Nile River - Source, Delta, Length

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According to one theory on the evolution of the Nile system, about 25,000 years ago the East African drainage to Lake Victoria developed an outlet to the north, which sent its water into Lake Sudd. 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Its main headstream may then have been the present Atbara River. To the south lay the vast enclosed drainage system containing the large Lake Sudd. According to one theory on the evolution of the Nile system, about 25,000 years ago the East African drainage to Lake Victoria developed an outlet to the north, which sent its water into Lake Sudd. 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data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River">Nile River</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/place/Nile-River">Introduction & Top Questions</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref37074"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Nile-River/Physiography">Physiography</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref37075"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Nile-River/Climate-and-hydrology">Climate and hydrology</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref37076"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Nile-River/Plant-and-animal-life">Plant and animal life</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref37077"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Nile-River/Plant-and-animal-life#ref37077">People</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref37078"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Nile-River/Plant-and-animal-life#ref37078">Economy</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref37079"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Nile-River/Plant-and-animal-life#ref37079">Irrigation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref37080"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Nile-River/Dams-and-reservoirs">Dams and reservoirs</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref37081"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Nile-River/Dams-and-reservoirs#ref37081">Navigation</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref37082"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Nile-River/Study-and-exploration">Study and exploration</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Nile-River">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River/images-videos">Images & Videos</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/47/153447-050-EA01DEDF/Sand-dunes-Nile-River-Egypt.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/162999" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/47/153447-004-3E1BE55D/Sand-dunes-Nile-River-Egypt.jpg" alt="Nile River" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/65/5365-050-DDEB7D4A/basin-Nile-River-drainage-network-Egypt-Sudan-Africa.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/204" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/65/5365-004-61D3D819/basin-Nile-River-drainage-network-Egypt-Sudan-Africa.jpg" alt="Nile River basin and its drainage network" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/Overview-Nile-River-2009/191784" data-href="/media/1/415347/191784" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <div class="position-relative --aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/49/179649-138-4839F3FA/Overview-Nile-River-2009.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Journey of the Nile: The longest river in the world" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/46/153446-050-D01B8009/Kiosk-Roman-island-Trajan-Agilkia-Nile-River.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/163000" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/46/153446-004-926B6686/Kiosk-Roman-island-Trajan-Agilkia-Nile-River.jpg" alt="Roman Kiosk, Nile River" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/123592-050-F1F7ADCC/Murchison-Falls-Victoria-Nile-River-Uganda.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/117148" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/123592-004-796F533F/Murchison-Falls-Victoria-Nile-River-Uganda.jpg" alt="Murchison Falls" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/150790-050-081325A0/view-Bahr-Al-Jabal-South-Sudan-Juba.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/158248" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/150790-004-276BAF2C/view-Bahr-Al-Jabal-South-Sudan-Juba.jpg" alt="Bahr Al-Jabal" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/124627-004-F438DD22/Blue-Nile-Falls-Ethiopia-River.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/118584" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/124627-004-F438DD22/Blue-Nile-Falls-Ethiopia-River.jpg" alt="Blue Nile River" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/141189-050-CAC85573/Lake-Nasser-Egypt.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/144013" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/141189-004-4F07068D/Lake-Nasser-Egypt.jpg" alt="Lake Nasser" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/129927-004-9568E460/Lake-Victoria.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/159328" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/river-nile-facts.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Ancient Egypt Online - The River Nile in Ancient Egypt</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.worldhistory.org/nile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">World History Encyclopedia - Nile</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-africa/nile-river-008937/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Ancient Origins - The Nile: How One River Helped Build a Civilization – 10 Amazing Facts</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/nile-river/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">National Geographic - Nile River</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.academia.edu/31314106/The_Significance_of_the_Nile" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Academia - The Significance of the Nile</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://carnegiemnh.org/egypt-and-the-nile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Carnegie Museum of Natural History - Egypt and the Nile</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Nile-River/346183" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nile River - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Nile-River/276101" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nile River - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Baḥr Al-Nīl, Naḥr an-Nīl</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Harold-Edwin-Hurst/3707" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Harold Edwin Hurst</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Hydrological Consultant, Ministry of Irrigation, Egypt; Director General, Physical Department, Ministry of Public Works, 1919–46. Author of <i>The Nile.