Some are subtle, like the rivers quiet vanishing act in the deltas northern fields. It had a regular flooding schedule so the farmers took advantage of that and planted the crops in a way that the flooding would be beneficial for the agriculture. The nile served not only as a source of food, but of water. In ancient times, the people of egypt depended on the flooding of the nile for survival. Agriculture depended on its summer floods, which fertilized land along the river banks by depositing silt. The niles flooding and the limits of logic beachcombings. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets. The flooding of the nile has been an important natural cycle in egypt since ancient times. A tune, hymn to the nile, was created and sung by the ancient egyptian peoples about the flooding of the nile river and all of the miracles it brought to ancient egyptian civilization.
My chosen audience is for ages 1011, although as this is on internet, children of other ages might look at this website for information. This allowed the growing of crops which sustained their agriculture. The viability of hydropower, a renewable source of energy, is also higher in flood prone regions. To stake claim of a true first descent we had to paddle every section of the river, including the massive rapids of ethiopias blue nile. You can see how the earths surface slopes down from the headwater. It is celebrated by egyptians as an annual holiday for two weeks. Next to each one, you should draw a quick cartoon to help you remember how this process works the best will be featured here. The construction of the aswan dam, finished in 1971, aimed to control the annual flooding in the lower nile, although. The past and the future of flood management in the eastern. Until the building of the dam at aswan the nile river flooded egypt in late summer. Heavy rains in the blue nile catchment area of the ethiopian highlands led to a rapid overflow of the rivers floodwaters into the main stream of the great nile, leading to extensive flooding, the worst effects of which occurred north of khartoum. In the last few years of the 6th dynasty, the erosion of power of the. Text on image reads global precipitation measurement gpm mission. Physical effects of the nile on ancient egyptian life.
The extensive middle and lower reaches of the nile river flow through the sahara desert, a parched land contributing little to the rivers waters. Flood frequency analysis of the eastern nile rivers. Tahani moustafa sileet abstract since the dawn of human civilization, water related extreme events as floods and droughts have always been a great concern. The annual flood allowed them to farm and live securely. Animation shows rainfall of mississippi river flooding nasa. Aswan low dam or old aswan dam and the high dam in the nile river in aswan, egypt. Aug 29, 2001 heavy rains in the blue nile catchment area of the ethiopian highlands led to a rapid overflow of the river s floodwaters into the main stream of the great nile, leading to extensive flooding, the worst effects of which occurred north of khartoum. The first aswan dam provided valuable irrigation during droughts but could not hold back the annual flood of the mighty nile river. Nov 02, 2014 degan and addys 1st grade history project october 2014.
The flooding of the nile river in ancient egypt created no problems whatsoever. Providing water requirements for agricultural lands. This was a region of desert beyond the reach of the flooding. Reducing flood devastation in the nile basin nile basin initiative. Most of this rainwater is taken by the blue nile and by the atbarah river into the nile, while a less important amount flows through the sobat and the white nile into the nile. But since the late 1960s, the nile river has been under the control of humans because of the construction of the aswan high dam.
When herding animals across flooded areas, the egyptians chanted. In 2020, it falls on a saturday, and some businesses may choose to follow saturday opening hours. The nile is home to a fascinating range of wildlife, including hippos and crocodiles. Dependence on the annual inundation was keenly felt during times of drought or flooding, causing uncertainty, famine or extreme hardship in the ancient egyptians daily life. The nile is an international river as its water resources are shared by eleven countries. Longterm variations in nile floods are beyond the perceptions of people. When the high dam at aswan was completed in 1970, the flooding cycle came to an end, but the celebration of wafaa elnil is still held, mainly to entertain tourists.
Since there was natural variability, there were occasional years of too little flooding and others of way too much. Floodplain management flooding the village of niles straddles two major watersheds. Sep 04, 2009 why the nile river is important duration. Each year the river nile used to flood, completely changing the scenery around the nile. Most of this rainwater is taken by the blue nile and by the atbarah river into the nile, while a less important amount flows through the sobat and. This flooding brought nutrientrich soil and washed away accumulated salts in the soil, too. Jun 04, 2007 the inundation of the nile river would bring a rich alluvial deposit of fertile black silt over the croplands. It was a greatly needed part of their annual lifestyle. However, ethiopias blue nile accounts for more than 80% of the nile s water that flows through egypt. In the 1960s, the aswan high dam was built across the nile, putting an end to the river s flooding but bringing other problems to the region. School project on ancient egypt and how the flooding of the nile helped. A fly up the nile river in egypt, then a pullout into space. When the river flooded, it carried silt and new earth onto the land it covered. The nile is a major northflowing river in northeastern africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world.
