The Geography of the Nile River
The Nile River is the world’s longest river. The river flows north
from its sources in East Africa to the Mediterranean Sea for more
than 4,000 miles.
There are two main sources ……..
1. The Blue Nile – rises in the highlands of the present-day
country of Ethiopia and races down the Sahara Desert in
rough currents
2. The White Nile – begins deep in East Africa and flows
northward through swamps
*These two rivers meet one another in Sudan and flow to the
Mediterranean Ocean
The Gifts of the Nile – Each spring, far away from the
highlands of Africa, waters begin to rush downstream. The
rushing water brought rich and fertile sediment called silt.
During the late summer, the Nile spilled over its banks and
deposited the silt; making the land very fertile.
Egyptians praised Hapi (HAH pea), the god of the Nile River
Black vs Red – The ancient Egyptians called their land Kemet
“the black land” due to the dark soil left after the flood of the
Nile River.
Beyond the river banks lay the “red land” which was the vast
desert. These lands were not friendly to human life and farming
was a waste of time.
Why was the Sahara Desert an advantage to Egyptian
civilization?
The hot sands shielded Egypt from foreign invasions. The land
between the Tigris and Euphrates was wide open to outsiders;
Mesopotamia often faced invasions.
The Nile River Valley provided a path for trade with Central
Africa. The Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea provided access
to Southwest Asia.