The Nile flows through Cairo before reaching the Mediterranean Sea.
The Nile is one of Africa’s defining geographic features and has supported settled life in northeastern Africa for thousands of years. Cairo stands on the river’s banks, while the Nile Delta begins north of the city and spreads into a broad, fertile plain before meeting the Mediterranean.
The river is commonly described as the world’s longest, although measurements can vary depending on how the source and mouth are defined. Its two principal tributaries are the White Nile and Blue Nile. The White Nile rises in the Great Lakes region, while the Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and contributes much of the seasonal floodwater and sediment historically associated with Egypt.
The Aswan High Dam, completed in the 1970s, greatly reduced Egypt’s traditional annual flooding and created Lake Nasser. The Nile still remains central to Egypt’s agriculture, transport, history, and population distribution.