade. The Nile also provided a great
source of transportation for the people of Egypt,
allowing them to gain wealth through trade.