Nile River

Nile River, longest river in the world, flowing generally north about 4,145 mi (6,671 km) from east-central Africa through the Sudan and Egypt to the Mediterranean. Its remote headstream is the Luvironza River in Burundi above Victoria Nyanza (Lake Victoria), where the White Nile originates. The Blue Nile rises above Lake Tana in northwestern Ethiopia and joins the White Nile at Khartoum, Sudan, to form the Nile proper. North of Cairo, Egypt, the Nile fans out into a delta 115 mi (185 km) wide, with principal outlets at Rosetta near Alexandria and Damietta near Port Said. Silt deposited by the Nile's annual overflow brought agricultural prosperity throughout Egypt's history. The river has been harnessed, notably at the Aswan High Dam in Upper Egypt, to supply hydroelectricity as well as constant irrigation. The Nile is navigable the year round from its mouth to Aswan, and in full spate it is generally navigable as far south as Uganda.