12 CultureShock! Egypt
the Nile flows 880 km (550 miles) from Egypt’s southern
border with Sudan, through its desert heartland to the
Mediterranean bringing life to an otherwise desert wilderness.
The Nile forms at Khartoum, Sudan, when the Blue Nile and
White Nile (whose sources are deep in Africa) converge. It
separates the Western (Libyan) Desert from the Eastern
(Arabian) Desert. As a result of its unique geographical
configuration, most Egyptians live in the Delta and along the
narrow irrigated strip on either side of the Nile.
Another prominent geographical feature is Lake Nasser, an
artificial lake resulting from the construction of the Aswan
High Dam. Historically, the Nile flooded annually, depositing
needed silt all along the Nile’s path. Whether Egypt had a high
or low flood year depended on rainfall in other parts of Africa.
Early in the 1900s, the first Aswan Dam (now below the
High Dam) was completed to try to control annual flooding.
It was subsequently raised, but still could not control the
Nile’s raging flood waters. Only after completion of the
Aswan High Dam in the 1970s was the Nile finally tamed.
The High Dam was built not only to control flooding, but
to increase arable land and generate electricity to facilitateTraditional irrigation methods include the use of water wheels, like the one
shown here, to lift water to crop fi elds. Donkeys and camels are still used as
beasts of burden.