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Chapter 3 Section 1: The Geography of the Nile
1. The Course of the Nile:
a. World’s Largest River.
b. The River flows North.
c. Begins in East Africa.
d. End’s dumping into the Mediterranean Sea.
e. 4,000 miles long (Distance between New York to Alaska)
2. Two Main Sources:
a. Broken up into two rivers.
i. 1st: Blue Nile:
1. Rough waters.
2. Begins in the highlands of Ethiopia.
3. Races down to the Deserts.
ii. 2nd: White Nile:
1. Begins in East Africa.
2. Flows Northward through the swamps.
b. The 2 rives meet in the Sudan.
3. Checking for Understanding:
a. What are the names of the two rivers which make up the mighty Nile River?
b. Answer:
4. The Nile Through Ancient Nubia:
a. In the North:
i. Nile has 2 bends (makes an S shape)
ii. 1,000 miles long.
b. Northern Tip:
i. City of Aswan in Egypt.
ii. Nubia: Ancient region in the Nile River Valley.
iii. Has 6 Cataracts that run through it.
1. Rock filled Rapids.
c. Formed Settlements way before they began the art of farming.
d. They were hunting and fishing communities.
5. Lower Nubia:
a. Located between the 1st and 2nd cataracts.
b. Made up of mostly Deserts and Granite Mountains.
c. Little Farming Land.
d. Little rain fall occurs.
e. People lived close to the Nile for it was their main water supply.
6. Upper Nubia:
a. Located between the Niles 2nd and 6th Cataracts.
b. Had a good amount of rain fall each year.
c. Allowed them to:
i. Plant in the Fall.
ii. Harvest in the Spring.
d. Farm land was small. (2 miles wide).
7. Checking for Understanding:
a. What is a Cataract?
b. Answer:
8. The Nile Through Ancient Egypt:
a. The Nile runs 700 miles long through Egypt.
b. Its first cataract began in Aswan, making its way to the Mediterranean Sea where it ends.
c. Along its journey passes through Upper and Lower Egypt.
9. Upper Egypt:
a. Located in Southern Egypt.
b. Contained Fertile Land on both sides of the river.
c. 6 miles wide of farm land made up Upper Egypt.
d. Located “Upstream” of the Nile.
e. Cuts through stone cliffs and desert sands.
f. Built scattered farm villages along the banks of the Nile.
10. Lower Egypt:
a. Located in the North.
b. Lies “lower” or downstream of the river.
c. Fertile marshy area.
d. Has deserts on each side of the Rivers Green Banks.
11. End of the Nile:
a. Nile empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
b. There the river divides into several branches (streams) forming a vast fan-shaped DELTA.
c. Delta:
i. Is a plain at the mouth of a river.
d. Deltas are very rich fertile land made of silt dropped by a river as it drains into a larger body of water.
12. The Gifts of the Nile:
a. Desert sands are unsuitable for agriculture.
b. The silt-filled floodwaters were rich in minerals needed by plants.
c. Silt:
i. Is a fine soil found on the river bottoms.
d. Every spring in the Highlands of Africa water rushed downstream flowing over the banks in Egypt.
e. The Egyptians prayed to “Hapi” the God of the Nile in hopes of a good flood each year.
13. Nile Farming:
a. Flood land began to dry in October.
b. Farmers planted:
i. Wheat.
ii. Barley.
iii. Cucumbers.
iv. Lettuce.
v. Onions.
vi. Beans.
vii. Flax: plant used to make linen, a kind of cloth.
14. Nile Farming Continued…
a. To water the plants:
i. Used Irrigation.
ii. Dug Canals for water flow.
iii. Used a device called a Shadoof: to lift water into their fields.
b. March:
i. The crops were ready to be harvested.
ii. Any surplus was taken to a storehouse.
iii. This allowed for specialization and community life possible.
15. Black Land:
a. Known as “Kemet” located in Egypt.
b. Was given its name the “Black land”, due to the Dark Soil that was left behind by the Niles Flood.
16. Red Land:
a. Located in the Vast Deserts of Egypt on both sides of the Nile.
b. To the West:
i. 75% is made up of the Sahara desert.
c. In the East:
i. Known as the Eastern Desert.
ii. Consisting of the remaining 15% of the Sahara desert.
17. Desert Protection:
a. Hot sands shielded Egypt and Nubia from foreign attacks.
b. The Nile Valley:
i. Supplied the people a path for Trade with Central Africa.
c. The Mediterranean and Red Sea:
i. Provided access to Southwest Asia.
18. Checking for Understanding:
a. What is a Shadoof?
b. Answer:
19. A Highway for Trade:
a. Nile was used to transport goods.
b. Could travel North on the Nile because it was moving downriver.
c. Could sail upward with the help of winds that blew to the South.
20. Routes Through Nubia:
a. Cataracts did not allow travel by river through Nubia.
b. Depended on Land Routes for Trade.
c. Famous Traders.
d. Trade Routes:
i. Central Africa and Nubia into Egypt and South West Asia.
21. Trade Routes Through Nubia Continued:
a. Brought Many Goods back.
i. Ebony wood.
ii. Ivory from Elephant Tusks.
iii. Ostrich feathers and eggs.
iv. Panther Skins.
v. Throw Stick.
1. Type of boomerang used for hunting by Africans.
22. Checking for Understanding:
a. What made it difficult to travel by water in Nubia? How did they trade?
b. Answer: