The Nile River
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: The Nile River
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
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The Nile River
The Nile is 6,690 km long, extending through 35 degrees of latitude as
it flows from south to north. Its basin covers approximately one-tenth
of the African continent, with a catchment area of 3,007,000 km²,
which is shared by eight countries: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda,
Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Zaire. Its main sources are found in
Ethiopia and the countries around Lake Victoria.
All along the Nile's course from its most remote source, the Cagier
Riverin Central Africa, to the Mediterranean, people are affected to
some extent by the river or its water. With a few exceptions, the
water resources in the headwater areas of the system are not yet much
developed. The main development has taken place in the countries
situated in the semi-arid and arid zones such as Sudan and Egypt. The
upstream countries, however, are now considering Nile resource
development projects in their territories.
The hydrological characteristics vary greatly over the basin. Rainfall
in the headwater areas is abundant though seasonal. On the other hand,
from about Sudan the river runs through waterless land.
The river system has two main sources of water: the Ethiopian
highlands and the equatorial region around Lake Victoria. More than
60% of the river flow arriving in Egypt originates in the Ethiopian
highlands by way of the 'Sobat', Blue Nile, and 'Atbara' Rivers, with
the bulk of this water coming down during the summer. The rest of the
flow arrives from the White Nile, which has its most remote source in
the bulk of this water coming down during the summer. The rest of the
flow arrives from the White Nile, which has its most remote source in
Burundi. This source is a tributary, which enters Lake Victoria near
the ...