The Nile River
  

This photograph of the Nile River valley illustrates the agricultural land use.
The photograph includes Luxor and the Valley of the Kings .

The Nile River is the longest river in the world and is the most important source of freshwater for all of Egypt. The Nile Valley and Nile Delta have fertile land suitable for farming.  The ancient peoples that lived along the river's banks cultivated the art of agriculture and were one the first to utilize the plow. The land away from the river belongs to the Sahara , the world’s largest desert.

Looking at the map to the left, answer the following questions:

The green area near Cairo is the Nile Delta at the mouth of the river.

In what direction is the river flowing? ________________________

What country is to the east of Egypt ?  ________________________

What city is located near the mouth of the Nile ? ________________

Click here to answer the following questions.

What is the length of the Nile River ? ___________________________________________

In what country is the source of the Nile River ? __________________________________

Into what large body of water does the Nile empty? _______________________________

Name three countries that the Nile River flows through.

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

In which continent is the Nile River located? ________________________________________

Name 5 countries in the Nile Basin .

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

Graphics and reference © Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Delta Patterns

A delta is a triangular or fan-shaped deposit of sediment that forms at a river’s mouth where that river flows into an ocean, lake, or slower river. As a river enters another body of water, its current slows and the sediment carried by the current is deposited. If ocean currents are strong enough, the sediment may be swept away, preventing a large delta from forming.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2002. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

To find out more about the Nile river check out these interesting sites.

http://www.mbarron.net/Nile/

http://www.nilebasin.org/index.htm

http://www.website1.com/odyssey/week1/nile.html

http://www.nileriver.com/nile/main.htm

http://geography.about.com/cs/nileriver/

http://www.nileriver.com/nile/nileinfo/nileriver.htm

http://www.geographia.com/egypt/

http://library.thinkquest.org/J002037F/the_nile.htm

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Nile-River

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/viewrecord?9760