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The Nile Delta is the delta
River delta

A delta is a landform that is created at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river....
 formed in Northern Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 (Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt

Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the Fertile Crescent Nile Delta region, which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Dahshur, south of modern-day Cairo, and the Mediterranean Sea....
) where the Nile
Nile

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the List of rivers by length in the world.The Nile has two major tributary, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and silt, but the former being the longer of the two....
 River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria
Alexandria

Alexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports....
 in the west to Port Said
Port Said

Port Said is a northeastern Egyptian city near the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 515,007 .The economic base of Port Said is fishing and industries, like chemicals, processed food, and cigarettes....
 in the east, it covers some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline—and is a rich agricultural region.






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Nile Delta Landsat False Color
The Nile Delta is the delta
River delta

A delta is a landform that is created at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river....
 formed in Northern Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 (Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt

Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the Fertile Crescent Nile Delta region, which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Dahshur, south of modern-day Cairo, and the Mediterranean Sea....
) where the Nile
Nile

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the List of rivers by length in the world.The Nile has two major tributary, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and silt, but the former being the longer of the two....
 River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria
Alexandria

Alexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports....
 in the west to Port Said
Port Said

Port Said is a northeastern Egyptian city near the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 515,007 .The economic base of Port Said is fishing and industries, like chemicals, processed food, and cigarettes....
 in the east, it covers some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline—and is a rich agricultural region. From north to south the delta is approximately 160 km in length. The Delta begins slightly down-river from Cairo
Cairo

Cairo , which means "the triumphant", is the Cairo and largest city of Egypt.It is the most populous metropolitan area in Egypt and is also one of the most populous in the world....
.

Shape and composition

The Nile is considered to be an "arcuate" delta (arc-shaped), as it resembles a triangle or lotus flower when seen from above. The outer edges of the delta are eroding, and some coastal lagoons have seen increasing salinity levels as their connection to the Mediterranean Sea increases. Since the delta no longer receives an annual supply of nutrients and sediments from upstream due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam, the soils of the floodplains have become poorer, and large amounts of fertilizers are now used. Topsoil
Topsoil

Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top 2 to 8 inches. It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biology soil activity occurs....
 in the delta can be as much as 70 feet in depth. Also the topsoil falls off in the land and causes the water to rise and is green.

History

People have lived in the Nile Delta region for thousands of years, and have been intensively farming for at least five thousand years. The Nile River used to be flooded on an annual basis, but this ended with the construction of the Aswan Dam
Aswan Dam

Aswan is a city on the first Cataracts of the Nile of the Nile in Egypt.Two dams straddle the river at this point: the newer Aswan High Dam , and the older Aswan Dam or Aswan Low Dam....
. Records from ancient times (Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder

Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient author, naturalist or natural philosopher and naval and military commander of some importance who wrote Natural History ....
), show that the delta had seven distributaries: (from east to west) the Pelusiac, the Tanitic, the Mendesian, the Phatnitic (or Phatmetic), the Sebennytic, the Bolbitine, and the Canopic (also called the Herakleotic, e.g. at [Callisthenes] Alexander 1.31). There are now only two main branches, due to flood control, silting and changing relief: The Damietta (corresponding to the Phatnitic) to the east and the Rosetta (corresponding to the Bolbitinic) on the western part of the delta. The Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone is an Ancient Egyptian Artifact which was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphsic writing....
 was found in the Nile Delta in 1787 in the port city of Rosetta (anglicized name of Rashid
RASHID

RASHID, born Mduduzi Khumalo is a Hip Hop artist from Thokoza township in Johannesburg, South Africa. He began MCeeing at the age of 12.He is best known for his break-out free approach for influencing the youth to join the Hip Hop movement....
). In pharaonic times, this area was Lower Egypt. It was also called the "Land of Goshen".
Rosetta Stone

Flora & Fauna

During the fall, parts of the Nile River are red with lotus flowers
Nelumbo nucifera

