Nile River Facts

The Nile River may be the longest river on this planet. On this page connected with Interesting Africa facts we list many details of this amazing Africa landform. In this list you’ll find information on such things as the location where the river begins and stops, why it has been so important during history, and the significance on the river especially to those that live nearby it.

Nile River Facts

• The River Nile is in the beautiful continent of Africa. It originates inside Burundi, south of the equator, and flows northward to northeastern Africa, eventually flowing through Egypt and then draining into the Mediterranean Sea.

• You will see that the land is environment friendly on either side of the River Nile.

• Lake Victoria, Africa’s main lake, is generally is known as the source of the River Nile. On the northern edge of this lake, water pours over a waterfall, known as the Ripon Falls; into a narrow opening which many people believe is the beginning of the River Nile.

• Ripon Falls is the starting-point of the water, but the many water ways that flow into the body of Lake Victoria could claim for being the true source.

• Most of Lake Victoria is surrounded by mountains with streams tumbling on to the lake. The largest tributary of Lake Victoria is the River Kagera. The Kagera River and its tributary the Ruvubu, having its headwaters in Burundi, is now accepted as the true source of the River Nile. It is from here where the River Nile is measured as the world’s longest river.

• The River Nile is formed from the ‘White Nile’, which originates at Lake Victoria and also the Blue Nile, which originates at Lake Tana inside Ethiopia. These rivers meet in Sudan and then go on their long journey northwards for the sea.

• The White Nile is a lot bigger than the Azure Nile, but because of losses on the way it contributes only about 15% for the flow of the combined Nile. Whereas the Blue Nile, rising in Ethiopia, contributes about 85% to the flow of the Nile River that passes through Egypt to the Mediterranean.

• Because it offered water, food, transportation and excellent soil for growing tasty food most Egyptians lived near the Nile

• Ancient Egypt couldn’t have existed without the Nile River. Since rainfall is almost non-existent in Egypt, the Nile River provided the only source of moisture to be able to sustain crops.

• Heavy summer rains (that fell every year) in the Ethiopian highlands, sent a torrent of water that flooded the banks on the River Nile. When the floods went down it left thick, wealthy mud (black silt) which is excellent soil to plant seeds in after being ploughed.

• The ancient Egyptians could grow crops only in the mud left out when the Nile overflowed. So they all had fields all over the River Nile.

• Reeds, called papyrus, grew along the area of the River Nile. The Egyptians made paper and boats from these reeds.

• The Nile also gave the early Egyptians food. They applied spears and nets to be able to catch fish. They would also use and create nets to catch different birds that flew close to the surface of the water.

• Another way the Nile River helped the ancient Egyptians was with trade. The Nile was the quickest and easiest way to travel from a place to another.

• The Nile River area was known as the Black Land. Further from the river Nile was the Red Land, a location of inhospitable desert.

• The River Nile flooded on a yearly basis between June and September, in a special season the  Egyptians called ‘Akhet’: the inundation.

• Melting snow and heavy summer rain within the Ethiopian Mountains sent the torrent of water causing the banks on the River Nile in Egypt to overflow in this flat desert land. And this is why the Nile flooded.

• The reason why it does not flood now is because of the construction on the Aswan Dam in the particular 1960’s. Which means that by 1970 the flood was controlled.

• Hapi was the Nile god. Honoring a god was crucial, and so very important. So the Egyptians when a flood came used to thank Hapi for bringing fertility for the land.

• The River Nile is the longest river on this planet.

• The Nile River flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

• The largest supply of the Nile is the Victoria Lake.

• The Nile includes a length of about 4, 160 miles or 6, 695 kilometers.

• Nile River’s average discharge is 680, 000 gallons (3.1 mil liters) each second.

• The Nile basin is huge and includes aspects of Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya and Congo (Kinshasa).

• The name Nile originates from the Greek word “neilos”, which means river.

• The Ancient Egyptians called the river Aur or Ar (black) as a result of the color of the sediment left after the annual flood of the river.

• It does not take the place of the longest river in the globe. It is approximately 6, 670 km (5, 160 miles) long.

• The Nile River flows on the high mountains in the center of some regions of Africa and north form the Nile delta.

• Near the Mediterranean Sea the river splits into two branches, the Rosetta Branch (to the west) and also the Damietta (to the east). And both of these rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea.

• Both of the main Nile branches such as the White Nile (Eastern Africa) and the Blue Nile (Ethiopia) join at Khartoum (the capital city of Sudan which is in North East Africa).

