Egypt: Geography



Figure 1.-- This is an Egyptian Sakkieh (water wheel). This is a tourist photo-back postcard, probably dating to the 1920s. The photogrph could have been taken a milenia ago nd with the cammel and achabge in dress, three milenia go. This system is used both along the Nile to raise Nile water and in the interior to access the vast Saharan sandstone aquifer system.

Egypt is a country dominared by two geographic features, the vast Saharan Desert and the slender ribbon of the Nile River which slices through the desert. It is the water of the Nile that is the lifeblood of Egypt. The Nile is Egypt's only renewable source of water. Egypt receives a mere 2.5 centimeters of rain annually. The Nile water varies seasonally. The Nile rises in the summer because of rains in the countries to the south like Ethiopia. The resulting floods in Egypt cover the river's valleys not only with water, but with nutrient-rich sediments which make Egypt one of the most fertile agricultural counries in the world. Egypt is commonly divided into two sections: Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north. Egyptian history is often a conflict between these two areas. The Upper and Lower names result from south to north. The river ultimately empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt is essentially a plateau divided by the Nile Valley into the Western and Eastern Desserts. Southern Egypt consists of low mountains and desert. Northern Egypt has wider valleys long the Nile and desert to the east and west. North of Cairo is the Nile feeds into the extensive triangular Nile River Delta. This fertile agricultural land has thus been covered with farms for millenia. About 95 percent of the population lives in the Nile Valley and Delta. There are, however, small populations in the Eastern Desert (Sinai) and Western Desert (eastern Sahara) which were traditional nomadic Bedouins. Egypt is thus in a very real way synonamous with the Nile. It was here that Egyptian civilization developed and where the population is still largely concentrated. The Nile is the longest river in the world, originating in East Africa and running through the desert before emptying into the Mediterranean. The regularity of the seasonal rise and fall of the Nile provided the basis for the development of agriculture and as a result the great civilization of Ancient Egypt. Demands for the Nile water are invreasingg, including the upstream countries where the Nile origintes. And while the profuctivity of the Nile could fed the Egyptian pople and allow for exports, the Nile can no longer feed the emense modern population of Egypt.

The Nile Valley

It is the water of the Nile River that is the lifeblood of Egypt. The Nile is Egypt's only renewable source of water. Egypt receives a mere 2.5 centimeters of rain annually. The Nile water varies seasonally. The Nile rises in the summer because of rains in themotaneous countries to the south like Ethiopia. The resulting floods in Egypt cover the river's valleys not only with water, but with nutrient-rich sediments which make Egypt one of the most fertile agricultural counries in the world. It is ese of farming in such well wattered areas with rich soils that explain why agriculture and civilization first appeared in river valleys. Egypt is commonly divided into two sections: Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north. Egyptian history is often a conflict between these two areas. The Upper and Lower names result from south to north. The river ultimately empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt is essentially a plateau divided by the Nile Valley into the Western and Eastern Desserts. Southern Egypt consists of low mountains and desert. Northern Egypt has wider valleys long the Nile and desert to the east and west. North of Cairo is the Nile feeds into the extensive triangular Nile River Delta. This fertile agricultural land has thus been covered with farms for millenia. About 95 percent of the population lives in the Nile Valley and Delta. Egypt is thus in a very real way synonamous with the Nile. It was here that Egyptian civilization developed and where the population is still largely concentrated. The Nile is the longest river in the world, originating in East Africa and running through the desert before emptying into the Mediterranean. The regularity of the seasonal rise and fall of the Nile provided the basis for the development of agriculture and as a result the great civilization of Ancient Egypt. Demands for the Nile water are invreasingg, including the upstream countries where the Nile origintes. And while the profuctivity of the Nile could fed the Egyptian pople for ,illennia and allow for exports, the Nile can no longer feed the emense modern population of Egypt. And the failed economic and social order of Egypt, like other arab countries, is incapable of developing a modern economy which could generate the dunds needed to pay for imports. .

