Nile

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeast Africa which empties into the Mediterranean Sea. At 7,088 kilometers (4,404 mi) long, it is the longest river in the world. The Nile has played a central role in the environmental, economic, and cultural history of Africa for thousands of years.

The Nile has two major tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile begins near Lake Victoria and flows through Uganda and South Sudan, while the Blue Nile begins near Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan. The two rivers meet at the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and then flow north through the Nubian Desert to Cairo, finally emptying into the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria.

The Nile was the foundation of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, which relied on the river for nearly every aspect of life. The annual flooding of the river deposited nutrient-rich silt along the riverbanks, supporting crops that helped a sophisticated society thrive in an otherwise inhospitable desert. In the modern era, the Nile continues to be vital for the economies of Egypt and Sudan, providing water for irrigation and helping to generate electricity.

Names and etymology

The word "Nile" comes from the Latin Nilus and the Ancient Greek Νεῖλος (Neilos), which might have come from a Semitic word naḥal, meaning 'river'. In ancient Egyptian, the same word, jtrw, was used for both 'Nile' and 'river'. Egyptians called their country kmt, meaning 'black', because of the dark color of the Nile floodwaters carrying sediment.

Today, the Nile has different names in different places. In Egypt, it is called Al-Nīl, Baḥr Al-Nīl, or Nahr Al-Nīl. In South Sudan, some call it Baḥr el-Jebel, meaning 'Mountain River'. In Uganda, it is known as Kiyira by Luganda speakers. Some Nubian peoples refer to it as Áman Dawū, meaning 'Great Water'. Several parts of the Nile include "Nile" in their names, such as the Blue Nile, White Nile, and others.