• Both the major sources of the Nile River are Lake Tana which feeds the Blue Nile branch and Lake Victoria which feeds the White Nile branch.

• The river average floods is approximately 300 million cubic meters per day.

• Ancient Egypt may have never become one of the primary civilizations in history if it was not for the Nile River. Ancient Egypt relied on agriculture to its wealth and power.

• There are nine countries the Nile and tributaries flow through. These countries are Egypt, Ethiopia, Tanzanian, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Sudan, Rwanda and Zaire.

• There are several major cities which have been located along the edge of the River Nile. These cities are Thebes/Luxor, Gondokoro, Cairo, Khartoum, Karnak and Aswan.

• Many parts on the Niles banks are full of Crocodiles. They are the biggest crocodiles in Africa.

• Numerous animals live close by the river which include Nile crocodiles, hippopotamus frogs, Nile monitors, turtles, tortoises, wildebeest, mongooses, baboons, and over more than 200 species of birds.

• The fertile soil and water given by the Nile River enabled early civilizations in Egypt to form and flourish. Before stopped by dams the River Nile would overflow on a yearly basis leaving deposits of rich soil over the banks.

• The river serves as a major source of travelling. This is especially true during the flood season when road transportation in many areas along the water is impossible.

• Major dams built within the Nile River include the High Aswan Dam, Roseires Dam, Sennar Dam and Owen Falls Dam.

• The Nile basin (the land area drained because of the river) is very big. It includes areas like Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, and Rwanda.

A summary of the facts about the Nile River:

• The Nile River is 4,184 miles (6,695 kilometers) long. With such an extended length, the Nile River is speculated for being the longest river on this planet.

• The Amazon River might be considered as the second largest river on earth, although it has been difficult to determine which actually the longest river is.

• While the Nile River is frequently associated with Egypt, it actually touches Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Zaire, Burundi and Sudan, and not just Egypt. It’s only recent the first known navigation group successfully followed the river from beginning to its end.

• The Nile River has played a remarkably important role in the Egyptian civilization, life and history of this nation.

• One of the most well known river Nile facts might be the river’s ability to create extremely fertile soil, which caused it to be easy for cities and civilizations to grow alongside the banks of the Nile River.

• The fertile soil is contributed because of the annual spring floods, if River Nile overflows on to the banks. A big part of the Egyptian nation consists is a dry desert area. Therefore there are very little rainfall on Egyptian deserts, and that’s why Nile River is so important to this nation. It has remained true for thousands of years.

• The abundant Nile River provided essential irrigation, even in the early times. This waterway also provided a supply of drinking water, and source of irrigation for farming for the papyrus reeds that the people used for many different purposes such as for building materials and paper.

• The Nile crocodile is a huge major component of the Egyptian life-style and culture since the first Egyptians settled over the fertile banks of the River Nile. Most Nile Crocodiles tend to be approximately 4 meters long, although some people have also reported that they saw much longer ones.

• The animals make their nests over the banks of the Nile River, where the female lays more than a 60 eggs. For about three months after the babies are born, the mamma crocodile takes them into the water. They’ll remain with her for at the least two years before reaching maturity.

• Not only the Nile River is one of the main rivers of Egypt, but many would in fact; say is not one of them but it’s the main river of Egypt. The River Nile has certainly played a critical role in the history of the mysterious nation.

• Today, exotic and sophisticated locations like Cairo grace the banks on the Nile River, as they did for more than a thousand of years. Individuals interested in experiencing and enjoying the Nile up close can journey over the famous river with the riverboat vacation cruises that depart from numerous cities over the bank.

• The Nile River gets its name on the Greek word “Nelios”, that means River.

• It gets its sources from The Blue Nile: Lake Tana, Ethiopia. The White Nile: Lake Victoria, Uganda.

• The Nile and it is tributaries flow though 9 countries. The Blue Nile starts in Ethiopia. The White Nile flows though Sudan, Uganda, and Egypt. Zaire, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzanian, and Burundi, and all have tributaries, which flow into River Nile or into the Victoria Lake.

• The main cities that are located on the edge of the Nile and White Nile are: Gondokoro, Cairo, Aswan, Khartoum, Karnak, Thebes/Luxor and also the town of Alexandria lies near the Rozeta branch.

• The major dams within the Nile River are Sennar Dam, Roseires Dam, Owen Drops Dam and Aswan High Dam.

• The Nile River’s average discharge is around 300 million cubic meters per day.