Geography

Nile River

The Nile river is the longest river in the world. It's flows over 4,000 miles north from the snowy mountains of East Africa. It goes through Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. It empties into the Mediterranean Sea. East Africa has a rainy season that lasts from May to September. While it's still raining the Nile takes all the rainwater and flows north with even more power. The river carries a vast amount of silt along with it. The silt is deposited in the Mediterranean Sea where the Nile empties it. That's where the river divides into branches forming a fan-shaped delta. The Nile delta region is in northern Egypt and looks like it's at the top of maps; even though it's actually considered Lower Egypt because it's in the downstream of the Nile. In Upper Egypt, to the south, the river goes through stone cliffs and desert sands. This place is very different from the fertile delta.

Traveling along the Nile

Late June is when harvesttime ended, this is right before the Nile starts to flood. The flood lasted for four months meaning farmers couldn't work in their fields. During this they would visit nearby villages. Flood season was the busiest season for traveling. River traffic was heavy all year-round, the Nile was the main way to travel for people and goods. The route between Upper and Lower Egypt was 600 miles and would take a month to walk. A boat or reed would minimize the time by half.