Where is the source of the Nile River?

One of the world's greatest rivers, the Nile, originates in the territory of Uganda and Ethiopia, carries its waters from south to north through the sands of the Sahara, forming a vast delta when it flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The mysterious appearance of a watercourse among the mountains and lakes of East Africa, its abundant water was for a long time the subject of scientific disputes. Where is the source of the Nile? Scientists have argued on this subject for 2500 years, since the time of Herodotus and Ptolemy.

The Riddle of the Nile

Unlike the ancient Greek titans of scientific thought, modern researchers and tourists have the opportunity to climb upstream to the very source. Only they are not alone, but two, which still puzzles travelers. What river or brook is taken for the source of the Nile River? She belongs to the second place in the world ranking of the longest watercourses.

Everything that touches the sources, the channel and the mouth of the river, takes on enormous dimensions. Thus, the length from the source to the place where it enters the sea is more than 6,650 km. It is slightly smaller than the length of the Amazon in South America, to which the Nile is inferior to the palm tree.

The source of the Nile

The origin of the watercourse is disputed by the African countries of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. These states are washed by Lake Victoria, in its northern part the picturesque Ripa waterfall is overthrown. Here, in the territory of Uganda, one of the two main tributaries, the White Nile, begins.

Far to the northeast of these places, in Ethiopia, is a small lake Tana, where the second source of the Nile - the Blue Nile is located. Two sleeves merge near the Egyptian city of Khartoum. Further, the river carries its waters strictly to the north - to the Mediterranean Sea.

The main source of the Nile is the White or Blue tributaries?

Travelers of antiquity coming from the north - from Europe - could not rise upstream to the sources of the river. The rapid current, the abundance of rapids and waterfalls, impenetrable evergreen forests made this task almost insoluble. The Egyptians deified the Nile, portraying it as a creature with a draped head - they did not know where the source was.

About 150 years ago , African researchers D. Livingston, D. Speke, R. Burton and journalist G. Stanley came closest to the solution of the centuries-old puzzle. Since then, the length of the Nile has been counted from Lake Victoria. But large rivers flow into it, which can be considered the sources of the Nile.

The modern solution to the riddle of the source of the Nile

Scientists have chosen as the starting point the beginning of the longest watercourse - r. Rukarara. This sleeve r. Kagera begins south of the equator among the mountains of East Africa, lies at an altitude of more than 2000 m. The entire river artery, the length of which is part of the geographical directories and guides, looks like a chain of watercourses of different scale: p. Rukarara, where the source of the Nile is located, → p. Kagera → p. White Nile → p. Nile.

The total length of this river system reaches 6670 km. The catchment area reaches almost 3.5 million m ^₂ , covering parts of the territories of 9 countries. The indicator of 5600 km characterizes the length of the Nile from the lake. Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea.

Nile - one of the 7 natural wonders of Africa

After combining the two sleeves - the White and Blue Nile - the river flows through the greatest desert of the world. Sands of the Sahara not only did not absorb the source and mouth of the Nile River over the past centuries, on the contrary, come to life thanks to a constant watercourse. Even in the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, this fact astounded the population. With the deep-water Nile, hopes for a rich harvest of rice were associated, and too much flooding of the river after heavy rains in the headwaters promised starvation to ordinary people.

The site of the confluence of the Nile on the Mediterranean coast is also surprising by its appearance and origin. For thousands of years the river carries the smallest fragments of rocks from south to north. Sand and clay are deposited in the Nile delta, annually increasing its area.

River cruises along the Nile

The popularity of water cruises along the river is growing every year. Swimming became much safer than in antiquity. The dams that blocked the channel created conditions for a more even flow. The water rose and concealed many dangerous rapids. Unfortunately, waterfalls have become lower, but their beauty and unusualness from this almost did not suffer.

In addition to river cruising, there are more risky types of recreation on the river - rafting, kayaking and swimming downstream with a canoe. Another entertainment near the beautiful waterfalls in the territory of Uganda - bungee jumping (jumping from height with insurance). On the banks of the Victoria Nile near the waterfall of Cabarega is the eponymous national park. Its inhabitants - African elephants, wildebeest, buffaloes, gazelles - more than 76 species of wild animals.