10 Interesting Nile River Facts

The river was named Nile since there is a Semitic word “Nahal” and then it was later named “Neilos” which meant River Valley. The Egyptians rightly termed it as “River of Life” since it has infused life not only in the land of Egypt but also its culture and civilization. The Egyptian Civilization grew up on the banks of Nile as the river deposits extremely fertile soil, which provided soil for the Egyptians to grow food crops, which sustained them amidst the desert. This has been repeated time and again and Nile has time and again proved itself to be the life giving force of Egypt. As we know most of the civilization come up along the banks of one river or the other primarily because the river provides drinking water for people, which is one of the essentials for human life after oxygen. Here are 10 Interesting nile river facts:

1. The Nile originates in Burundi, which is located South of the Equator and then flows across Northeastern Africa, finally crossing Egypt and then drains into the Mediterranean Sea.

nile map

2. It is one of the longest rivers in the world; it used to be the longest but recent studies suggest that Amazon River can be longer than Nile. The length of the river is approximately 6695 km and the river has two tributaries.

Nile The Longest River In The World

3. Only 22% of the river passes through Egypt, the other countries through which Nile passes are Sudan, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

the nile river in egypt

4. The cities that Nile flows past are Cairo, Khartoum, Gondokoro, Aswan, Karnak, Thebes and the town of Alexandria.

aswan nile

5. River Nile has two tributaries namely the Blue Nile and the White Nile; the volume of water of Nile is mostly determined by the Blue Nile, which contributes more than 50% of the water of the Nile River but then fertility wise, both the tributaries contribute considerably. In fact White Nile is called so because it appears white due to the presence of silt. White Nile originates at Lake Victoria and then the Blue Nile, which originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, joins in Sudan and proceeds northwards.

the Blue Nile

6. The source of the river is debatable since it is commonly known that the source of the river is Lake Victoria, which is the biggest lake in Africa, but it is observed that on the northern side of the lake there is a waterfall called Ripon Falls, which has a small opening and seemingly that is where the water in the River Nile comes from but then this cannot be held as the ultimate truth since there are many rivers that flow into Lake Victoria therefore which one of these or if all of them are the sources of The Nile. Presently River Kagera and its tributary, which is called Ruvubu whose headwaters are in Burundi, are considered to be the source of the River Nile.

River Kagera

7. Nile also played an important in the building if the famous Pyramids since the blocks of stone, which were used to make these pyramids, were actually transported from the source to the site with the help of Nile.

Pyramids

8. Nile River Delta is home to many species of animals, including crocodiles, turtles, baboons, wildebeest, and more than 300 species of birds, including fishing eagles, ibis, and the Nile Valley Sunbird.

Ibis On Nile

9. People who lived along the Nile in ancient times used the river for agriculture and transportation. That hasn’t changed, although the methods of agriculture and transportation have. Steam ships are still used in Egypt and Sudan, to transport goods.

Nile activity

10. The ancient Egyptians called the river Ar or Aur, meaning “black,” because of the black sediment left behind after the frequent river floods. The ancient Greeks called the river Kem, which translates into “black” as well. But it is as Nile that we know this river today. Nile comes from the Greek Neilos, which means “river valley.” it’s the other facts about nile.

river valey