EGYPT: Where is the river Nile?

The Nile is one of the longest rivers on the planet and steeped in over 4000 years of history and sophisticated culture.

Forever associated with the iconic pyramids on its west bank, and more recently Agatha Christie's best selling novel 'Death on the Nile', the Nile conjures images of adventure and mystery - as well as a hint of danger - to any traveller who considers the journey there.

An herein lies the question - where exactly is the Nile?

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in north-eastern Africa, generally regarded (along with the river Amazon in south America) as the longest river in the world at 6,650 km (4,130 miles) long.

The Nile is known as an "international" river as its water resources are shared by eleven countries, namely, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt.

In particular, the Nile River provides the primary water resource and so it is the life artery for its downstream countries such as Egypt and Sudan.

The Nile has two major tributaries - the White Nile and the Blue Nile.

The White Nile

The White Nile is longer and rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, with the most distant source still undetermined, but its location is believed to be in either Rwanda or Burundi.

It flows north through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda and South Sudan.

The Blue Nile

The Blue Nile is the source of most of the water and fertile soil.

 It begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia at 12°02′09″N 037°15′53″E and flows into Sudan from the south east.

The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

The northern section of the river flows almost entirely through desert, from Sudan into Egypt, a country whose civilization has depended on the river since ancient times.

Most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan, and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along riverbanks. 

The Nile ends in a large delta - seen in the main photograph - that empties out into the Mediterranean Sea.

For related articles click onto:
EGYPT: Where is the river Nile?
EGYPT: Where is the source of the Nile?
EGYPT: What is a Mummy?
Based on an article from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile
Images care of http://ajilbab.com/mortalkombat/mortalkombat-sexy-apto-taringa.htm and http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientEgyptNearEastUnit/BlanchetteNileProject/NileRiverProjectMain.htm and http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/mpc2005001193/PP/