</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Harold Edwin Hurst</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Magdi-M-El-Kammash/847" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Magdi M. El-Kammash</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Associate Professor of Economics, North Carolina State University at Raleigh. Author of <i>Economic Development and Planning in Egypt.</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Magdi M. El-Kammash</span><span class="text-gray-700 mx-5">•</span><a class="see-all border-gray-700 gtm-byline" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River/additional-info#contributors">All</a> </div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-11T00:00:00CST" >Nov 11, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Arabic: </dt> <dd>Baḥr Al-Nīl or Nahr Al-Nīl</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Nile-River"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/archaeology-around-the-world/article-828586" rel="nofollow">New study reveals ancient Nile tributary helped transport stone blocks for Egypt's pyramids</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 12, 2024, 12:51 AM ET (Jerusalem Post) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.newsweek.com/archaeologists-uncover-details-temple-esna-egypt-1975111" rel="nofollow">Archaeologists Uncover Long-Hidden Details in Ancient Egyptian Temple Art</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Oct. 26, 2024, 6:21 AM ET (Newsweek) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref37074"> <span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">It is thought that approximately 30 million years ago the early Nile, then a much shorter stream, had its sources at about 18° to 20° N latitude. Its main headstream may then have been the present Atbara River. To the south lay the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="vast" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/vast" data-type="EB">vast</a> enclosed drainage system containing the large <span id="ref418059"></span>Lake Sudd. According to one theory on the evolution of the Nile system, about 25,000 years ago the East African drainage to Lake Victoria developed an outlet to the north, which sent its water into Lake Sudd. With the accumulation of sediments over a long period, the water level of this lake rose gradually, and, as a result of the overflow, the lake was drained, spilling over to the north. The overflow waters of Lake Sudd, rapidly forming a riverbed, linked the two major parts of the Nile system, thus unifying the drainage from Lake Victoria to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mediterranean-Sea" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Mediterranean Sea</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="basin" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/basin" data-type="EB">basin</a> of the present-day Nile falls naturally into seven major regions: the <span id="ref418060"></span>Lake Plateau of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/eastern-Africa" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">East Africa</a>, the Al-Jabal (El-Jebel), the White Nile, the Blue Nile, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Atbarah" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Atbara</a>, the Nile north of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Khartoum" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Khartoum</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sudan" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Sudan</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Egypt" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Egypt</a>, and the Nile delta.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="117148" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/123592-050-F1F7ADCC/Murchison-Falls-Victoria-Nile-River-Uganda.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/415347/117148"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/123592-050-F1F7ADCC/Murchison-Falls-Victoria-Nile-River-Uganda.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/123592-050-F1F7ADCC/Murchison-Falls-Victoria-Nile-River-Uganda.jpg?w=300" alt="Murchison Falls" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/123592-050-F1F7ADCC/Murchison-Falls-Victoria-Nile-River-Uganda.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/117148">Murchison Falls</a><span>Mist rising from Murchison Falls (also called Kabalega Falls) on the Victoria Nile River, northwestern Uganda.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The Lake Plateau region of East Africa produces a number of headstreams and lakes that feed the White Nile. It is generally agreed that the Nile has several sources rather than one. The furthest headstream may be regarded as the <span id="ref418061"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kagera-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kagera River</a>, which rises in the highlands of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Burundi" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Burundi</a> near the northern tip of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Tanganyika" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Lake Tanganyika</a> and then flows into <span id="ref418062"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Victoria" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lake Victoria</a>. The Nile proper, however, rises from Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the world, which has an area of more than 26,800 square miles and forms a huge but shallow lake. The Nile begins near <span id="ref418063"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Jinja-Uganda" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jinja</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Uganda" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Uganda</a>, on the north shore of the lake, flowing northward over <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ripon-Falls" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ripon Falls</a>, which