Originating in the heart of Africa and covering a distance of 1,675 miles, the Nile is the World's largest river. On tributary, the Blue Nile, flows from Ethiopia and another, the White Nile, begins in the Sudan. They come together at Khartoum-the capital of Sudan- and travel north through Egypt to empty into the Mediterranean Sea.
The Nile was the secret of Egypt's power and wealth in biblical times. Because the Nile flooded the countryside, depositing fertile mud along its banks once a year, there was plenty of food for the Egyptians, whereas famine existed elsewhere in the Middle East. The most productive are was near the ancient of Memphis, where the river branches to create a vast delta, or triangle, of rich soil. Without the life-giving water of the Nile, the hot Sahara would have been uninhabitable.
The great river also served as the highway of ancient Egypt. Boats traveled north, pushed by the current. On the way back, sails were raised to catch the winds, which blew south from the Mediterranean.
The river plays an important part in several Old Testament events. Joseph, a Hebrew slave in Egypt, rose to power by impressing the pharaoh with his interpretation of a dream about seven fat cows and seven lean cows that came out of the waters of the Nile. Generations later, the baby, Moses was found floating in a basket on the Nile when the pharaoh's daughter rescued him and saved his life.
