The Nile River: A Journey from Source to Mouth

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The Nile River A Journey from Source to Mouth

• Chapter 19

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I. Geoterms

• A. Hydroelectric potential the electrical power
  that can be generated from flowing water
• B. Perennial irrigation a system that allows for
  the year-round watering of crops
• C. River basin the area drained by a river and
  its tributaries. These tributaries are the
  smaller streams that flow into the main river.
  Rain falling anywhere in a river basin will
  eventually flow into the main river.

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• D. Water cycle the movement of water from the
  surface of Earth to the atmosphere and back
  again. During this cycle, water evaporates from
  rivers, lakes, and oceans, rises and condenses
  into clouds, and then falls back to Earth as
  rain, hail, sleet, or snow. This process is also
  known as the hydrologic cycle.

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II. The Geographic Setting

• A. The Worlds Longest River
• 1. Nile River has two branches
• A. White Nile (longest 4,160 miles)
• B. Blue Nile
• C. Source is the highlands of Burundi

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The longest river
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• 2. Nile River rises and falls with the seasons
• B. The Gifts of Water, Transportation, and Power
• 1. Nile provides water for washing, cooking,
  drinking, and crops
• 2. Seasonal flooding leaves deposits of rich
  silt on river banks
• 3. Nile is useful for transportation and energy
  (hydroelectric plants)

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Water for drinking and crops
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Crops and Transportation
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Hydroelectric Power Facility
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III. The Beginnings of the Nile

• A. From Rainwater to Rivers The Water Cycle
• 1. Evaporation
• 2. Water vapor
• 3. Condensation
• 4. Precipitation
• 5. Infiltration
• 6. Runoff

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• B. Lake Tana source (headwaters) of the Blue
  Nile
• 1. As water flows rapidly out of the lake, it
  picks up lots of soil that is later deposited on
  farmlands downstream
• 2. Source of the Blue Nile discovered in the
  1600s
• C. Lake Victoria Source of the White Nile
• 1. Discovered by England in 1850s.
• 2. From its source, it flows rapidly through two
  more lakes and over a large waterfall before
  slowing down on the plains of Sudan

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Blue Nile Source Lake Tana
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Lake Victoria Source of White Nile
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IV. Two Niles Meet Confluence and Cataracts

• A. The White and Blue Niles Meet at Khartoum
• 1. Confluence is the coming together of the two
  Nile Rivers
• 2. The Blue Nile grows more due to the seasonal
  rains, causing flooding downstream
• B. Rough Waters Slow River Travel
• 1. The Nile has six cataracts (rapids)
• 2. The cataracts slows trade and travel on the
  river.

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Confluence of the Nile
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Nile Cataracts
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V. Through the Desert Wadis and Dams

• A. An Arid Landscape
• 1. The Nile travels through Sahara Desert and
  Nubian Desert
• 2. Wadis are dry riverbeds that can experience
  flash floods if there is rain
• B. Controlling the Nile The Aswan High Dam
• 1. Lake Nasser is a reservoir built in 1970
• a. One purpose was hydroelectric power
• b. Second purpose was to control the flow of
  the Nile (avoid flood destruction, provides even
  flow year round, makes travel easier)

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Wadis
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Aswan Dam
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• 2. Negative effects
• A. The dam traps the silt from flowing downstream
• B. Egyptian farmers now have to use artificial
  fertilizers.

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VI. Across Egypt Floodplains and Delta

• A. A Narrow Strip of Farmland Lines the River
• 1. The floodplains (land between the river and
  the low cliffs on either side of the river) is
  prime farmland
• 2. Rather than taking water from the Nile, water
  is coming from Lake Nasser which allows farmers
  to irrigate more land.

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Flood Plains of the Nile
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• B. Water for Rapidly Growing Cairo
• 1. Cairo (10 million people) is consuming more
  water
• 2. Cairo is discharging sewage and industrial
  waste into the river causing pollution and
  putting a strain on the water supply
• C. The Rivers Final Gift The Nile Delta
• 1. The delta is about 155 miles wide as it flows
  into the Mediterranean Sea.
• 2. The delta is very fertile and excellent for
  farming

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Cairo
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Nile Delta
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Nile Delta
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VII. Beginning to Think Globally

• A. Nile is the longest river in the world
• B. Amazon River in South America is the second
  longest river, having its source in the Andes
• C. Yangtze River in Asia has its source in the
  Tibetan Plateau 3 largest river
• D. Ohio-Mississippi-Missouri River system in
  North America has its source in the Rocky
  Mountains and Appalachian Mountains
• E. All rivers change as they flow across the
  surface of Earth (some natural, some man-made)

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VIII. Global Connections

• A. What are the main benefits of building
  hydroelectric dams?
• B. What are the main costs of building
  hydroelectric dams?
• C. Do the benefits of damming rivers outweigh the
  costs?