Ancient Egypt - The Nile

1. The River Nile is about 4160 miles long.

2. The River Nile runs from the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt, due south through Africa.

3. The River Nile flooded every year and created rich soil, making a band of fertile land through Ancient Egypt.

4. The River Nile burst its banks between June and September, flooding the surrounding countryside.

5. Most Egyptians lived near the Nile because the soil was excellent for farming.

6. The Nile also provided the Egyptians with reeds, called papyrus, which they used to make paper and boats.

7. The Nile gave the Egyptians fish and birds for food and helped with trade as it was the quickest and easiest way to travel around.

8. The Nile flowed from south to north so you could row north with the current and sail south using the prevaling wind.

9. The Nile was a busy place, with each town having its own quayside.

10. Boats were very important to the Egyptians because of the Nile, they were used for hunting, fishing, travelling and trading.

11. Nilometers were used to measure water levels in the Nile.

12. Some nilometers were just columns placed in the river, others were huge stone staircases going down into the river.

13. Officials watched how long it took for the water to cover the steps of the nilometer in order to work out how fast the annual flood was rising.

14. If floodwaters rose too high, everything was washed away and people starved.

15. If floodwaters were too low people starved because the land remained dry.

16. If famine was to be avoided, the level of the Nile had to be just right.

17. There are two dams across the River Nile at Aswan.

18. They are an older low dam and the newer high dam.

19. The aim of the dams was to stop the Nile from flooding and provide electricity and water for the Egyptians.

20. When the high dam was built, Ancient Egyptian temples and tombs had to be moved, otherwise they would have ended up under water.

21. The reservoir behind the dam is called Lake Nasser.