The Nile is the river that flows through Egypt and is commonly described as the world's longest river.
The river runs northward through northeastern Africa before reaching the Mediterranean Sea. Its modern drainage basin includes parts of eleven countries, while its two best-known major tributaries are the White Nile and Blue Nile. The Blue Nile rises in Ethiopia and supplies much of the sediment historically deposited in Egypt.
Ancient Egyptian civilization developed along the Nile because its annual flooding created fertile farmland in an otherwise arid region. The Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970, greatly reduced natural flooding and created Lake Nasser, while also providing hydroelectric power and water storage.
The Nile's exact ranking against the Amazon depends on how river sources and mouths are measured. Some studies argue that the Amazon may be longer, but the Nile remains the conventional answer in many reference works and general-knowledge questions. The river is distinct from Egypt's Nile Delta, the broad fan-shaped region where it reaches the sea.