The Nile River is the river traditionally associated with ancient Egypt.
The Nile flows northward through northeastern Africa and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Its main branches are the White Nile, which begins in the Great Lakes region, and the Blue Nile, which rises in Ethiopia. They meet at Khartoum in Sudan before the river continues through Egypt.
Ancient Egyptian civilization developed along the Nile’s floodplain, where seasonal flooding deposited fertile silt. The river supported farming, transport and communication in an otherwise arid region. The annual flood was closely connected with the Egyptian agricultural calendar.
The Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970, created Lake Nasser and greatly reduced natural flooding in Egypt. The Nile’s exact ranking by length has been debated in comparisons with the Amazon because measurements depend on which source and river branches are counted.