Ancient Egypt:an Overview

Geography• Egypt is placed in

northeastern Africa.

• The Nile River runs along the country from south to north.

• Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions: Upper and Lower Egypt .

• The climate is hot and dry, part of the Sahara Desert

The Nile River• It is the longest

river in the world (over 4,000 miles).

• It served as a source of food for the people of ancient Egypt .

• It was the major source of water for bathing and drinking.

• The Nile was crucial for farming

Facts About the Nile River

Length 4,184 miles

2 Sources Lake Victoria, Uganda (White Nile); Lake Tana, Ethiopia (Blue Nile)

Mouth Mediterranean Sea, off Egypt

Countries Flows Through

Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi

Name Origin Greek word Nelios, which means "River Valley"

• Egyptians were the best navigators of their time.

• They were successful farmers and cultivated the flood plains and deltas for cotton and grains.

Economy

•Egypt was surrounded by deserts and rock cliffs. Egyptians quarried these cliffs for sandstone and granite to use for their monumental architecture.

• They used the mud to make bricks for their utilitarian architecture.

Building