Rivers

NILE RIVER

Click Here to view some incredible pictures of the Nile River taken from the Space Shuttle (optional, but well worth your time)

Although much of the Middle East lies in a lifeless arid region, there are places in the Middle East that are not arid. The longest river in the world, the Nile River, flows right through the Sahara Desert. Along the flat floodplains of this river, agriculture is very good. Not only is there an adequate water supply for irrigation and drinking, but the soil is rich in nutrients and fine sediments that are brought downstream by the annual floods. Historically, people relied heavily on the Nile floods. Even though we often think of floods as being destructive, they are the life of the soil. The floodplain of any river is often where the best soils are located.

In this space shuttle photograph, the dark area is vegetation growing near the actual river channel. The dark area represents the river valley-- not the actual river itself.

NILE RIVER DELTA

The Nile River delta is the most densely populated portion of the Nile River. The Nile River delta is a triangular shaped area that begins at Cairo, Egypt and stretches all the way to the Mediterranean Sea where the Nile eventually flows.

The Nile River delta exists (as any river delta exists) due to a change in the slope of the river bed. For thousands of miles, the Nile River flows northward at a constant slope (all rivers flow downhill toward the sea). The river channel dimensions remain fairly constant and the speed of the river's flow remains fairly constant throughout this long journey. But at the city of Cairo, the slope of the Nile River changes. The slope of the river becomes almost zero as it approaches the sea. All the water coming down the Nile River encounters this flatter slope at Cairo and results in a backed-up "plumbing system". The water has no place to go because the speed of the river's flow has been decreased. Thus, the Nile River Delta is formed.

Because of this change in slope at Cairo, the Nile River branches out and flows in several different directions as it flows toward the sea. This is the Nile River delta. Life flourishes within the Nile River delta (human life too). There is ample water supply for irrigation, drinking, cleaning, bathing, etc. Flooding used to be common which nourished the soils of the region. The Aswan Dam has prevented flooding in the lower Nile which has hindered soil productivity somewhat.

TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVERS

(MESOPOTAMIA -- "Land Between Two Rivers")

Another exception to the hot arid land of the Middle East lies around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in present-day Iraq.

Although the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are not as large as the Nile, they flow almost parallel to one another which allows the flood plains of each river to join together, thus providing thousands of hectares of once rich farmland. This fertile land was the site of ancient Mesopotamia, which means "land between two rivers" (today it is Iraq).

This "land between two rivers" has been poorly managed in recent decades which has resulted in depleted and eroded soils. The farmland of Iraq is not what it used to be. This is a good example of how improper management and overuse of a natural resource can result in its demise. Even the richest farmland in the world can't handle humans who work the soil to death.

The floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers connect with fertile lands located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea (Israel and Lebanon). Some authors also include the fertile lands of the Nile River Delta in the Fertile Crescent. Historically, this area of very rich soil formed an arc or crescent shaped parcel of land stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore it has often been referred to as the "Fertile Crescent".