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Enjoy our awesome range of Earth facts for kids. Check out the cool trivia and have fun learning about some of our planet's most amazing features.

Nile River Facts

Check out these fun Nile River facts for kids. Learn about where the Nile River is located, its relationship to Ancient Egypt, how long it is, the agriculture it supports and more. Enjoy our range of interesting facts about the Nile River.

The length of the Nile River is approximately 6650 kilometres (4132 miles). It is believed to be the longest river in the world.

Located in Africa, the Nile River lies in the following countries: Kenya, Eritrea, Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

The Nile River has huge significance in regards to Ancient Egypt. Most of Ancient Egypt's historical sites are located along the banks of the Nile River including cities such as Luxor and Cairo.

In 2004, the White Nile Expedition became the first to navigate the entire length of the Nile River. The expedition began in Uganda and finished in Rosetta, taking four months and two weeks to complete.

The Nile Delta in Northern Egypt is where the Nile River drains in to the Mediterranean Sea. It is around 160 kilometres (100 miles) in length and spreads out over 240 kilometres (149 miles) of coastline. It is rich in agriculture and has been farmed for thousands of years.

Around 40 million people (half of Egypt's population) live in the Nile Delta region.

In 1787, the famous Rosetta stone was found in the Nile Delta in the city of Rosetta. This Ancient Egyptian artifact played a key role in modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

The Aswan High Dam was built in 1970 to help regulate flooding of the Nile River. Before the Aswan Dam was built, years that featured high levels of water could wipe out crops while years of low level water could produce famines and drought. The dam helps control these water levels.

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Nile River Facts for Kids - Interesting Facts about the Nile River

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Enjoy our awesome range of Earth facts for kids. Check out the cool trivia and have fun learning about some of our planet's most amazing features. Nile River Facts Check out these fun Nile River facts for kids. Learn about where the Nile River is located, its relationship to Ancient Egypt, how long it is, the agriculture it supports and more.

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Ancient Egypt Facts For Kids - History Lessons in [year]

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Ancient Egypt was a fascinating time in History. We've got everything you need to know right here, plus some super fun facts. Doing a project on Ancient Egypt, or just want to find out more? Then read on for some interesting facts about Ancient Egypt.

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The Nile River is not only the longest river in Africa, but it's the longest river in the world. It was a really important part of Ancient Egyptian life, where it gave them food, transport, building materials and more. Read on to find out all about this amazing river.

What you need to know about the Nile River

The length of the Nile River is a whopping 6650km in length. That's about 400km longer than the mighty Amazon River.

The Nile River is in Africa and even though people really think of it as belonging to Egypt it goes through many countries including Kenya, Eritrea, Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. Who would have thought that?

The Nile River played a huge part in Ancient Egypt. Most of Ancient Egypt's historical sites are along the banks of the Nile River, including cities such as Luxor and Cairo.

In 2004, the White Nile Expedition was the first to steer their way along the entire length of this massive river. They started out in Uganda and finished in Rosetta. It took 4 months and 2 weeks to complete. That is one mighty journey!

The Nile Delta, which is the mouth of a river that forms where it drains into the sea, is in Northern Egypt. It goes into the Mediterranean Sea. It is around 160 km in length and is about 240 km of coastline. There's heaps of good stuff in the soil here, so this area has been farmed for years and years.

Around 40 million people, which are half of Egypt's population, live in the Nile Delta region. Wow, the land must be good here!

The famous Rosetta stone was found in the Nile Delta in the city of Rosetta In 1787. This Ancient Egyptian artefact (or object) was a major reason why we understand so much about Egyptian hieroglyphics today. That would be very cool to see don't you think?

The Nile River was known for its flooding and then its periods of drought. The one good thing about the floods was that it left behind perfect soil to grow their crops again. They then built the Aswan High Dam in 1970 to help control the flooding of the Nile River and cities.

Interesting Facts

Want to know where the name of the river came from? Well it comes from the Greek word 'neilos' which means 'river'.

Without the Nile River, the Ancient Egyptians could quite possibly never have become as powerful, or have been one of the greatest civilisations in history. They relied on it for their wealth and power.

The Ancient Egyptians called the river 'Ar' or 'Aur' which means 'black'. Now why in the world would they name it that? Well each time the river flooded it left black sediment along the river banks!

If you want to find the largest crocodiles in Africa, then the Nile River is the place to go.

You will see loads of animals around the river including those rather large crocodiles, Nile monitors, frogs, mongooses, turtles, tortoises, hippopotamus, wildebeest, baboons, and over three hundred species of birds. Wow, you can go nature watching.

The river is a big part of getting around, especially during the flood season when they can't use any roads.

The most important thing the Nile gave to the Ancient Egyptians was fertile land. Most of Egypt is desert, but along the Nile River the soil was perfect for growing crops. The three most important crops were wheat, flax, and papyrus.

The Nile River also gave the Ancient Egyptians loads of building materials. From the mud they would make bricks and then build homes, walls and buildings.

This is amazing. The Egyptians built their calendars around the Nile River. They had three seasons which were called Akhet, where the river would flood, Peret, the growing season, and Shemu the harvest season.

Fun Facts about the River Nile

That awesome black soil they got from the Nile River was called the 'Gift of the Nile' by the Ancient Egyptians.

The Egyptians measured the height of the annual flood using a Nilometer. This helped them to see how good the crops would be that year.

The cause of the flood each year was heavy rains and melting snow to the south near the source of the Nile. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the flood was caused by the tears of the goddess Isis, as she cried for her dead husband Osiris.

