2.4 The river Nile

• Aardrijkskunde
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2

2.4 The river Nile

Aims

• Describe the upper, middle & lower courses of the river Nile;
• Explain the main uses of the river Nile.

Confluence (A meeting point of two rivers).

Confluence = A meeting point of two rivers.

Confluence of the Negro River and Solimões River, Brazil.

Confluence of the Danube River and Inn River, Germany.

The Nile

The Nile is a rain-fed river: All water comes from rainfall.

The discharge downstream depends on the amount of rainfall upstream.

Regime

Regime = The fluctuations (differences) in discharge throughout the year.

High during the rainy season. 

Low during the dry season.

Aswan High Dam

Less water flowing through the river downstream.

Upstream a lake is formed behind the dam to store the water.

Lower course

• The gradient decreases;
  
• The river becomes wider;
  
• Because of the Aswan Dam there are less sediments in the Nile Delta;
  
• The Delta is less fertile;
• Farmers use artificial fertilizers to grow crops.

The Nile delta and the sediment plume are visible from space.

The uses of the river Nile

• Drinking water;
• Oppurtunity to transport goods;
• Deposited sediments made the land fertile;
• They also provided building materials.

The Aswan Dam changed the river:

• Regulating the discharge;
• Assisting in flood prevention;
• Generate hydropower; electricity generated by the flow of water.

Areas of soil are flooded to provide soil for agriculture.

Using the river for cleaning and fishing in South Sudan.