If you know that the nile floods every year, you may think that the egyptian people will have enough water as long. May 06, 2015 the flooding of the nile was known by them as the tears of isis. The river nile flooded every year between july and october, in a season the egyptians called akhet the inundation. Some of the most popular rafting rivers are the nile in uganda and the zambezi in zimbabwe. The majority of people will get their information about what is perhaps the most famous river in the world, and certainly the longest river, from books, classrooms, museums, movies, television, and of course, the internet. The yearly rise and fall of the nile river is directly responsible for the development of ancient egyptian society.
Flooding the village of niles straddles two major watersheds. There are three main processes that affect rivers and their valleys. It was even celebrated as a twoweek holiday known as wafaa elnil. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. Nile river is source of innovation history for kids. August 15, 2020 the flooding of the nile used to be an important natural cycle in egypt. Degan and addys 1st grade history project october 2014. For that reason, almost all the drinking water and water required for farming comes from the nile river. These three seasons were inundation, emergence, and harvest.
Thats why egyptian soil along the nile river was sustainably fertile and suitable for farming. Timing our nile expedition with the nile river flood. In the 1960s, the aswan high dam was built across the nile, putting an end to the rivers flooding but bringing other problems to the region. Every year in august, the constellation orion returns to northern hemisphere skies at dawn, bearing with him the brightest star in our sky after. Flooding along the nile river nasa earth observatory. The timing of the nile river floods was crucial to our attempt to become the first to paddle from the blue nile source to sea. Flooding of the nile in egypt date in the current year. Ancient egypt the gift of the nile how the nile impacted ancient egypt song for kids duration. Just south of cairo, the nile divides into two rivers or distributaries known as the rosetta and damietta branches. The importance of the annual nile flooding for the nile. The unpredictable annual flow of the nile river is legendary, as evidenced by the story of joseph and the pharaoh, whose dream foretold seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine in a land whose agriculture was, and still is, utterly dependent on that flow.
What did ancient egyptian farmers do while the nile. The village has 44 miles of combined sewers, 48 miles of sanitary sewer mains, and 94 miles of storm sewer mains. The population of egypt grew from nomads who settled along the fertile nile banks and transformed egypt into a sedentary, agricultural society by 4795 b. Every june, the nile river would flood, and this slightly coincided with the helical rising of the dog star sirius, which let them know inundation was near. The nile rivers flooding could be described as see answers 2 ask for details. It almost never rains in egypt, where approximately 95% of the land is desert.
The nile river, so important to egypts populace, is no exception. The niles flooding and the limits of logic beachcombing. This is the 2nd stopmotion animation using lego by 7 year old year 3. The oldest records of the nile floods barbara bell because rainfall over all but the northern delta has long been rare and irregular, egyptian farmers have depended for at least some 5000 years upon the annual flood of the nile river to water their fields and prepare the soil for culti.
A series of winter storms brought more than 20 inches of rainfall to the midwest and southeastern united states in december 2015. Prevention of nile encroachments to allow for the river maximum discharge capacity. During akhet, the nile river flooded and replenished the nutrients in the. The nile has a very predicable flooding season, but the depth of inundation is variable. The ancient egyptians called the banks of the nile river the black land because of the mud that had been washed. A short animation film on river management gemapi by the rhone mediterranean corsica water agency. Aug 05, 2016 until the building of the dam at aswan the nile river flooded egypt in late summer.
The nile by the giza pyramids, egypt, 1927 history in pictures predecessors. Water conservation in the nile basin saving water provides. Heres a short animation from france that beautifully captures the vermont rivers program mission to make. Although flooding along the nile river in the african country of sudan is an annual event, this years river levels are the highest in more than 20. Dec 10, 2008 the flooding of the nile river in ancient egypt created no problems whatsoever. Whether you are teaching the nile river in the context of social studies, world geography, ancient history, ancient egypt, the fertile crescent, or water formations in africa, you will find nile river lesson plans, interactives, activities, videos and worksheets for all grade levels. Periodic flooding was essential to the wellbeing of ancient communities along the tigriseuphrates rivers, the nile river, the indus river, the ganges and the yellow river among others.