The Nile River is certainly one important river and sounds like a cool place to go and visit with so much to see!

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The Nile River is not only the longest river in Africa, but it's the longest river in the world. It was a really important part of Ancient Egyptian life, where it gave them food, transport, building materials and more. Read on to find out all about this amazing river.

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The River Nile is about 6,670 km (4,160 miles) in length and is the longest river in Africa and in the world. Although it is generally associated with Egypt, only 22% of the Nile's course runs through Egypt.

In Egypt, the River Nile creates a fertile green valley across the desert. It was by the banks of the river that one of the oldest civilizations in the world began. The ancient Egyptians lived and farmed along the Nile, using the soil to produce food for themselves and their animals.

Quick facts about the River Nile

Approx 6,695 kilometers
(4,160 miles)

1. Where is the River Nile? Location of the

2. Where is the source of the River Nile? Source

3. Which two main rivers flow into the River Nile? Map of the Nile river

4. Why did the Ancient Egyptians live near the River Nile?
Why live near Nile?

5. Why was the Nile River so important to the Ancient Egyptians? Why important?

6. What else did the Nile provide for the Ancient Egyptians?

7. What was the area next to the River Nile Called?
Black land and Red land

8. When did the Nile flood? Flooding

9. Why did the Nile Flood?

10. Why does the Nile not flood now ?

11. Who was the Nile God? God

12. Interesting facts about the River Nile
Facts about the Nile

Where is the River Nile?

The River Nile is in Africa. It originates in Burundi, south of the equator, and flows northward through northeastern Africa, eventually flowing through Egypt and finally draining into the Mediterranean Sea.

Map of the River Nile from space
Notice that the land is green on either side of the Nile.

Where is the source of the River Nile?

Lake Victoria, Africa's biggest lake, is generally thought of as the source of the River Nile. On the northern edge of the lake, water pours over a waterfall, known as Ripon Falls, into a narrow opening which some people believe is the beginning of the River Nile.
The true source of the River Nile
Ripon Falls may be the starting-point of the river, but the many streams that flow into Lake Victoria could claim to be the true source.

Much of Lake Victoria is surrounded by mountains with streams tumbling down into the lake. The largest tributary of Lake Victoria is the Kagera river. The Kagera and its tributary the Ruvubu, with its headwaters in Burundi, is now considered to be the true source of the Nile. It is from here that the Nile is measured as the world's longest river.

What are the two main rivers that flow into the River Nile?

The River Nile is formed from the White Nile, which originates at Lake Victoria and the Blue Nile, which originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. These rivers meet in Sudan and then go on their long journey northwards towards the sea.

The White Nile is a lot bigger than the Blue Nile, but because of losses along the way the it only contributes about 15% to the flow of the combined Nile. The Blue Nile, rising in Ethiopia, contributes about 85% to the flow of the Nile that passes through Egypt to the Mediterranean.
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Why did the Ancient Egyptians live near the River Nile?

Most Egyptians lived near the Nile as it provided water, food, transportation and excellent soil for growing food.

Why was the Nile River so important to the Ancient Egyptians?

Ancient Egypt could not have existed without the river Nile. Since rainfall is almost non-existent in Egypt, the floods provided the only source of moisture to sustain crops.

Every year, heavy summer rain in the Ethiopian highlands, sent a torrent of water that overflowed the banks of the Nile. When the floods went down it left thick rich mud ( black silt) which was excellent soil to plant seeds in after it had been ploughed.

The ancient Egyptians could grow crops only in the mud left behind when the Nile flooded. So they all had fields all along the River Nile.
Find out about Egyptian Farming

What else did the Nile provide for the Ancient Egyptians?

Reeds, called papyrus, grew along side the Nile. The Egyptians made paper and boats from the reeds.
Find out about Egyptian Writing

The Nile also gave the ancient Egyptians food. They used spears and nets to catch fish. They would also use the nets to catch birds that flew close to the surface of the water.

Another way the Nile helped the ancient Egyptians was in trade. The Nile was the quickest and easiest way to travel from place to place.
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What was the area next to the River Nile called?

This area was known as the Black Land. Further away from the river was the Red Land, a region of inhospitable desert.

When did the Nile flood?

The River Nile flooded every year between June and September, in a season the Egyptians called akhet - the inundation.

Why did the Nile Flood?

Melting snow and heavy summer rain in the Ethiopian Mountains sent a torrent of water causing the banks of the River Nile in Egypt to overflow on the flat desert land.

Why does the Nile not flood now ?

The construction of the Aswan Dam in the 1960's meant that from 1970 the annual flood was controlled.
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Who was the Nile God?

Hapi was the Nile god. Honouring a god was very important, so when a flood came the Egyptians would thank Hapi for bringing fertility to the land.

Interesting Facts about the River Nile:

The Nile River is the longest river in the world.

The Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

The largest source of the Nile is Lake Victoria.

The Nile has a length of about 6,695 kilometers (4,160 miles).

Its average discharge is 3.1 million litres (680,000 gallons) per second.

The Nile basin is huge and includes parts of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo (Kinshasa), Kenya.

The name Nile comes from the Greek "neilos", which means valley.

The Ancient Egyptians called the river Ar or Aur (black) because of the colour of the sediment left after the river's annual flood.

Further Infomation

Nile River
A fantastic resource about the Nile.
Fact File of the River Nile

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The River Nile is about 6,670 km (4,160 miles) in length and is the longest river in Africa and in the world. Although it is generally associated with Egypt, only 22% of the Nile's course runs through Egypt. In Egypt, the River Nile creates a fertile green valley across the desert.