The Nile in Africa is believed to be the longest river in the world. However, some people are starting to doubt it, because they think that the Amazon River is longer than the Nile.
Unfortunately the measurement results of the Amazon River are still being debated. Whether the Amazon River is indeed longer than the Nile is yet to be proven. Therefore, the Nile still holds the first rank as 'the longest river in the world'.
This 6,853 km large river stretches across the countries of Egypt (Egypt), Sudan, and South Sudan, and ends in the Mediterranean Sea. It is 2.8 km wide, with a depth of between 8-11 meters. This river is capable of flowing an average water discharge of 2,830 m³.
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Source of Nile River |
The main source of the Nile is the White Nile which gets its water supply from lakes in Burundi and Uganda. Apart from the White Nile, the Blue Nile, which originates from Lake Tana in Ethiopia, also supplies water to the Nile. In the northern part of Sudan, a river called Atbara also drains into the Nile.
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Nile River |
The Nile River is very beneficial for the residents around it. Residents who live in areas near the Nile River use this river as a means of transportation. Because the river is wide and deep, means of transportation such as ships can sail north by taking advantage of the river's flow, or vice versa, from north to south by taking advantage of the wind blowing from the Mediterranean Sea.
Every year, the Nile River's waters would overflow due to heavy rains and melting snow from the mountains, causing flooding along the river's banks. However, this flood actually became a boon for the residents who lived along the Nile River. After the flood recedes, it will leave silt deposits that form a very fertile thin layer.
This fertile area that was formed along the banks of the Nile River was used by the residents as an agricultural area with abundant results. What is very unique is that the tides of the Nile River are very regular every year. The regularity of the tides of the Nile River results in an abundance of crops for the residents around it.
The Nile River with its fertile area, played an important role in the creation of the civilization of Ancient Egypt, around 3,500 BC. The Ancient Egyptian Empire, which was centered around the Nile River region, was very dependent on this great river, in agriculture and commerce. Egypt developed into a highly cultural empire, and is famous throughout history. Because of that there are those who call Egypt or Egypt as the 'Land of Grace of the Nile River'.