Preview

Egypt: the Gift of the Nile

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
497 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Egypt: the Gift of the Nile
The Nile, is the longest river in the world, and is located in northeastern Africa. Its principal source is Lake Victoria, in east central Africa. The Nile flows north through Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, with a total distance of 5584 km. From its remotest headstream in Burundi, the river is 6671 km long. The river basin covers an area of more than 3,349,000 sq km. Not only is the Nile considered a wonder by Herodotus, but by people all over the world, due to its impotance to the growth of a civilization.<br><br>The first great African civilization developed in the northern Nile Valley in about 5000 BC. Dependent on agriculture, this state, called Egypt, relied on the flooding of the Nile for irrigation and new soils. It dominated vast areas of northeastern Africa for millennia. Ruled by Egypt for about 1800 years, the Kush region of northern Sudan subjugated Egypt in the 8th century BC. Pyramids, temples, and other monuments of these civilizations blanket the river valley in Egypt and northern Sudan.<br><br>To Egypt, the Nile is seen as the fountain of life. Every year, between the months of June and October, the great rivers of the Nile rush north, and flood the highlands of Etiopia. The flooding surges of the land, and leaves behind water for the people, and fertile land, which can be used for agriculture. The impact the Nile has on Egypt during the ancient times and present are consierably apparent. The influence the Nile has is so extensive, that even the speech is transposed. For example, "To go north" in the Egyption language is the same as, "to go down stream"; "to go south" the same as "to go upstream." Also, the term for a "foreign country" in Egypt would be used as "highland" or "desert", because the only mountains or deserts would be far away, and foreign to them. The Nile certainly had an exceptional influence on Egypts, both lifestyle and thinking.<br><br>The Nile also forced a change on the political system and ruling in Egypt.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    GKE 1 Task 1

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Nile River was a great contributing factor in the development of early Egypt. It is the country’s longest running river, and runs right through Egypt.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Egypt referred to not the territory embraced by the modern state of Egypt, but to the ribbon of land bordering the lower third of the Nile between the Mediterranean and the river's first cataract near Aswan. Cataracts are an unnavigable stretch of rapids and waterfalls. The Sahara became increasingly arid, cultivators flocked to the Nile Valley and established societies that depended on intensive agriculture. Egyptians were able to take better advantage of the Nile's annual floods than the Nubians to the south because of their broad floodplains. They turned Egypt into an especially productive agricultural region that was capable of supporting a much larger population than were Nubian lands. The Greek Historian Herodotus proclaimed Egypt the "Gift of the Nile" because of its prosperity. Migrants from the Red Sea Hills in northern Ethiopia traveled down the Nile Valley and introduced to Egypt and Nubia the practice of collecting wild grains , a language ancestral to Coptic (ancient Egypt) to the lower reaches of the Nile Valley. Sudanic cultivators and herders moved down the Nile as the climate grew hotter and drier introducing Egypt and Nubia to African crops like watermelon and gourds, while Mesopotamians wheat and barley also came. They built dikes to protect their fields from floods and catchment basins to store irrigation water.…

    • 1353 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The location of the Nile was ideal for Egyptians, and the long river provided transportation for traders, sailors, and government officials. The Nile’s location, in between the Western and Eastern deserts (Doc. A), was perfect because deserts were relatively impossible for armies to travel across because of the lack of drinkable water and eatable food. The Nile was also bordered by the Nubian Desert to the south (Doc. A). Finally, to the north,…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Paleolithic Quiz

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages

    | Egypt's Nile River flooded annually, depositing a rich layer of topsoil ideal for growing, and her wide swaths of desert to the east and west protected her against outside invasion.…

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you think that you could hike over 4,000 miles in 55 days? The Nile river is the longest river the the whole world measuring over 4,000 miles. That’s a very long hike. That is like hiking from STL to Seattle and back. For the Ancient Egyptians traveling up and down this long river was a way of life. The Nile shaped Ancient Egypt in at least 3 ways. The Nile ba provided precious water in a vast desert for sustaning crops, provided transportation for trade, and provided hope in an afterlife.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Egypt was created with a settlement along a narrow strip of land that was also made fertile by the Nile river. Flooding also occurred but unlike Mesopotamia it was very predictable flooding and create a regular cycle of flooding then planting and lastly harvesting which kept repeating itself with every flood. The settlement had an intricate network of irrigation ditches. Egypt was mostly known for the lower region that focused around the Nile delta which flows directly into the Mediterranean Sea. Another benefit of Egypt’s location was the reliable transportation that the Nile provided the Egyptian settlements.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both Ancient Egypt and Shang China both developed closely to major rivers. The Ancient Egyptian River Valley Civilization was located along the Nile River which helped to provide a reliable source of water for farming. The Nile River current runs north-allowing movement along the river, and the winds blow from the north allowing sailing vessels to travel against the current. It was easy to travel and interact along the Nile. When the Nile would flood, it would naturally fertilize the surround soil with nutrient deposits that gathered within the river. The same…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As the famous Greek poet names Herodotus once wrote "Egypt...is, so to speak, the gift of the Nile." This statement could not be more true. The Nile had a powerful influence on the lives of the Egyptian people. It was used to bath, get water, and help in the growing and distribution of crops. Even with the abundance of things that the Nile did Egypt was still a place of many contrasts. There were crop-laden fields and empty deserts, hot, sunny days and cold night, but the most noticeable was that Ancient Egypt was split into two kingdoms which the Nile helped dictate. To the South was upper Egypt where the Nile flowed out of the mountains and to the south was Lower Egypt where the river spreads into the delta before emptying into the Mediterranean.…

