1. Chapter 5: Ancient Egypt Lesson 1: Day 1 The Gift of the Nile

2. The Geography of Ancient Egypt • The Longest River • The Nile River is 4160 miles long; it is the world’s longest river. • Begins near the equator in Africa; flows north to the Mediterranean Sea. Flows downhill from the mountains in Ethiopia. • In the south it churns with cataracts • Cataracts- Waterfalls • In the north, the Nile branches into a delta. • Delta- Area of river’s mouth where water deposits fine soil called silt. • Nile branches into many streams in north.

3. The Nile River

4. The Geography of Ancient Egypt • The Longest River • Upper Nile in the south, Lower Nile in the North. • Heavy rains in Ethiopia caused the river to flood every summer for centuries. • Soil was fertile along the Nile. • Nile flooded same time each year. • Farmers were able to predict when to grow crops.

5. The Geography of Ancient Egypt • Red Land, Black Land • Ancient Egyptians lived in narrow bands of land on each side of the Nile. • Called the black land because of soil deposited there. • Red land was the barren desert. • 8 months of the year was hot and sunny. • 4 months of the year was sunny and cooler. • 1 inch of rain per year. VERY DRY REGION

6. The Geography of Ancient Egypt • Isolation • Harsh deserts kept enemies away from Egypt. • Swampy coasts did not allow for ports to be built. • Egyptians remained isolated and close to home. QUESTIONS? Start working on map activity!