has been submerged since the completion of the Owen Falls <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Dam" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Dam" data-type="EB">Dam</a> (now the <span id="ref1207387"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nalubaale-Dam" class="md-crosslink ">Nalubaale Dam</a>) in 1954. The northward stretch of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/river" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">river</a>, known as the <span id="ref418064"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Victoria-Nile" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Victoria Nile</a>, enters the shallow <span id="ref418065"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kyoga-Lake" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lake Kyoga</a> (Kioga) and, passing through its swamp vegetation, flows out in a westerly direction, descending into the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/East-African-Rift-System" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">East African Rift System</a> over <span id="ref418066"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Murchison-Falls" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Murchison (Kabalega) Falls</a> before entering the northern end of <span id="ref418067"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Albert" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lake Albert</a>. Unlike Lake Victoria, Lake Albert is a deep, narrow lake with mountainous sides. There the waters of the Victoria Nile unite with the lake waters, passing northward as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Albert-Nile" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Albert Nile</a>—a portion of the river, somewhat wider and slower, that is fringed with swampy growth and is navigable for steamers.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="158248" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/150790-050-081325A0/view-Bahr-Al-Jabal-South-Sudan-Juba.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/415347/158248"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/150790-050-081325A0/view-Bahr-Al-Jabal-South-Sudan-Juba.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/150790-050-081325A0/view-Bahr-Al-Jabal-South-Sudan-Juba.jpg?w=300" alt="Bahr Al-Jabal" data-width="800" data-height="531" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/150790-050-081325A0/view-Bahr-Al-Jabal-South-Sudan-Juba.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/158248">Bahr Al-Jabal</a><span>Aerial view of the Baḥr Al-Jabal (Mountain Nile) and Juba, South Sudan.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The Nile enters <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Sudan" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">South Sudan</a> at Nimule, and from there to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Juba" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Juba</a>—a distance of some 120 miles—it is called the <span id="ref418068"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Bahr-al-Jabal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Al-Jabal River</a> or Mountain Nile. This section of the river <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="descends" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/descends" data-type="EB">descends</a> through narrow gorges and over a series of rapids, including the <span id="ref418069"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Fula-Rapids" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Fula (Fola) Rapids</a>, and receives additional water from short tributaries on both banks; it is not commercially navigable. Below Juba the river flows over a large and very level <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/clay-geology" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">clay</a> plain, which extends through a narrow valley with hill country on either side, lying some 1,200 to 1,500 feet (370 to 460 metres) above <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sea-level" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sea level</a>, and through the centre of which flows the main stream. As the gradient of the Nile there is only 1:13,000, the great volume of additional water that arrives during the rainy season cannot be accommodated by the river, and, as a result, during those months almost the entire plain becomes inundated. This circumstance promotes the growth of enormous quantities of aquatic vegetation—including tall grasses and sedges (notably papyrus)—that collectively is called <em>sudd</em>, literally meaning “barrier,” and the region is known as <span id="ref418070"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Sudd" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Al-Sudd</a>. These great masses of vegetation, the growth of which is <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="exacerbated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exacerbated" data-type="MW">exacerbated</a> by the gentle flow of the water, break off and float downstream, effectively choking the main stream and blocking the navigable channels. Channels have become further choked since the 1950s by the rapid spread of the South American <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/water-hyacinth" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">water hyacinth</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">This basin receives drainage from numerous other streams. The <span id="ref418071"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Bahr-al-Ghazal-river-South-Sudan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Al-Ghazāl (Gazelle) River</a> flows in from western South Sudan, joining the Al-Jabal at <span id="ref418072"></span>Lake No, a large lagoon where the main stream takes an easterly direction. The waters of the Al-Ghazāl undergo extensive loss through <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/evaporation" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">evaporation</a>, and only a small proportion of them ever reach the Nile. A short distance above <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Malakal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Malakal</a> the main stream is joined by the <span id="ref418073"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sobat-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sobat</a> (Baro in Ethiopia), and downstream from there the river is called the White Nile. The <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="regime" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/regime" data-type="EB">regime</a> of the Sobat is quite different from the steady flowing Al-Jabal, with a maximum flow occurring between July and December; the annual flow of the Sobat is about equal to the water lost through evaporation in Al-Sudd marshes.