The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest river in the world. the Nile is one of the smallest, as measured by annual flow in cubic metres of water, about 6,650 km (4,130 mi) long.
Its drainage basin covers eleven countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan Republic of Sudan, and Egypt. In particular, the Nile is the primary water source of Egypt, Sudan and South Sudan. Additionally, the Nile is an important economic river, supporting agriculture and fishing. The Nile is formed by two principal streams, the Blue Nile which flow from the highlands of Ethiopia and the White Nile the headstreams of which flow into Lakes Victoria..
The name Nile is derived from the Greek Neilos (Latin: Nilus), which probably originated from the Semitic root naḥal, meaning a valley or a river valley.
The Nile River unlike other great rivers known to them—flowed from the south northward and was in flood at the warmest time of the year was an unsolved mystery to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. The ancient Egyptians called the river Ar or Aur (Coptic: Iaro), “Black,” in allusion to the colour of the sediments carried by the river when it is in flood. Nile mud is black enough to have given the land itself its oldest name, Kem or Kemit, which also means “black” and signifies darkness.
The Lake Plateau region of East Africa produces a number of headstreams and lakes that feed the White Nile. It is generally agreed that the Nile has several sources rather than one. The furthest headstream may be regarded as the Kagera River, which rises in the highlands of Burundi near the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika and then flows into Lake Victoria. The Nile proper, however, rises from Lake Victoria.
The second largest freshwater lake in the world, which has an area of more than 26,800 square miles and forms a huge but shallow lake. The White Nile, about 3700 km in length, supplies some 15 percent of the total volume entering Lake Nasser (called Lake Nubia in Sudan) downstream.
The Blue Nile drains from the lofty Ethiopian Plateau, where it descends in a north–northwesterly direction from a height of about 6,000 feet above sea level. Its reputed source is a spring, considered holy by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, from which a small stream, the Abay, flows down to Lake Tana (T’ana), a fairly shallow lake with an area of about 1,400 square miles. The Abay leaves Lake Tana in a southeasterly direction, flowing through a series of rapids and plunging through a deep gorge.
It is estimated that the lake supplies the river with only about 7 percent of its total flow, but this water is important since it is silt-free. The river then flows west and northwest through Sudan to join the White Nile at Khartoum.
In the greater part of its course from Lake Tana down to the Sudanese plains, it runs in a canyon that in places is 4,000 feet below the general level of the plateau. All of its tributaries also run in deep ravines. While the White Nile at Khartoum is a river of almost constant volume. The Blue Nile has a pronounced flood season (late July to October) caused by the summer monsoon rains over the Ethiopian Plateau and the rapid runoff from its numerous tributaries; historically. It was this surge that contributed most to the annual Nile floods in Egypt.
We offer a Felucca ride on the Nile in Aswan , a Felucca Ride on the Nile River in Luxor and Nile Cruises
We also offer Cairo dinner cruise for those want to enjoy the Nile while in Cairo