The Nile River, often called the father of African rivers, is an international waterway of immense historical and geographical importance. It rises south of the Equator and flows northward through northeastern Africa to drain into the Mediterranean Sea. It has a length of about 4,132 miles (6,650 kilometres) and drains an area estimated at 1,293,000 square miles (3,349,000 square kilometres).
Statistically speaking, the Nile River is the longest river in the world, extending across 11 countries and reaching a collective 4,258 miles (6,853 km).
The Nile River is an international river that flows through 11 countries that include Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, DRC, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, S. Sudan, Sudan and Egypt.
Nomenclature and Historical Significance
The name Nile is derived from the Greek Neilos (Latin: Nilus), which probably originated from the Semitic root naḥal, meaning a valley or a river valley, and hence, by an extension of the meaning, a river. The ancient Egyptians called the river Ar or Aur (Coptic: Iaro), “Black,” in allusion to the colour of the sediments carried by the river when it is in flood. Nile mud is black enough to have given the land itself its oldest name, Kem or Kemi, which also means “black” and signifies darkness.
The Nile River basin, which covers about one-tenth of the area of the continent, served as the stage for the evolution and decay of advanced civilizations in the ancient world. On the banks of the river dwelled people who were among the first to cultivate the arts of agriculture and to use the plow.
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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 availability of water from the Nile throughout the year, combined with the area’s high temperatures, makes possible intensive cultivation along its banks.
The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that "Egypt was the gift of the Nile". An unending source of sustenance, it played a crucial role in the development of Egyptian civilization. Because the river overflowed its banks annually and deposited new layers of silt, the surrounding land was very fertile.
The Ancient Egyptians cultivated and traded wheat, flax, papyrus and other crops around the Nile. Wheat was a crucial crop in the famine-plagued Middle East. This trading system secured Egypt's diplomatic relationships with other countries and contributed to economic stability.
As the Nile was such an important factor in Egyptian life, the ancient calendar was even based on the three cycles of the Nile. These seasons, each consisting of four months of thirty days each, were called Akhet, Peret, and Shemu.
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Course and Tributaries
The Nile is formed by three principal streams: the Blue Nile (Arabic: Al-Baḥr Al-Azraq; Amharic: Abay) and the Atbara (Arabic: Nahr ʿAṭbarah), which flow from the highlands of Ethiopia, and the White Nile (Arabic: Al-Baḥr Al-Abyad), the headstreams of which flow into Lakes Victoria and Albert.
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The Nile has two major tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile, being the longer, is traditionally considered to be the headwaters, while the Blue Nile actually contributes 80% of the water and silt below the confluence of the two. The White Nile begins at Lake Victoria and flows through Uganda and South Sudan, while the Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan from the southeast.
Upstream from Khartoum (to the south), the river is known as the White Nile, a term also used in a limited sense to describe the section between Lake No and Khartoum. At Khartoum, the river is joined by the Blue Nile. The White Nile starts in equatorial East Africa, and the Blue Nile begins in Ethiopia.
The source of the White Nile, even after centuries of exploration, remains in dispute. The most remote source that is indisputably a source for the White Nile is of the Kagera River; however, the Kagera has multiple tributaries that are in contention for the farthest source of the White Nile.
The White Nile leaves Lake Victoria at Ripon Falls near Jinja, Uganda, as the "Victoria Nile." It flows north for some 130 kilometers (81 mi) to Lake Kyoga. The last part of the approximately 200 kilometers (120 mi) river section starts from the western shores of the lake and flows at first to the west until just south of Masindi Port, where the river turns north, then makes a great half circle to the east and north to Karuma Falls.
The Blue Nile (Amharic: ዓባይ, ʿĀbay) springs from Lake Tana in the Ethiopian Highlands. The Blue Nile flows about 1,400 kilometres to Khartoum, where the Blue Nile and White Nile join to form the Nile. Ninety percent of the water and ninety-six percent of the transported sediment carried by the Nile come from the Atbarah and Blue Nile, both of which originate in Ethiopia, with fifty-nine percent of the water coming from the Blue Nile.
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The course of the Nile in Sudan is distinctive. It flows over six groups of cataracts, from the sixth at Sabaloka just north of Khartoum northward to Abu Hamad. Below the Aswan Dam, at the northern limit of Lake Nasser, the Nile resumes its historic course.
After Khartoum the river flows north, almost entirely through the Nubian Desert, to Cairo and its large delta, joining the Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria.
The Nile River Valley
The Nile River Valley is a common place to visit. Temperatures during the summer months usually range from lows of 70 to 80oF to highs of 92 to 104oF. Rain is generally absent along the Nile River in the countries of Egypt and Sudan.
The best time to take a Nile Cruise in Egypt is during the months of October through April. The temperatures during these months is more bearable. A visit to Uganda to see the Nile River, Murchison Falls and the wildlife is best during the months of December through February. This is a great time for seeing wildlife.
Wildlife
Depending on where you are along the Nile River, wildlife can be experienced as the different animals come to the banks of the river to drink. The Nile is renowned for the Nile Crocodile, the largest crocodile in Africa and one of the largest in the world. The Nile Crocodile can reach a length of 20 feet and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. The hippopotamus also calls the Nile River home.
Modern Challenges and Conservation Efforts
Dams, such as the Aswan Dam in Egypt, have been built to help to tame the river and provide a source of hydroelectric power. However, the silt and sediment that used to flow north, enriching the soil and building the delta, is now building up behind the dam. Instead of growing in size through the soil deposits, the delta is shrinking due to erosion along the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, annual flooding no longer occurs along parts of the Nile. These floods were necessary to flush and clean the water of human and agricultural waste. As a result, the water is becoming more polluted.
The many habitats in the Nile River basin support biodiversity in the region. Today, however, the Nile River system is threatened by pollution, as it harms the fish and other wildlife that live in its aquatic environment. This pollution is also impacting the people who depend on the Nile for their drinking water and for irrigating their crops.
With so many countries sharing and relying on the interconnected water resource that is the Nile River basin, it is essential for them to cooperate in regard to its use. This need for cooperation led to the formation of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) in 1999. The NBI brings representatives from all 11 countries in the Nile River basin together to discuss ways to manage and share the water.
There are still disagreements over the management of the Nile's waters. Ethiopia recently built its own dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, over the Blue Nile tributary. The Blue Nile supplies most of the water that flows into the Nile River. This has created conflict between Ethiopia and the two countries, Egypt and Sudan, that are downriver.
Rivers Discharging into the Mediterranean Sea
The estimated mean annual river discharge into the Mediterranean for recent years is about 10.000 m3/s. The table below shows the top 10 rivers ranked according to annual discharge that contribute to the Mediterranean Sea.
| River | Continent | Mean Annual Discharge (m3/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Rhone | Europe | |
| Po | Europe | |
| Drin-Bojana | Europe | |
| Nile | Africa | 2,800 |
| Neretva | Europe | |
| Ebro | Europe | |
| Tiber | Europe | |
| Adige | Europe | |
| Seyhan | Asia | |
| Ceyhan | Asia |
