Egypt is an Arab state on the African continent. Land of deserts and sand dunes. It is hard to believe that life could appear on such a bare and arid area, and even more so crowded cities. However, this happened, and the river flowing through Egypt played a decisive role here. What is this river? What other bodies of water are there in the country? Let's find out about them right now.
Where is Egypt on the map?
The state is located on two continents of the planet at once. It occupies northeast Africa and the Sinai Peninsula of Eurasia. It is surrounded by Libya, the Palestinian Authority, Israel and Sudan. By sea, Egypt shares a border with Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
It covers an area of 1,001,450 square kilometers. The country lies in the tropical and subtropical desert belts. Its climate is very dry. In summer, in the shade, the temperature can reach 50 degrees, in winter it drops to 20 degrees. The temperature drops sharply at nightdown to zero.
The relief of Egypt is predominantly flat, only in the south of the Sinai Peninsula and on the western coast of the Red Sea are low and medium- altitude mountains. The highest point in the country is Mount Katerin (2642 meters). The rest of the territory is represented by small hills (from 100 to 600 meters) and depressions, in which oases are usually located.
In Egypt there are no forests at all, in most of it there is practically no vegetation, occasionally there are cereals, acacias and shrubs. After precipitation, ephemera and ephemeroid plants, such as buttercups, poppies, etc., appear for a short time in the desert expanses. Vegetation near the river of Egypt, as well as on the Mediterranean coast, looks much more diverse.
Water of Egypt
Knowing where Egypt is located on the map and the peculiarities of its climate, we can assume that there is not much water there. Indeed, 95% of the country's territory is covered by the Sahara desert. It has spread throughout North Africa and continues to grow in size. About 25 mm of precipitation falls here annually, and only in a small area in the north of the country do they reach 200 mm.
Life in Egypt could become completely unbearable if not for its reservoirs. In the east, the country is washed by the Red Sea - the most s alty of those that are connected to the oceans. It is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Both are connected by the Suez Canal, which is the shortest shipping route from the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean.
The main feature of Egypt is the Nile River. It crosses the whole camp from north to south and isthe only internal flowing body of water. The rest of the streams are just its branches and channels. There are many lakes near the Nile. Most of them are s alty (Manzala, Maryut, Idku), others are rich in soda (Wadi-Natrun).
In the south of the country, on the border with Sudan, there is the Nasser reservoir, formed on the river from the construction of the Aswan Dam. Its area is about 5 thousand kilometers, and the greatest depth is 130 meters.
Main river of Egypt
Stretching for approximately 6,850 kilometers, the Nile forms one of the largest river systems in the world. For the championship in length, he argues with the Amazon. It is assumed that the South American artery is 140 kilometers longer.
The main river of Egypt crosses seven more states: Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan. It begins in Equatorial Africa on the East African Plateau. A more precise definition of its origin is a controversial topic. Some count the beginning from the Rukarara River, which flows into the Kagera, and then into Lake Victoria, others - directly from the lake.
The river flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The height difference between the source and the mouth of the Nile is approximately 1300 meters. Where the river ends its journey, the altitude is 0 meters.
Character of the Nile
The entire Nile basin covers up to 3,400,000 km2. Egypt accounts for only a quarter of the river, and its basin occupies about 5% of the country's territory. Before Khartoum, the river has various names, while in Sudan its two large rivers merge.tributary - the Blue and White Nile, after which it continues on its way as, in fact, the Nile.
In Egypt, the river begins with the reservoir Nasser flesh to the city of Aswan. Further, it flows along the depression of the limestone plateau to Cairo itself. The river valley varies in width from 1 km to 25 km. It is widest near the Mediterranean Sea. The mouth of the Nile forms a huge delta with numerous branches, covering an area of 24 thousand km2.
The river has no permanent tributaries throughout the country. Due to the intense heat, they all dry out quickly. Every year, starting in June, the Nile floods, leaving behind a large amount of fertile silt. Peaking in September, water levels gradually decline until May.
Source of life
The largest river in Africa has become a real salvation for the local nature. There are many fish in its waters, such as catfish, tiger fish, eels, perches, multifins. They used to be full of hippos and crocodiles, but human activities have greatly reduced their numbers.
Giraffes, monkeys, turtles, antelopes, cobras and other snakes are found along the banks of the river. More than 300 species of birds fly here: ibis, pelicans, flamingos, storks and herons, predatory eagles. Many of them stay here for the winter season.
The natural plants of the Nile Valley have long been replaced by plantations of cotton, cereals and date palms. Nevertheless, various types of palm trees can be found along the banks of the river, tamarisk, oleander, fig tree, papyrus grow in the delta.
Meaning for people
Several millennia BC, the only river in Egypt was Africa's most important resource. It not only made possible life in the harsh conditions of the desert, but also became the reason for the emergence of one of the oldest civilizations on the planet. The fertile lands of the Nile Valley turned into agricultural land, on which the economy of Ancient Egypt was built.
So far nothing has changed. The river is still the center of local life. Egypt has a population of 96 million, most of whom live in the Nile Delta and Valley. Cairo, Helwan, Beni Suef, Minia, Alexandria, Aswan are located here. The river is used for navigation, water supply, fishing and agriculture, and hydroelectricity.
