Featured Article Summary #200

The Nile is the longest river in the world, flowing north across northeast Africa and emptying into the Mediterranean Sea, and it has shaped Africa’s environment, economy, and culture for thousands of years. It has two main tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile starts near Lake Victoria, while the Blue Nile starts near Lake Tana in Ethiopia; they meet at Khartoum, then the river continues north through Egypt to form a large delta near Alexandria. Geologically, the Nile is relatively young in its current path, and its water mostly comes from rainfall in upstream countries, while downstream countries like Egypt and Sudan rely on it for irrigation despite being largely desert. In Ancient Egypt, yearly flooding left nutrient-rich silt that supported farming, trade, and government, helping create a thriving civilization. Today the Nile is still vital for farming and energy, but dams have changed flooding patterns, reduced silt in the delta, and led to major political disputes over water, safety, food, and displacement. The English name “Nile” comes from Latin Nilus and Ancient Greek Neilos, which may trace back to a Semitic word meaning “river.” In ancient Egypt, the Nile and “river” shared the same term (jtrw), and the country was called kmt (“black”) because Nile floodwaters left dark sediment. Today the river is known by many names across the Nile Basin, and tributaries and river sections use “Nile” as part of their names, such as the White Nile, Blue Nile, and Victoria Nile, along with names like Black Nile and even Yellow Nile for an ancient dried-up tributary. The Nile is a major river in northeast Africa that flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile Basin includes all the land that drains into it, covering about 10% of Africa and spanning parts of 11 countries, with environments ranging from dry deserts to wetlands and forested mountains. The basin is divided into seven regions, including key parts of the Nile’s longest route and major tributaries like the Blue Nile and the Atbarah River. The African Great Lakes region includes the Nile’s source and several major lakes in the Nile system, especially Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake George, and Lake Edward. The Nile begins at the Rukarara River in Rwanda and flows into the Kagera River and then Lake Victoria. From there it becomes the Victoria Nile, passing now-submerged Ripon and Owen Falls, then moves through Lake Kyoga, is joined by the Kafu tributary, and continues to Lake Albert, where it becomes the Albert Nile north of the lake. The Mountain Nile runs from near Nimule to Lake No, entirely within South Sudan. The river flows through places such as the Fula Rapids, Juba, and Bor, then enters the Sudd swamp where the land is very flat, the water slows, widens, and becomes hard to navigate due to thick plant growth. Near the north edge of the Sudd it reaches Lake No, where it meets the Bahr el Ghazal River, a west-to-north tributary that flows through areas including Wau.