Nile River

Introduction & Top Questions
Physiography
Climate and hydrology
Plant and animal life
People
Economy
- Irrigation
- Dams and reservoirs
- Navigation
Study and exploration

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Map of the Nile River basin showing the river's full course from its sources in East Africa through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. The map highlights physical features including elevation, irrigated areas, swamps, sand areas, intermittent streams, dams, waterfalls, rapids, and canals, as well as major lakes and cities along the drainage network.

Journey of the Nile: The longest river in the world

Aerial view of Juba, the capital of South Sudan, with the city on the left and the wide, winding Nile River flowing through green landscape on the right.

Blue Nile Falls cascades over a wide cliff surrounded by lush green vegetation, with mist rising and sunlight streaming through clouds in Ethiopia.

Calm blue waters of Lake Nasser with a floating platform in the foreground and rocky desert shoreline with a small building in the background, Egypt.

Illustration of a Nile perch (Lates niloticus), a large freshwater carnivorous fish with a silvery body, prominent dorsal fin, and rounded tail, reaching up to 6 feet in length.

At a Glance

Al-Jizah. Giza Necropolis, Giza Plateau, Cairo, Egypt. Side view of Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) rising in the background. The sides of all three of the Giza pyramids are astronomically oriented to be north-south, east-west (see notes)

Pop Quiz: 18 Things to Know About Ancient Egypt

Nile River summary

Quizzes

Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.

Guess the City by Its River Quiz

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

Mt. Elbrusvolcano, Western Caucasus mountain range, Russia. (dormant Russia)

Natural Wonders

Shallow staghorn water corals in fringing reef at low tide in Thailand. (coral reefs; endangered area; ocean habitat; sea habitat; coral reef)

Unknown Waters

Mount Kenya in Mount Kenya National Park is the highest mountain in Africa. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Giant Lobelia in foreground. (Mt. Kenya; Mt. Kenya National Park; mountains; rugged mountain; African geography, African landscape, stratovolcano)

Africa’s Physical Features

Related Questions

How did Henry Morton Stanley help confirm the source of the Nile River?
How did ancient Egyptians measure the Nile River's flood level?
How did ancient Egyptians use basin irrigation from the Nile?
How did shadufs and sakias lift water from the Nile River?
How did the Aswan High Dam reduce the amount of silt reaching Egyptian farmland?
How did the Nile River help ancient Egyptian farmers grow crops?
How did the Nile River serve as a transportation route in ancient Egypt?
How did the Nile delta form?
How do Ethiopian monsoon rains cause the Nile flood?
How do papyrus and water hyacinth affect navigation in Al-Sudd?
How do the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and other Blue Nile dams use river water?
How does the Aswan High Dam control the Nile River's floods?
How does the Kagera River connect to the Nile River?
How does the Sobat River affect the flow of the White Nile?
How does the Victoria Nile flow from Lake Victoria to Lake Albert?
How has the Aswan High Dam affected fish populations in the Nile River and Mediterranean Sea?
How long is the Nile River?
How long is the White Nile between Malakal and Khartoum?
How was papyrus from Nile marshes used in ancient Egypt?
What are the Nile cataracts?
What are the Rosetta and Damietta branches of the Nile delta?
What are the White Nile and the Blue Nile?
What kind of soil did the Nile floods deposit on Egyptian farmland?
Where are Murchison Falls located along the Nile River system?
Where do the White Nile and Blue Nile meet?
Where does the Atbara River join the Nile?
Where does the Nile River begin and end?
Which countries are included in the Nile River basin?
Which countries share Lake Victoria?
Which crops did ancient Egyptians grow along the Nile River?
Which explorers helped identify the sources of the Nile River?
Which fish live in the Nile River?
Which river is longer, the Nile River or the Amazon River?
Which tributaries form the Nile River?
Why does the Atbara River shrink to pools during the dry season?
Why does the Blue Nile flood more strongly than the White Nile?
Why does the Nile River flow north instead of south?
Why does the White Nile provide a steady supply of water?
Why is Lake Victoria important to the Nile River?
Why is the Al-Jabal River also called the Mountain Nile?
Why is the Al-Sudd region difficult to navigate?
Why is the Nile delta important for farming in Egypt?
Why was Lake Nasser created?
Why was the annual Nile flood important to ancient Egypt?
Why were Ripon Falls submerged?
Where is the Nile River?
What is the historical significance of the Nile River?
How long is the Nile River?
What is the difference between the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian Museum?
When will the Grand Egyptian Museum open?
Is King Tut in the Grand Egyptian Museum?
Why was Memphis an important city in ancient Egypt?
What role did Memphis play in Egypt’s religious life?
Where is Luxor located in Egypt?
Why is Luxor considered important in ancient Egyptian history?

Geography & Travel Physical Geography of Water Rivers & Canals

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External Websites

World History Encyclopedia - Nile
Carnegie Museum of Natural History - Egypt and the Nile
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Seasonal variations in microbial and physicochemical parameters of Nile river water in Giza, Egypt: comparison of IDEXX and conventional methods
Carleton College - SERC - Conflict on the Nile: The future of transboundary water disputes over the worldÂ’s longest river (PDF)
Ancient Egypt Online - The River Nile in Ancient Egypt

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Nile River - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Nile River - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Nile River

river, Africa

Also known as: Baḥr Al-Nīl, Naḥr an-Nīl

Written by

Charles Gordon Smith

Emeritus Fellow of Keble College, Oxford; former Lecturer in Geography, University of Oxford. Editor of Oxford Regional Economic Atlas: The Middle East and North Africa.

Charles Gordon SmithAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 16, 2026 •History

Nile River, the longest river in the world, called the father of African rivers. It rises south of the Equator and flows northward through northeastern Africa to drain into the Mediterranean Sea. It has a length of about 4,132 miles (6,650 kilometres) and drains an area estimated at 1,293,000 square miles (3,349,000 square kilometres). Its basin includes parts of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sudan, and...

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