The Nile flows through Cairo and empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
The Nile is traditionally described as the world’s longest river, although measurements involving the Amazon remain debated. It runs northward through northeastern Africa, reaching the Mediterranean through the Nile Delta in Egypt. Cairo, Egypt’s capital, stands on the river’s banks just south of the delta.
The river has two principal major tributaries: the White Nile, whose farthest headwaters are associated with the Great Lakes region, and the Blue Nile, which rises in Ethiopia. The Blue Nile contributes much of the sediment and seasonal flow historically important to Egyptian agriculture. Their meeting point is Khartoum, Sudan.
Ancient Egypt depended on the Nile’s flood cycle, which deposited fertile silt across otherwise arid land. The Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970, greatly regulated flooding and created Lake Nasser. The Nile should not be confused with the Niger River, which follows a very different course through West Africa.