Nelumbo nucifera, known by a number of names including Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, or simply lotus. Botanically, Nelumbo nucifera may also be referred to by its Synonym , Nelumbium speciosum or Nymphaea nelumbo. This plant is an aquatic perennial....
. The Lower Nile (North) and the Upper Nile (South) have plants that grow in abundance. The Lower Nile plant is the Egyptian lotus, and the Upper Nile plant is the Cyperus papyrus
Cyperus papyrus

Cyperus papyrus is a monocot belonging to the sedge family Cyperaceae. It is a herbaceous perennial plant native to Africa, and forms tall stands of reed-like swamp vegetation in shallow water....
 (papyrus sedge), although it is not nearly as plentiful as it once was, and is becoming quite rare.

Several hundred thousand water birds winter in the delta, including the world’s largest concentrations of little gull
Little Gull

The Little Gull is a small gull which breeds in northern Europe and Asia. It also has small colonies in parts of northern Canada. It is bird migration, wintering on coasts in western Europe, the Mediterranean and the northeast USA....
s and whiskered tern
Whiskered Tern

The Whiskered Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in size and minor plumage details....
s. Other birds making their homes in the delta include grey heron
Grey Heron

The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds bird migration in winter from the ice in colder regions....
s, Kentish Plover
Kentish Plover

The Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, is a small wader in the plover bird family. Despite its name, this species no longer breeds in Kent, or even Great Britain....
s, shovelers
Northern Shoveler

The Northern Shoveler , sometimes known simply as the Shoveler , is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, and is a rare vagrant to Australia....
 and cormorant
Cormorant

The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of Genus is disputed....
s. Also found are egret
Egret

An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genus Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets....
s and ibis
Ibis

The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae. They all have long down curved bills, and usually feed as a group, probing mud for food items, usually crustaceans....
es.

Other animals found in the delta include frog
Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . The name frog derives from Old English language frogga, , cognate with Sanskrit plava , probably deriving from Proto-Indo-European language praw = "to jump"....
s, turtle
Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the Order Testudines , most of whose body is shielded by a special bone or cartilage animal shell developed from their ribs....
s, tortoise
Tortoise

Tortoises or land turtles are land-dwelling reptiles of the family of Testudinidae, order Turtle. Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell....
s, mongoose
Mongoose

A mongoose is a member of the family Herpestidae , a family of small, cat-like Carnivoras.The word mongoose is derived from the Marathi language name mangus "mongoose", perhaps ultimately from Dravidian languages ....
s, and the Nile monitor
Nile monitor

The Nile monitor is a large member of the monitor lizard family .Nile monitors grow to about 1.5 to 2 meters in length. They have muscular bodies, strong legs and powerful jaws....
. Nile crocodile
Nile crocodile

The Nile crocodile is an African reptile of the Family Crocodylidae....
s are no longer found in the Nile Delta. Fish found in the delta include the Striped mullet and soles.
Chlidonias Hybrida 3 (marek Szczepanek)

Climate

The Nile Delta has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by little rainfall. Only 100 to 200 mm of rain falls on the delta area during an average year, and most of this falls in the winter months. The delta experiences its hottest temperatures in July and August, averaging 30°C, with a maximum of around 48°C. Winter temperatures are normally in the range of 10° to 19°C. With cooler temperatures and some rain, the Nile Delta region becomes quite humid during the winter months. The Nile Delta is eroding at a rate of 50km2 per year, and it has been predicted that this Delta will have vanished by the year 2550AD

Egypt Nile Delta Governorates

  • Kafr El Sheikh
    Kafr el-Sheikh Governorate

    Kafr el-Sheikh Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt of Egypt. It lies in the north of the country along the western branch of the Nile....
  • AL Dakahliya
  • AL Gharbiya
  • AL Monoufiya
  • AL Qalyubiya
  • Damietta


Ancient and modern cities in the Delta region

  • Alexandria
    Alexandria

    Alexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports....
  • Avaris
    Avaris

