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Fine1952
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| Joined: | Tuesday January 4th, 2005 |
| Location: | Ohio USA |
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Posted: Wednesday April 12th, 2006 23:17 |
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The point where the Blue and White Nile meet...
COLORS OF THE NILE
The Blue Nile is so-called because its water is visibly purer for most of the year than the grey-coloured water of the White Nile.
The Blue Nile flows generally south from Lake Tana and then west across Ethiopia and northwest into Sudan. Within 30 km (18.6 mi) of its source at Lake Tana, the river enters a canyon about 400 km long. This gorge is a tremendous obstacle for travel and communication from the north half of Ethiopia to the southern half. The power of the Blue Nile may best be appreciated at Tis Issat Falls, which are 45 m (148 ft) high, located about 40 km (25 mi).
The flow of the Blue Nile reaches maximum volume in the rainy season (from June to September), when it supplies about two thirds of the water of the Nile proper. The Blue Nile, along with that of the Atbara to the north, which also flows out of the Ethiopian high-lands, were responsible for the annual Nile floods that contributed to the fertility of the Nile Valley and the consequent rise of ancient Egyptian civilization and Egyptian Mythology. With the completion in 1970 of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt, the Nile floods ended.
The first European who is known to have seen the Blue Nile in Ethiopia was Pedro Paez, a Portuguese priest who traveled to the area in the early 1600s; however, John Bermudez provided a description of the Tis Issat Falls in his memoirs (published in 1565), and a number of Europeans who lived in Ethiopia in the late 15th century like Pero da Covilhã could have seen the river. It took almost another 360 years before the gorge of the Nile was completely mapped.
The Blue Nile is vital to the livelihood of Egypt. Almost 80-85% of the water that reaches Egypt originates from the Blue Nile branch of the great river. The river is also an important resource for Sudan, where the Roseires and Sennar dams produce 80% of the country's power. These dams also help irrigate the Gezira Plain, which is most famous for its high quality cotton. The region also produces wheat, and animal feed crops.
Remarkably, the Blue Nile was not completely run until 2004, when explorers Pasquale Scaturro and Gordon Brown floated from Lake Tana to Khartoum, and eventually on to the Mediterranean. The tale of their expedition is documented in the book "Mystery of the Nile."
CATARACTS ALONG THE NILE VALLEY
Where granite is exposed, rapids, or cataracts, form. Along the Nile, there are 10 cataracts in total. The First Cataract, 7 miles in length, is just to the south of Aswan today, and it logically formed the southern border of Egypt. A person traveling along the river by boat would have to leave the river at this point and carry the boat across the desert, since it was not passable on the rapids.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Nile
http://www.bibleplaces.com/aswan.htm
©Very Fine/1952 -- 2006 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Give advice; if people don't listen, let adversity teach them." -- Ethiopian Proverb
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"It is not who you attend school with but who controls the school you attend." ~ Nikki Giovanni
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