Ethiopias blue nile the origin of the nile river floods. Nile cartoons and comics funny pictures from cartoonstock. The nile river used to flood in the late summer every year. New orleans flooding animation, nasa jet propulsion laboratory this animation, based on radar topography data captured from the space shuttle, illustrates the vulnerability of new orleans to flooding. However, ethiopias blue nile accounts for more than 80% of the niles water that flows through egypt. The first season, the season of flooding, was called akhet, which roughly means inundation. Physical effects of the nile on ancient egyptian life synonym. Daily discharge ata from a total of sevd en gauging stations. This was the time of the year when the nile river would flood. What did ancient egyptian farmers do while the nile flooded. Eight countries feed into the nile river upstream of egypt.
Nile river fluctuations near khartoum, sudan internet archive. The flooding of the nile was just an ordinary event in ancient egyptian life. Already, a series of environmental crises are parking themselves on the banks of the nile. As long as 5,000 years ago, the nile was believed to be a gift from the gods. Just north of the border between egypt and sudan lies the aswan high dam, a huge rockfill dam which captures the worlds longest river, the nile river, in the worlds thirdlargest reservoir, lake nasser. The blue nile proper emerges as the outlet of lake tana, situated at 1,788 meters 5,866 feet. In fact, the start of akhet, the flooding season, was the beginning of the egyptian new year.
Seasonal rains in the ethiopian highlands prompt the annual summer flood of the nile river, which for thousands of years made possible the agriculture that supported the dense human population of the rivers lower valley and delta in egypt. The flooding of the nile the nile used to flood once every year during the inundation season, what the egyptians called akhet, between june and september. Eshra researcher, nile research institute, national water research center, egypt email. It flooded onto the desert land because of of the rain and melting snow causing a torrent of water to invade the rivers banksfrom the ethiopian mountains. Most will never travel its waters, and see its sights firsthand. Human impacts london escaped flooding in 2007 due to cement dykes built around river normal flooding was hindered by man made dykes it was stated that builders did not consider the flood plain when building roads. Human impacts london escaped flooding in 2007 due to cement dykes built around river normal flooding was hindered by man made dykes it was stated that builders did not consider the flood plain when building roads and paving areas which contributed to the flood. The past and the future of flood management in the eastern nile basin eng. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Test your understanding of some nile river facts for kids. The following map shows the topography of the nile river basin. It left rich nutrients which would be how they grew their crops to support their large nation.
I hope that this project will help children of 1011 to learn about the nile. Modernization changed the river and it does not flood the way it. These form part of the great nile delta, which is composed of fine silt from the basalts of the ethiopian highlands. The flooding of the nile was known by them as the tears of isis. The importance of the annual nile flooding for the nile river. The flooding of the nile is the result of the yearly monsoon between may and august causing enormous precipitations on the ethiopian highlands whose summits reach heights of up to 4550 m 14,928 ft. The egyptians divided their year into three seasons based on the action of the nile river. Egypt is mostly a desert, and the nile is the largest source of water in that country. Now, the rapidly growing countries along the nile compete for a share of its water. During this short period, those rivers contribute up to ninety percent of the water of the nile and most of the sedimentation carried by it, but after the rainy season. The ancient sphinx sits in shadow of the incredible great pyramids of giza, all there because of the annual nile flooding.
Nile river bank protection about 200 km along the river nile were protected by stone revetment. Due to its length, characteristics, and its path through many cities and villages, many impacts and. Its ultimate source is the little abbai, a stream emerging at mount gish. Oct 28, 2006 egypt is mostly a desert, and the nile is the largest source of water in that country. The west side of the village is the des plaines river watershed, while the east side is in the north branch chicago river watershed. The inundation, which deposited rich silt along the nile floodplain, was. Because the time of flooding was so important to the egyptians, they considered it to be the start of their new year. Farreaching trade has been carried on along the nile since ancient times. The eastern nile basinincludes the blue nile river and its twotributaries dinder and rahad, and river atbara. The animation shows the effect of flood ranging from 0 to 9 meters in height, and which portions of the city would be submerged. The river nile no longer floods, thanks to the construction of the aswan dam in the 1960s.
1036 470 1119 542 252 228 834 448 907 1420 390 576 1174 695 838 178 765 1399 1259 1133 1265 717 498 487 1203 1446 945 113 1499 1442 1313 1126 222 1483 976 1470 14 1431 345 480 972 77 970 284 1187