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Ancient Egypt - Year 5
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Map of Egypt as it is today copied from the cia.gov web site (USA's Central Intelligence Agency).
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Ancient Egypt and Today's Egypt Location: Ancient Egypt was a civilization located in the northeast part of the continent of Africa. In fact, it was as far north and as far east a you could go and still be in Africa. Today the country of Egypt is still in the same area, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on the north, most of the east coast running along the Red Sea, to the south is the country of Sudan and to the west the country of Libya. The part of eastern Egypt that does not border the Red Sea is called the Sinai Peninsula. It borders the country of Isreal and an area called the Gaza Strip. A very interesting fact about Egypt is that it is actually a part of two continents! Most of Egypt is in Africa, but the Sinai is actually a part of Asia. The Nile River: The Nile River is the longest river in the world. The Nile River is about 960 miles (1,545 km) long. Another source states that from the White Nile source to mouth at the Mediterranean Sea the distance is 4,184 miles (6695km). That's a big difference! The Nile is divided into two parts: The White Nile and the Blue Nile. One thing is very different about the Nile compared to other rivers in the world. It flows south to north instead of north to south. The Nile starts in the mountains in central Africa and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The reason given for the Nile flowing south to north is that it starts in higher areas and naturally flows down and down all the way to the Mediterranean. Ancient Egypt depended on the Nile River for almost everything. -
The flooding of the Nile each year left areas along its banks where the Egyptians could grow crops. -
The Nile provided water for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes. -
Boats traveled the length of the Nile to carry people and all other items they wanted to trade or move from one area to another. -
When the pyramids were built, huge blocks were placed on ships and carried from one side of the Nile to the other. Without the Nile River, Ancient Egypt could not have survived as much of the rest of the country is desert lands. Today, Egypt still depends on the Nile River as its greatest natural resource. One desert in Egypt is the Sahara. The Sahara is the biggest desert in all of Egypt. It has rocks, sand, and gravel. It is so big that it is almost the size of the U.S. It is about 3 1/2 million square miles and extends 3,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Egypt has not only desert but also mountains. One particular mountain is Mount Shayib which is 7,718 ft tall above sea level. Egypt has an arid climate. Inches of rain range from 2.5 to 7.4 inches. It rains only in the winter and none in the summer. The river just flows down hill, from the high mountains in the middle of africa to the Nile delta (point where Nile enters the Mediterranean Sea). Length: (From White Nile Source to Mouth) 6695km (4184 miles). Name: The Nile gets its name from the Greek word "Nelios", meaning River Valley. Sources: The White Nile: Lake Victoria, Uganda. The Blue Nile: Lake Tana, Ethiopia. Countries: The Nile and its tributaries flow though nine countries. The White Nile flows though Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt. The Blue Nile starts in Ethiopia. Zaire, Kenya, Tanzanian, Rwanda, and Burundi all have tributaries, which flow into the Nile or into lake Victoria Nyanes. Cities: The major cities that are located on the edge of the Nile and White Nile are: Cairo, Gondokoro, Khartoum, Aswan, Thebes/Luxor, Karnak, and the town of Alexandria lies near the Rozeta branch.
LIS Library Media Center
Lucaya International School - Freeport, Grand Bahama
P.O. Box F-44066
Chesapeake Dr. off Midshipman Rd.
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