Nile river
Who was the Nile god?
Hapi was the Nile god. Honoring a god was very important, so when a flood came the Egyptians would thank Hapi for bringing them fertility to the land
Why did the Ancient Egyptians live near the River Nile?
Most Egyptians lived near the Nile as it provided water, food, transportation and excellent soil for growing food.
Why was the River Nile so important to the Ancient Egyptians?
Ancient Egypt could not have existed without the river Nile. Since rainfall is almost non-existent in Egypt, the floods provided the only source of moisture to sustain crops. Every year, heavy summer rain in the Ethiopian highlands, sent a torrent of water that overflowed the banks of the Nile. When the floods went down it left thick rich mud (black silt) which was excellent soil to plant seeds in after it had been ploughed. The ancient Egyptians could grow crops only in the mud left behind when the Nile flooded. So they all had fields all along the River Nile.
When did the Nile flood?
Between June and September, a time the Egyptians called akhet-the inundation
Why did the Nile flood?
Melting snow and heavy summer rain in the Ethiopian Mountains sent a torrent of water causing the banks of the River Nile in Egypt to overflow on the flat desert land
What else did the Nile provide for the Egyptians?
Reeds, called papyrus, grew along side the Nile. The Egyptians made paper and boats from the reeds. Find out about Egyptian Writing The Nile also gave the ancient Egyptians food. They used spears and nets to catch fish. They would also use the nets to catch birds that flew close to the surface of the water. Another way the Nile helped the ancient Egyptians was in trade. The Nile was the quickest and easiest way to travel from place to place
Where is the source of the River Nile?
Ripon Falls may be the starting-point of the river, but the many streams that flow into Lake Victoria could claim to be the true source. Much of Lake Victoria is surrounded by mountains with streams tumbling down into the lake. The largest tributary of Lake Victoria is the Kagera river. The Kagera and its tributary the Ruvubu, with its headwaters in Burundi, is now considered to be the true source of the Nile. It is from here that the Nile is measured as the world's longest river.
Why did the Ancient Egyptians call the river Ar or black?
The Ancient Egyptians called the river Ar or Aur (black) because of the colour of the sediment left after the river's annual flood
What are the two main rivers that flow into the River Nile?
The River Nile is formed from the White Nile, which originates at Lake Victoria and the Blue Nile, which originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. These rivers meet in Sudan and then go on their long journey northwards towards the sea. The White Nile is a lot bigger than the Blue Nile, but because of losses along the way the it only contributes about 15% to the flow of the combined Nile. The Blue Nile, rising in Ethiopia, contributes about 85% to the flow of the Nile that passes through Egypt to the Mediterranean.
Where is the River Nile?
The River Nile is in Africa. It originates in Burundi, south of the equator, and flows northward through northeastern Africa, eventually flowing through Egypt and finally draining into the Mediterranean Sea.
Why does the Nile not flood now?
The construction of the Aswan Dam in the 1960's meant that from 1970 the annual flood was controlled
What was the area next to the River Nile called?
This area was known as the Black Land. Further away from the river was the Red Land, a region of inhospitable desert.
