According to Greek historian Herodotus, Egypt was the “Gift of the Nile” because civilization depended on the river, therefore, he who controls the Nile controls Egypt (dk ). This idea has supported Egypt monopoly over the Nile, which has caused great tension between the Nile riparian countries. The Nile River is a gift to more than 10 countries that its tributaries flow through before reaching the Mediterranean Sea; however the hydro-politics of the Nile has been controlled with a “speak softly and carry a big stick” connotation by Egypt (AW 293). The history of the scramble for the Nile consists of the relationships Egypt has with its surrounding neighbors, colonial treaties, the characteristics of the Nile, Egypt and Ethiopia current states, …show more content…
There are two main components of the Nile River: the White and Blue Nile. The White Nile provides “a small but steady flow of water, fed by the snows of the Ruwenzori Mountains in western Uganda as well as Lake Victoria and other, smaller equatorial lakes” (aw 294). The White Nile only contributes to 5-14% to the Nile depending on the season (AW 295). The White Nile doesn’t contribute much because it loses tremendous amount of water through evaporation in the Sudd wetlands in southern Sudan, one of the largest swamps in the world (Aw294). the Blue Nile on the other hand is the “water tower” of the basin, originating in Lake Tana, located in Ethiopia’s highlands. The Blue Nile connects to the White Nile in Khartoum and flows upwards to Egypt. The Blue Nile “contributes 86% of the yearly flow and during the flood season up to 95% of the runoff originates in Ethiopia's highland. (aw 295).
The characteristics of the Nile River makes it “one of the few international rivers that has the potential to provoke armed conflict between its riparian nations—the ten countries that share the river basin” (AW 293). With population pressures, growing demands of agricultural, and high demand for water in a time of scarcity, the unequal distribution of the Nile needs to be addressed (AW
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Yet, despite these obvious setback, Ethiopia still have the greatest potential to becoming the most developed Nile Basin country (Milas 2013, 12 ). Ethiopia has on many occasions developed plans to divert the Blue Nile’s for its own economic and social projects. However, numerous of time Ethiopia’s development plan fell through due to financial, technological, and political crisis (AW 297). One of Ethiopia’s first Blue Nile development project took off after the famine in 1980s, it was called the Tana Beles project and began in 1988 (dk 157). Unfortunately, Egypt blocked a loan from the African Development Bank because it worried about the Ethiopia’s consumption of the Blue Nile (dk158). Instead of quitting, Ethiopia’s government looked westward for foreign investment. During the 1990s, Ethiopia had constructed “many small dams to enhance the country's irrigation and hydropower capacity” and these developments required a small portion of the Nile's water (AW 298). Further research also indicated that Sudan and Egypt would benefit from the construction of reservoirs in Ethiopia (dk 150). It’s ironic that Ethiopia, who contributes more than 80% to refurbishing the White Nile does not consume majority or have “rights” to Nile because the historical
In document B, the chart and document C, the illustration, people had seasons based on the Nile and farming. In document B it states, “ Crops in the lower Nile harvested and sent to market.” So therefore, without the Nile crops wouldn't grow. Also, people used the Nile for transportation. They had a flood season, a growing season, and a harvest season. If the Nile flooded more than 30 feet, it would flood the villages and if it flooded under 25 feet then it wouldn't be enough water. They transported food, tombs, and obelisks on large barges. Not only did the Nile shape Ancient Egypt through economics but also spiritual life.
Do you know the name of the mighty, 4,160-mile-long river that runs through eastern Africa? If you guessed the Nile, then yes, you are correct. But other than setting the record of being the longest natural river in the world, the Nile has been of great importance to the people of Ancient Egypt. In fact, without the Nile River, Ancient Egypt as we know it today would never have existed! Therefore, the Nile River shaped life in Ancient Egypt through economy, religion, and government.
The Nile River helped shape Ancient Egypt into the civilization we know of today. There were a lot of contributing factors that the Nile had on Egypt. For example, the Nile allowed for transportation between the surrounding cities. The Nile River could be navigated all year long, and this was a way that the cities could communicate. Egypt is located in Northeastern Africa and has the Libyan and Arabian deserts surrounding the river. Without the river, Egypt would have remained a desert and not been transformed into the civilization that we know it as. The Nile River was truly considered “the gift of Egypt” because the Nile economically, socially, and spiritually provided support for Egypt; without the Nile, Egypt would have remained a desert
Was it a gift or a curse? The Nile is the world's longest river at 4,160 miles. Of that total, approximately 660 to 700 miles of the Nile are actually in Egypt. It is one of the four most important river civilizations in the world. Land in Egypt was called Black Land (representing life) and Red Land (representing danger). For Egyptians, the Nile meant the difference between life and death. Today, we know that the Nile influenced ancient Egypt in many areas of life such as providing food, shelter and faith to the people. Specific areas dealing with settlement location, agricultural cycle, jobs, trade, transportation and spiritual beliefs will prove the case.
