The Nile is the river that flows through Egypt and forms a delta on the Mediterranean coast.
The Nile runs northward through northeastern Africa before dividing into distributaries in the Nile Delta. Its two principal tributaries are the White Nile, whose distant headwaters are in the Great Lakes region, and the Blue Nile, which begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia.
For thousands of years, the river’s seasonal flooding deposited fertile silt across Egypt. This supported dense settlements and helped ancient Egyptian civilization develop in an otherwise largely arid landscape. The Nile remains central to Egypt’s agriculture, water supply, transport, and cultural history.
The Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970, greatly reduced natural flooding and created Lake Nasser. That changed how water and sediment were managed, although it also reduced the delivery of fresh silt downstream. The river’s delta is one of the world’s major agricultural regions.