River Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into
the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has
historically been considered the longest river in the world, though this has
been contested by research suggesting that the Amazon River is slightly
longer. Of the world's major rivers, the Nile is one of the smallest, as
measured by annual flow in cubic metres of water. About 6,650 km (4,130
mi) long, its drainage basin covers eleven countries: the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya,
Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt. In particular, the Nile is
the primary water source of Egypt, Sudan and South Sudan. Additionally,
the Nile is an important economic river, supporting agriculture and fishing.
The Nile has two major tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The
White Nile is traditionally considered to be the headwaters stream.
However, the Blue Nile is the source of most of the water of the Nile
downstream, containing 80% of the water and silt. The White Nile is
longer and rises in the Great Lakes region. It begins at Lake Victoria and
flows through Uganda and South Sudan. The Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana
in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet
at the Sudanese capital of Khartoum
The northern section of the river flows north almost entirely through the
Nubian Desert to Cairo and its large delta, and the river flows into the
Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria. Egyptian civilization and Sudanese
kingdoms have depended on the river and its annual flooding since
ancient times. Most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along those
parts of the Nile valley north of the Aswan Dam. Nearly all the cultural and
historical sites of Ancient Egypt developed and are found along river
banks. The Nile is, with the Rhône and Po, one of the three Mediterranean
rivers with the largest water discharge.
