Which sea does the Nile Delta empty into?

The Nile Delta empties into the Mediterranean Sea. In northern Egypt, the Nile divides into distributaries that spread across a broad, fertile delta before reaching the coast.

The two principal modern branches are the Rosetta and Damietta distributaries, named for the port cities near their mouths. Ancient writers described more branches, but several disappeared or changed course because of silting, flood-control works and shifting coastal geography.

The delta has been one of Egypt’s great agricultural regions for thousands of years, helped by Nile-borne sediment and irrigation. It is also distinct from the Nile Valley farther south: the valley is relatively narrow, while the delta fans outward across Lower Egypt.

A common mix-up is the Red Sea, which lies east of the delta and is connected to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. The Nile’s natural outlet, however, is the Mediterranean coast.