The longest river in the world (over 4,000 miles) the Nile is formed by the union in Khartoum, Sudan, of the White Nile from Lake Victoria in Uganda and the Blue Nile from the mountains of Ethiopia.

The low strip of fertile land located on either side of the Nile River called the floodplain. Most ancient settlements were located on the highest ground of this zone, and most of the farming occurred here. A strip of higher land on either side of the floodplain, is the low desert, was not watered by the Nile.

The Nile also provides food for the ancient Egypt peoples and was crucial to agriculture in the region. The river teemed with fish. Because the Nile left a layer of nutrient-bearing silt when the waters of the annual inundation receded and provided water for irrigation, the Nile made agriculture possible.

Other peoples of the same time period were hunters and gathers. They did not have a stable place to develop a civilization. It is the longest enduring civilization in the western world. And greatly contributed to our own.

The river was a regular and predictable source of water in a desert environment. Because the annual flood of the Nile revitalized the floodplain with water and new soil, it symbolized rebirth for the ancient Egyptians.

The Nile was the principal means of travel. Boats have been found dated to about 1859 B.C. It