The Nile River

1.)  Describe the climate zone/biome of the Nile River area.

Arid Desert

         The northern section of the Nile River, which is where it runs through Egypt, has a very arid climate.  It was a hot, dry, and barren desert, and it would have been fairly impossible for the ancient Egyptians to prosper there, if not for the river.  On average, the northern area has a very low precipitation rate:  under ten inches a year.  Down in the southern part of the Nile, where it split into the White Nile and Blue Nile around Sudan and Ethiopia, the climate was more forgiving.  The White Nile continued through the bottom of Sudan, where it was more tropical with both rainy and dry seasons, and was mostly a tropical savanna.  The Blue Nile went east towards Ethiopia, and met highlands and mixed forests.  There was more precipitation south of Egypt, ranging from an average of 40 to 80 inches of rainfall a year.

2.)  List the vegetation and natural resources available.

Papyrus Plant

           Along the Nile River, there were many different types of vegetation and natural resources available to ancient humans.  Among these were fish, water, fertile soil, flint, papyrus, and flax.  Everywhere else in Egypt except the areas by the Nile River were virtually uninhabitable.  There wasn't enough precipitation up north to sustain people and animals, and the soil was hard and dry.  The Nile provided water for people, as well as good earth.  It flooded annually, and carried minerals and nutrients in the form of silt to land.  This made it a very good place for farming.  Fish and other animals were provided by the Nile, because of the source of water it was.  Animals were able to survive there because of the liquid and because of the vegetation that grew by the side of the river.   These were good food for humans.  The papyrus plant also flourished in the Nile, which allowed for people to make paper to write stories and record trading deals.  Also, the earth along the Nile yielded flint:  a stone used to create fires and tools such as sickles for harvesting crops.  Lastly, a plant called flax grew by the Nile.  It was used to make clothing and sheets and such, because it could be spun into linen.

3.)  Explain how water, mud, plants, and animals were all "gifts of the Nile" to the Egyptians.

Nile River

          Water, mud, plants, and animals were all "gifts of the Nile" to the Egyptians, because without that river, none of them would have existed in that particular area.  Without the Nile, there couldn't be water.  Without water, there couldn't be mud or plants.  Without mud, people would have had a very hard time making homes and other buildings in which to live.  If there weren't any plants, then it was almost impossible for animals to live.  Humans needed animals, both as food and as laborers, and without them, we would have had a hard time developing everything we needed in order to trade, grow crops, and other things.