    Avaris , was located near modern Tell el-Dab'a in the northeastern region of the Nile Delta. As the main course of the Nile migrated eastward and the delta sedimented up and moved with the river, its position at the hub of Egypt's delta emporia made it a major administrative capital of the Hyksos "Phoenician kings" and other traders....
  • Bilbeis
    Bilbeis

    Bilbeis is an ancient fortress city on the eastern edge of the southern Nile delta in Egypt.The city played a role in the machinations for control of the Fatimid vizierate: first in 1164, when Shirkuh was besieged in the city by the combined forces of Shiwar and Amalric I of Jerusalem for three months; then again in 1168 when the city was...
  • Bubastis
    Bubastis

    Bubastis or Egyptian language Per-Bast was an Ancient Egyptian city, the capital of its own nome , located along the Nile in the Nile Delta region of Lower Egypt....
  • Canopus
  • Damanhur
    Damanhur

    Damanhur or Hermopolis Mikra is a city in Lower Egypt, and the capital of the Beheira Governorate. It is located 160 km northwest of Cairo, and 70 km E.S.E....
  • Damietta
    Damietta

    Damietta, Damiata, or Domyat is a harbor and the capital of the governorate of Domyat Governorate, Egypt. It is located at the intersection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile, about north of Cairo....
  • Leontopolis
    Leontopolis

    Leontopolis or Leonto or Latin: Leontos Oppidum or Egyptian language: Taremu, was an Ancient Egyptian city that is known as Tell al Muqdam today....
  • Mendes
    Mendes

    Mendes , the Greek language name of the Ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in Ancient Egypt as Per -Banebdjedet and Anpet, is known today as Tell El-Ruba ....
  • Mit Abu al-Kum
    Mit Abu al-Kum, al-Minufiyah, Egypt

    Mit Abu al-Kum is a village in the Egyptian Nile Delta and the Al Minufiyah Egypt#Governorates. It is the birthplace of Egyptian president Anwar Al Sadat , and his childhood home has been made into a museum....
  • Mansoura
  • Naucratis
    Naucratis

    Naucratis or Naukratis, , loosely translated as " power over ships" , was a city of Ancient Egypt, on the Canopus, Egypt branch of the Nile river, 45 mi SE of the open sea and the later capital of Ptolemaic Egypt, Alexandria....
  • Pelusium
    Pelusium

    Pelusium was a city in the eastern extremes of Egypt's Nile Delta, 30 km to the southeast of the modern Port Said. Alternative names include Sena and Per -Amun , Pelousion , Sin , Sey?n , and Tell el-Farama ....
  • Port Said
    Port Said

    Port Said is a northeastern Egyptian city near the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 515,007 .The economic base of Port Said is fishing and industries, like chemicals, processed food, and cigarettes....
  • Rosetta
    Rosetta

    Rosetta is a port city on the Mediterranean Sea coast in Egypt. It is located 65 km east of Alexandria, at , in Al Buhayrah Governorate Governorates of Egypt....
  • Sais
    Sais, Egypt

    Sais or Sa el-Hagar was an ancient Egyptian town in the Western Nile Delta on the Canopus, Egypt branch of the Nile. It was the provincial capital of the fifth nome of Lower Egypt and became the seat of power during the Twenty-fourth dynasty of Egypt and the Saite Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt during the Late Period of Ancient Egypt....
  • Tanis
    Tanis, Egypt

    Tanis , the Greek language name of ancient Djanet , is a city in the north-eastern Nile delta of ancient Egypt. It lies on the Tanitic branch of the Nile ....
  • Tanta
    Tanta

    Tanta is Egypt's 5th largest City, with an estimated 429,000 inhabitants . Tanta is located 94 km north of Cairo and 130 km southeast of Alexandria....
  • Zagazig
    Zagazig

    Zagazig , is a town of Lower Egypt, in the eastern part of the Nile delta, and is the capital of the province of Sharqia Governorate.As of 1999, its population was approximately 279,000....


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