Salman, Salman MA. "The New State of South Sudan and the Hydro-politics of the Nile Basin." Water International 36.2 (2011): n. pag. Taylor and Francis Online. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
"Statement of Southern Sudan Government Mission on Referendum (2011)." World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2011.
Water scarcity is a crucial issue in a country called Djibouti. Djibouti lies in “The Horn of Africa” which is a peninsula in Northeast Africa. However, due to climate change and variability, refugees from Somalia and poverty, Djibouti is now considered an extremely water poor country. The aim of this report is to inform the government about the water crisis in Djibouti and that climate change is one of the main factors that cause it.
The Nile is the longest river in the world, cuts a swath of green and life through the bareness of the giant Sahara desert in northern Africa. It is almost 4160 miles long from its remotest head stream, the Lavironza river in Burundi, in central Africa to its delta on the Mediterranean sea north east of Egypt. The river flows northward and drain 1100100 square miles, about tenth the size of Africa, passing through ten African countries. It has many tributaries but there are two main ones: the White Nile fed by lake Victoria and the Blue Nile coming from Ethiopian mountains. These two main branches join near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan and they continue together as Nile proper until meeting the Mediterranean Sea and forming the Nile delta in northern Egypt.
The ancient two ancient civilizations of Africa, Kush and Nubia are under risk of being flooded and complete destruction will begin in the next three years if the four new proposed dams Dal Dam, Kajbar Dam, Shereik Dam, and Upper Atbara Dam in northern and central Sudan are built.
In Egypt, the Nile River overflowed its banks annually, creating fertile, mineral-rich soil. The yearly rise of the Nile in Egypt was gentle and predictable. The Egyptian’s found security in the Nile’s 365-day cycle of inundation and Egypt’s perimeter of sea and desert
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.The first great African civilization developed in the northern Nile Valley in about 5000 BC.
Water is one very essential resource for human existence. It accounts for about two thirds of the earth surface with a volume of about 1.4 billion cubic centimeter. About 97 percent of the total earth’s water is salt water from the ocean with only a minute percentage existing as freshwater accessible for direct human consumption. Freshwater is found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and underground sources some of which are shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. The lack of portable drinking water needs not be overemphasized as more than 1.2 billion people in the world lack access to clean drinking water (UNDP, 2006). The situation is projected to get worse as the needs for water increases due to city development and population growth with an estimate of 1.8 billion people to live in absolute water scarcity by 2025. The arid regions are the most affected with cases of droughts which may occur as a result of consistent lack of rainfall. Sudan is one country that is grossly affected by lack of rainfall with problems of available water supply for its population. This report will examine the fresh water supply issues in Sudan. Also, water supply option such as desalination and groundwater will be evaluated using cost, environmental impacts and its feasibility factor for both methods.
The Ancient Egyptians were at the mercy of the seasonal flooding and droughts but learned to work within the natural system of the River and weather cycles (Carnegie Museum of Natural History). Modern people, however, were more interested in conquering nature, rather than living in harmony with it. When we think of the Nile River, we typically do think of Ancient Egypt. But the Nile River actually flows through 11 countries, now that South Sudan has become an independent nation. pg.2/Streets It is 6,600km long and the Nile River Basin is home to 160 million people.
The growth in agricultural demand has created one of the most accountable geological impacts on Earth. In both modern and ancient times, irrigation systems have diverted water from naturally occuring sources into irrigation rivers, such as the Aral Sea and Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. This forces the disappearance
The Nile River had great influence on Ancient Egyptian culture. The Nile is the longest river in the world, that is located in Africa, was the source of livelihood for the ancient Egyptians as it was used for trade and hunting, as well as, drinking and fishing. It was also used for bathing and other hygiene purposes. It was the source of Ancient Egypt’s wealth, treasures, and the greatest arteries supplied the land with blessings and drown ancient Egyptians in various graces through the ages as the emitter of life in Egypt and the source of its existence, because it watered ancient Egyptian’s lands. The Nile had the greatest impact on timeless civilization that originated on it in the past ages, the Nile held oldest civilization immortalized in history. Ancient Egyptians could not have survived without the Nile River, which in essence, inspired their way of living, “The country’s verdant green fields and bountiful food resources depended on the fertile soil of the Nile flood plain” (Silverman 12). In turn, many ancient