Egypt is located in northeast Africa

Puzzle Time!

• With your group, use the puzzle to complete your map

• The first group to finish with all correct answers gets a bonus point!

Geography of the Nile River

• Flows North• Originates in the highlands of

Central Africa• Ends in the Mediterranean Sea• The longest river in the world at

4,160 miles

Floods

• Until recently, flooded annually in July

• Floods were predictable• Deposited silt, replenishing

the soil with nutrients• The silt built up at the mouth

of the river, forming a delta

Influence of Geography on Civilization

• Natural Barriers provide obstacles to potential invaders– Mediterranean Sea to the North– Libyan Desert to the West– Nubian Desert to the Southeast– Red Sea to the East

• Susceptible to Invasion– Across the Sinai Peninsula– Across the Northern Sinai Desert– Also enabled Egypt to invade

others

Effect of Barriers• Limited invasions• Limited farming to a narrow region

on either side of the Nile River• Caused river villages to be

crowded– As population grew, villages

expanded– Forced Egyptians to develop

irrigation systems to create more fertile land

– Drained marshy swamps of the delta region in order to farm the land

Benefits• The river served as a highway– United the villages along the river– The river made travel between

villages easy– Currents carried barges

downstream– Sails used to catch winds and travel

upstream• The river attracted wildlife and

fish• Papyrus grew along the river-

Used to make paper

Nile River Delta from space

Exit Slip

• List 5 facts about the Nile River and the physical features of Egypt