    • 165 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Firstly, the Nile River is located in Egypt. Egypt is divided into “Upper Egypt” and “Lower Egypt”. The Nile delta region (a marshy area of land that deposits silt at the mouth of the river) begins in upper Egypt and the Nile delta region extended 100 miles into the Mediterranean Sea from lower Egypt. The nile river flooded yearly, and left behind silt (mud/soil) and water. This was excellent for farming and allowed plants to thrive. As well as yearly flooding, irrigation ditches were used to help water plants. Food and water…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Nile River was one of the main parts of Egypt. The River would flood from the snow melting from the mountains, which brought fertile soil for the egyptians. Another thing is on the side of the river grew papyrus. Papyrus is a crop used for many things. In the river there were lots of fish for food. The river also supplies birds to come and lay their eggs there, that meant more food for the egyptians. The water was also important to the egyptians. They used it to bathe, drink, and to cook. The Nile River is one of the biggest life support for egypt .…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nile River Research Paper

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Nile River is the longest in the world it is approximately 4160 miles long, It flows from high mountains in Africa.The Nile was a main means of travel. There are two branches, Rosetta Branch to the west, and Damietta to the east. Lake Victoria, and Lake Tana are two major sources. Without the water source ancient egyptians would have died out, because they relied on agriculture for wealth, and power. The Nile River was called Ar or Aur (means black) due to the annual flood left black sediment on the banks. If flows through nine countries; Egypt, Zaire, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya.The cities on the edge are Cairo, Thebes/Luxor, Khatoum, Gomdokoro, Aswan, and Karnak.Houses were built from…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Egypt and mesopotamia are two of the world's oldest civilizations in history. These two civilizations both relied heavily on their geography to help them create and maintain their rule. Egyptian and Mesopotamian societies existed on the banks of major rivers. Egypt is located in northern africa along the nile river. Mesopotamia, meaning in greek, between two rivers, resides on what was once known as the fertile crescent on the Tigris and the euphrates rivers located in the Middle east. These rivers allowed for these civilizations to thrive in their harsh desert climates. For the Egyptians the nile was generally predictable and calm with annual floods. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are much more unpredictable and faster flowing with occasionally overflooding. These rivers were vital for irrigation, transportation, and…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The longest river in the world at over 4,100 miles in length, the Nile River separated ancient Egypt into two regions, Upper to the south and Lower Egypt to the north. A bit confusing, on a map, but the names came from the flow of the Nile River. Most Ancient Egyptians lived near the river for the benefits the area provided; transportation, food, water and excellent soil for growing food. The soil along the river, known as the Black Land, is rich and fertile and provides excellent conditions for growing crops and boasting wildlife, a far cry from the rest of arid Egypt, known as the Red Land, that is covered with sand. In the spring with the snowmelt from the mountains of East Africa, the Nile would predictably rise with a torrent of water and fill canals made by Egyptian laborers. The water collected in the basins and canals would provide a water source for the next year. Crops were harvested prior to the annual inundation (rising) of the river that occurred around…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Egypt is a land of rich culture, society, religion, customs, and prosperity. Tourists flock over in floods to marvel at the wonders of Egypt: the pyramids, the temples, the Sphinx, and the fortresses. But if the Egyptians hadn’t been lucky to stumble upon the land of Egypt, there would not be much left to see. Egypt’s unique geography separates it from other lands. Each of the five themes of geography, which are location, region, place, interaction, and movement, are distinctly different from the others and have shaped Egypt’s environment throughout the ages.…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The roles of women in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were alike because they were both expected to take care of the household and both had a low status compared to men. They were different, however, because women in Egypt had greater opportunities than women in Mesopotamia.…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays