Modern Egypt is situated in the northeast of the African continent and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, the Saharan and Libyan deserts to the west and the country of Sudan to the south. More than 90% of its land is desert.
The world’s longest river, the Nile (6741 km), runs through the center of this vast land. For thousands of years it was the only source of water available to ancient Egyptians. At the start of the region’s summer months in July every year, the river slowly rises as water from heavy rainfall in Sub-Saharan Africa flow downstream. This annual flooding leaves a dark rich layer of Nile silt on the riverbanks. Between October and November, the crops are planted.
Upper Egypt is the area in the northern part of the country, which borders the sea. This expanse is called the Nile Delta region in modern times and it is where the mighty river spreads out and drains into the sea. Lower Egypt is the southern, more mountainous and drier part of the country.
The lives of the ancient Egyptians depended entirely on the annual Nile flooding. There is evidence of catastrophic famines when a reduction in flood waters caused crops to fail. Egyptian sage Ipuwer gives a graphic description one such famine which occurred towards the end of the Old Kingdom:
“Lo, the desert claims the land Towns are ravaged, Upper Egypt became a wasteland Lo, everyone's hair [has fallen out] Lo, great and small say, 'I wish I were dead' Lo, children of nobles are dashed against walls Infants are put on high ground Food is lacking Wearers of fine linen are beaten with [sticks] Ladies suffer like maidservants Lo, those who were entombed are cast on high grounds Men stir up strife unopposed Groaning is throughout the land, mingled with laments See now the land deprived of kingship What the pyramid hid is empty [The] People are diminished.”
The completion of the colossal High Dam in Aswan in 1971 enabled the country to hold back the annual floodwaters. This allowed Egypt to more effectively manage its precious resource by using modern irrigation techniques. This has created one of the largest man-made lakes in the world – Lake Nasser. Named after one of the former presidents of modern Egypt, this enormous lake has changed the environment of the region. Clouds form over the lake and rain occasionally falls, causing the average monthly temperature in Aswan to drop by more than 10%.