The Egyptian Sahara

The Nile River is the only permanent river crossing the vast Sahara Desert. Thre are other rivers and streams, but they are irregular or seasonal. The Nile crosses the desert from from souuth to north. The origins in eastern and central Africa and it empties into the Mediterranean, cuting a nrrow swath across the vast Sahara. This constitutes the vast bulk of Egyptian territory. Unfortunately for Egypt almost all of it is of no economic value without water. Nor hae impoertant raw materials been found. What is now the Sahara Desert included areas that were once lush and populated. Climatologists believe that at the end of the last Ice Age, the Sahara Desert was a the kind of dry and uninviting place that we see today. But for a time betweem the former dry period and the modern dry period were a few millennia of abundant rainfall and lush vegetation. Prehistoric humans migrating out of East Africa along the Nile Valley were able to venture out of the densly populatd Nile Valley and settle in the rain pools, green valleys, and rivers that ran through the Saharas green period. The Nile was densley populated as the Nolithic Agriculture Revolution began to take shape. (10,000 BC). As is the case today, the only place which could support substantial populations was the Nile Valley. With limited land available, disputes began to imcrease. Researches believe there is evidence of this in the cemetery of Jebel Sahaba. Many of the graves there show eevidence of violent deaths. Then suddenly a sudden burst of monsoon rains burst over the vast turning it into arable land (8,500 BC). Humans from the Nile Valley as well as Sun-Saharan Africa and Europe began moving into the area. Researchers have found 500 radiocarbon dates of human and animal remains from more than 150 Sharan sites excavation sites. "The climate change at [10,500 years ago] which turned most of the [3.8 million square mile] large Sahara into a savannah-type environment happened within a few hundred years only, certainly within less than 500 years." [Kroepelin] The Egyptian Sahara became semi-arid. Grasses and shrubs began to grow. Trees even sprouted in valleys and near groundwater sources. This vegetation and variable rain pools enticed animals adapted to dry conditions like giraffes to move north. This included humans which can be observed in the rock art from southwest Egypt. Further south in what is now Sudan there was lush vegetation and permanent substabtial trees. Freshwater lakes appeared and persisted for millennia. Large rivers developed, including the Wadi Howar which was the most substntial tributary from the Sahara feding into the Nile. . Then monsoonal rains began to slacken (5,300 to 3,500 BC). Desiccation begn in the Egyptian Sahara. Humans retreated south or back to the Nile Valley. This climatic change and reappearance of desertification was the begining of pharaonic society. [Carey] The popular image of the modern Sahara is an area dotted with sand dunes. And such dunes do exist, large areas of shifting sand dunes. Some can reach 590 feet. This is the most dramnatic feature, but is aptypical. Most of the Sahara is rocky hamada, a type of desert landscape that has very little sand and is made up of primarily barren, hard, rocky plateaus. While Eyypt's population is concentrated in the Nile Valley, there are small populations in the Eastern Desert (Sinai) and Western Desert (eastern Sahara) which were tradiitional nomadic Bedouins.

Suez Canal

Egypt's location and geography made possible the Suez Canal. Millenia before the Canal was built, the Istmus of Suez was a major trading route and efforts began to build a canal. And trade only increased in modern times. Ferdinand de Lesseps visited Egypt (1832). He began to plan a project to construct a sea levl canal across the Isthmus, but little progress was made until 1854 when he visited Egypt again. The Viceroy of Egypt, Said Pasha, granted him a concession for his proposed canal. With the backing of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, he raised half the funds by popular subscription in France. Work was begun in 1859 and the canal was formally opened in 1869. De Lesseps who surmounted enormous engineering, diplomatic, and administrative difficulties was awarded many honors and widely proclaimed throughout France. The Canal itself had a significant impact on world trade and for Britain helped to strengthen the connection with their main colony--India. This had been a factor even before the Canal was built. Napoleon launched an offensive in Egypt even before beginning his great coninental campaigns (1798-1801). Port Said on the Mediterranan end became an important city with a international character until Nasser natinalized the Canal (1956). Port Tewfik is of lesser importance. There were three major military campaigns involving Suez. The Central Powers (Ottomans with German assistance) tried to take it in World War I (1915). The Axis (Italians and Germans) attempted to take it in World War II (1940-42). After Nassar nationalized the Canal, the Isrealis, British, and French seized the Canal, but were forced to give it back (1956). The Canal also feartured in subsequent Middle Eastern wars. The development of Middle Eastern oil increased the importance of the Canal. Arab instability, however, reduced the reliability of the Canal. And the development of super-tankers has reduced somewhat the importance of the Canal. The economics of oil around the Caoe if Good Hope coimpeted with the cost of widening the Canal.

Sources

Carey,| Bjorn. "Sahara Desert was once lush and populated," Livescience (July 20, 2006)

Kroepelin, Stefan. University of Cologne in Germany.

Science (July 21, 2006).





CIH





HBC Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site:
[The 1880s] [The 1890s]
[The 1900s] [The 1910s] [The 1920s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]



Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Smocks] [Long pants suits] [Knicker suits] [Short pants suits] [Socks] [Eton suits] [Jacket and trousers]
[Blazer] [School sandals] [School smocks] [Sailor suits] [Pinafores] [Long stockings]



Navigate the Children in History Websitee
[Return to the Main Egyptian page]
[About Us]
[Introduction] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Climatology] [Clothing] [Disease and Health] [Economics] [Freedom] [Geography] [History] [Human Nature] [Ideology] [Law]
[Nationalism] [Presidents] [Religion] [Royalty] [Science] [Social Class]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Children in History Home]





Created: 11:46 PM 6/24/2014
Last updated: 1:59 AM 2/9/2017