Do Now  Take out last night’s HW – Section 1 Summary

Geography & Ancient Egypt

Egypt called “The Gift of the Nile”  Agricultural communities develop in Egypt by 4500 BC  The water, fertile soil and protected setting of the Nile Valley allowed a great civilization to develop in Egypt around 3200 BC

Facts About the Nile River Length4,184 miles – LONGEST in the world 2 SourcesLake Victoria, Uganda (White Nile); Lake Tana, Ethiopia (Blue Nile) MouthMediterranean Sea, off Egypt Countries Flows Through Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi Name OriginGreek word Nelios, which means "River Valley"

More Facts about the Nile  Flows South to North  People used the river for water, bathing, food, trade, travel, etc.  Without the Nile River and it’s yearly floods, civilization in Egypt would not have existed.  Floods provided nutrients to Egypt’s soil making it look black in color  Cataracts (strong rapids) mark border of upper Egypt  Delta (triangle shaped area of land made of soil deposited from the river) flows into Mediterranean Sea

Boats used to Travel along the Nile River

Blue Nile

White Nile

White & Blue Nile Meet in Sudan

Floodplain  The low strip of fertile land located on either side of the Nile River  The river flooded each year  When the floods were over, they left the earth soaked and overlaid with a fresh layer of black silt.  Most of the farming occurred here

Floodplain (Black Land)

Bordered on the south, east and west by the Sahara Desert, and on the north by the sea, ancient Egypt was protected from outside influences.

Great Sahara Desert

Desert beyond the River Valley (Red Land) Desert Animals Vultures Falcons Jackals Lions Gazelles antelopes

The Desert’s Natural Resources Stone  Diorite  Dolerite  Granites  Quartzites  Limestone  Sandstone Minerals  Tin  Lead  Copper  Gold  Turquois  Emeralds

The Nile’s Wildlife Animals  Waterfowl (geese, ducks, storks, ibis)  Hippopotami  Crocodiles  Cobras  Catfish Plants  Lotus  Papyrus

Menes (first Pharaoh) unites Upper and Lower Egypt 3100 BC  Northern part of Egypt  Nile Delta  Flooded in the Fall  Red Crown  Southern part of Egypt  5 of the 6 cataracts  Flooded in mid- Summer  White Crown Lower Egypt Upper Egypt

 video video Egyptian Geography Video