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <span id="ref418074"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/White-Nile-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">White Nile</a>, about 500 miles in length, supplies some 15 percent of the total volume entering <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Nasser" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lake Nasser</a> (called Lake Nubia in Sudan) downstream. It begins at Malakal and joins the Blue Nile at Khartoum, receiving no tributaries of importance. Throughout this stretch the White Nile is a wide placid stream, often having a narrow fringe of swamps. The valley is wide and shallow, thus causing a considerable loss of water by both evaporation and seepage.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="118584" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/124627-004-F438DD22/Blue-Nile-Falls-Ethiopia-River.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/415347/118584"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/124627-004-F438DD22/Blue-Nile-Falls-Ethiopia-River.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/124627-004-F438DD22/Blue-Nile-Falls-Ethiopia-River.jpg?w=300" alt="Blue Nile River" data-width="550" data-height="345" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/124627-004-F438DD22/Blue-Nile-Falls-Ethiopia-River.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/118584">Blue Nile River</a><span>Blue Nile Falls, on the Blue Nile River, Ethiopia.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The <span id="ref418075"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Blue-Nile-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Blue Nile</a> drains from the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="lofty" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/lofty" data-type="EB">lofty</a> Ethiopian Plateau, where it descends in a north–northwesterly direction from a height of about 6,000 feet above sea level. Its reputed source is a spring, considered holy by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ethiopian-Orthodox-Tewahedo-Church" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ethiopian Orthodox Church</a>, from which a small stream, the Abay, flows down to <span id="ref418076"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Tana" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lake Tana</a> (T’ana), a fairly shallow lake with an area of about 1,400 square miles. The Abay leaves Lake Tana in a southeasterly direction, flowing through a series of rapids and plunging through a deep gorge. It is estimated that the lake supplies the river with only about 7 percent of its total flow, but this water is important since it is silt-free. The river then flows west and northwest through Sudan to join the White Nile at Khartoum. In the greater part of its course from Lake Tana down to the Sudanese plains, it runs in a canyon that in places is 4,000 feet below the general level of the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="plateau" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/plateau" data-type="EB">plateau</a>. All of its tributaries also run in deep ravines. While the White Nile at Khartoum is a river of almost constant volume, the Blue Nile has a pronounced flood season (late July to October) caused by the summer monsoon rains over the Ethiopian Plateau and the rapid runoff from its numerous tributaries; historically, it was this surge that contributed most to the annual Nile floods in Egypt.</p><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <span id="ref418077"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Atbara-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Atbara River</a>, the last tributary of the Nile, flows into the main stream nearly 200 miles north of Khartoum. It rises in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ethiopia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ethiopia</a> at heights of 6,000 to 10,000 feet above sea level, not far from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Gonder" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gonder</a>, to the north of Lake Tana. The two principal tributaries that feed the Atbara are the Angereb (Arabic: <span id="ref418078"></span>Baḥr Al-Salam) and the <span id="ref418079"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tekeze-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tekezē</a> (Amharic: “Terrible”; Arabic: Nahr Satīt). The Tekezē is the most important of these, having a basin more than double the area of the Atbara itself. It rises among the high peaks of the Ethiopian highlands and flows north through a spectacular gorge to join the Atbara in Sudan. For most of its course in Sudan, the Atbara is well below the general level of the plains. Between the plains and the river, the ground is eroded and cut into by gullies formed by water running off the plains after rainfall. The Atbara rises and falls rapidly, like the Blue Nile. In flood it becomes a large, muddy river, and in the dry season it is a string of pools. The Atbara contributes more than 10 percent of the total annual flow of the Nile, but almost all of this comes in the period of July to October.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="144013" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/141189-050-CAC85573/Lake-Nasser-Egypt.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/415347/144013"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/141189-050-CAC85573/Lake-Nasser-Egypt.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/141189-050-CAC85573/Lake-Nasser-Egypt.jpg?w=300" alt="Lake Nasser" data-width="800" data-height="430" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/141189-050-CAC85573/Lake-Nasser-Egypt.jpg" data-href="/media/1/415347/144013">Lake Nasser</a><span>Lake Nasser, Egypt.