River valleys are extensive areas of land filled with rich, fertile soil, and they played an important role in the development of many ancient civilizations. River valleys are fascinating, prosperous places, are usually good places to develop permanent settlements; this especially true for the Nile River valley.
The Nile River has an interesting location. It is located in North East Africa, by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The Nile River is one of the few rivers that flow north, into the Mediterranean Sea. It also passes through the Sahara Desert, and flows by the Red Sea. Today, it flows past Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Sudan, and Egypt. The Nile River valley gets predictable floods that were almost identical year after year. It is also one of the longest rivers in the world.
Much like anywhere we choose to set our roots, there are advantages and disadvantages of living in the Nile River Valley. The river valley had predictable floods, which made it easier to plant crops such as what, oats, and papyrus. There was very fertile, rich soil called silt, which had resulted from the flooding. The river was also great for transportation because it acted as a natural highway. The Nile River flowed north while the winds blew south, making it easier to trade up and down the entire river. The Nile River was also considered "cultural crossroad of the world." This is because people from all over the world would travel up the Nile, going from trade port to trade port. The river also helped people wash clothes, and provided drinking water for both animals and humans. The disadvantages were that it can either over flood and ruin crops and houses, or not flood enough and farmers would struggle to grow crops from the lack of silt. The seldom unpredictable flooding made them a target of invasion. Rainfall was almost non-existent, and Egyptians relied heavily on the river as a steady water supply.
