Blue Nile River

Blue Nile Falls, on the Blue Nile River, Ethiopia

Blue Nile River, headstream of the Nile River and source of almost 70 percent of its floodwater at Khartoum. It reputedly rises as the Abay from a spring 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) above sea level, near Lake Tana in northwestern Ethiopia. The river flows into and out of the lake, runs through a series of rapids, and then drops into a gorge. It flows through a deep canyon southeast and west around the Choke Mountains and then turns northwest through Sudan to join the White Nile at Khartoum. Its length is about 907 miles (1,460 km). By far the greater part of the Blue Nile’s waters come from such tributaries as the Dinder and Rahad rivers, which rise in the Ethiopian highlands.

Map of Africa highlighting the course of the Blue Nile River in blue, flowing from Ethiopia into Sudan. Surrounding countries and major bodies of water such as the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean are labeled for geographic context.
Blue Nile River

The river is home to several dams. In Ethiopia the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, in Benishangul-Gumaz, generates hydroelectricity. The Al-Ruṣayriṣ and Sannar dams in Sudan irrigate 1,000,000 acres (400,000 hectares) in the plain of Al-Jazīrah (Gezira) between the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers; the Sannar Dam also produces hydroelectric power.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Mindy Johnston.
Citation Information
Article Title: Blue Nile River
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 13 September 2026
Access Date: November 14, 2026