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Along the stretch of the Nile north of Khartoum, which is sometimes called the <span id="ref418080"></span>United Nile, two parts can be distinguished. The first part, which stretches from Khartoum to <span id="ref418081"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Nasser" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lake Nasser</a>, is about 830 miles in length; there the river flows through a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/desert" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">desert</a> region where rainfall is <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="negligible" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/negligible" data-type="EB">negligible</a>, although some irrigation takes place along its banks. The second part includes Lake Nasser—which contains the water held back by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aswan-High-Dam" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Aswan High Dam</a> in Egypt—and below the dam the irrigated Nile valley and delta region.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Below Khartoum, the Nile flows 50 miles northward until it reaches Sablūkah (Sababka), the site of the sixth and highest <span id="ref418082"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/waterfall-geology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cataract</a>. There the river cuts through hills for a distance of eight miles. Flowing northward at Barbar, the river takes an S-bend, in the middle of which, from Abū Ḥamad to Kūrtī and Al-Dabbah (Debba), it flows southwestward for about 170 miles; the fourth cataract is in the middle of this stretch. At the end of this bend, at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Dongola" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Dongola</a>, it again resumes a northerly direction, crossing the third cataract and flowing into Lake Nasser.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD11 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">For the 800 miles from the sixth cataract to Lake Nasser, the riverbed <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="alternates" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/alternates" data-type="EB">alternates</a> between gentle stretches and series of rapids. Outcropping crystalline rocks that cross the course of the Nile cause the five famous cataracts. Because of these cataracts, the river is not completely navigable, although sections between the cataracts are navigable by sailing vessels and by river steamers.</p><span class="marker MOD11 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD12 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Lake Nasser, the second largest man-made lake in the world, has a potential maximum area of 2,600 square miles; it inundates more than 300 miles of the Nile’s course, including the second cataract near the border between Egypt and Sudan. Immediately below the high dam is the first cataract, which was once an area of rock-strewn rapids that partially obstructed the flow of the river. From the first cataract to Cairo—a distance of about 500 miles—the Nile flows northward in a relatively narrow flat-bottomed groove, sinuous in outline and generally incised into the underlying limestone plateau, which averages 10 to 14 miles in width and is enclosed by scarps that rise in places to heights of 1,500 feet above the river level. For the last 200 miles of its course before reaching Cairo, the Nile shows a strong tendency to hug the eastern edge of the valley floor, so that the greater part of the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="cultivated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cultivated" data-type="MW">cultivated</a> land is found on the left bank.</p><span class="marker MOD12 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD13 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">North of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Cairo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cairo</a> the Nile enters the <span id="ref846997"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lower-Egypt" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">delta region</a>, a level triangular lowland. In the 1st century <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span> the Greek geographer <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Strabo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Strabo</a> recorded the Nile as fanning out into seven delta distributaries. The flow has since been controlled and redirected, so that the river now flows across the delta to the sea through two main distributaries, the <span id="ref418084"></span>Rosetta and the <span id="ref418085"></span>Damietta (Dumyāṭ) branches.</p><span class="marker MOD13 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD14 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The Nile delta, the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="prototype" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prototype" data-type="MW">prototype</a> of all deltas, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="comprises" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprises" data-type="MW">comprises</a> a gulf of the prehistoric Mediterranean Sea that has been filled in; it is composed of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/silt" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">silt</a> brought mainly from the <span id="ref418086"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ethiopian-Plateau" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ethiopian Plateau</a>. The silt varies in its thickness from 50 to 75 feet and comprises the most fertile soil in Africa. It forms a monotonous plain that extends 100 miles from north to south, its greatest east–west extent being 155 miles between Alexandria and Port Said; altogether it covers an area twice that of the Nile valley in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Upper-Egypt" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Upper Egypt</a>. The land surface slopes gently to the sea, falling some 52 feet from Cairo in a gentle gradient. In the north, on the seaward border, are a number of shallow brackish lagoons and salt marshes: <span id="ref418087"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Marout" class="md-crosslink ">Lake Marout</a> (Buḥayrat Maryūṭ), Lake Edku (Buḥayrat Idkū), <span id="ref418088"></span>Lake Burullus (Buḥayrat Al-Burullus), and <span id="ref418089"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Manzala" class="md-crosslink ">Lake Manzala</a> (Buḥayrat Al-Manzilah).</p><span class="marker MOD14 mod-inline"></span> </section><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":2,"pagesTotal":6,"pageId":415347,"pageLength":1948,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":2,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Nile River - Source, Delta, Length | Britannica