The reason why the Nile River was given this name
The derivation of the name of the Nile River goes back to the Greek word “Nilus”, which is a word of Semitic origin from the root (naḥal), which means valley, or river valley. It is worth noting that the name (Nile) is one of the oldest geographical names in the entire world, and its origin This name is Latin, specifically from ancient Greek.
Other names for the Nile River, ancient and modern
The Egyptians and Sudanese call the Nile River many names, perhaps the most important of which are the following:
- Nile.
- Sea.
- Nile Sea.
- The Nile River.
- The Nile derived one of its names in ancient times from the black color that characterizes the Nile clay. It is what gave the land its oldest name, which is (Kem) or (Kemi), which means black or darkness. It was also called names such as “Aur” and “Ar.” Which also means (black), and this is a reference to the black color of river sediments, especially when the river is in a state of complete flood.
Information about the Nile River
- The Nile River is the longest river in the world, with a length of 4.160 miles (6.695 km).
- The Nile River drains 1.100.000 square miles of water (2.850.000 square kilometers), meaning that it passes through about a tenth of the area of Africa, in addition to passing through parts of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. Burundi, Tanzania, and Congo.
- The importance of the Nile River's water stems from supporting agriculture in densely populated Egyptian areas. It provides irrigation water for all Sudanese crops. Its water is also used for navigation and hydroelectric power generation.
- The Nile River is distinguished by the fact that, unlike other rivers, it flows to the north and overflows at a time when the temperature is highest in the year. This is a mystery that the ancient Egyptians and Greeks did not solve.
