How many cataracts are found in the Nile?
The cataracts of the Nile are sections of the Nile river characterized by extreme shallowness and a number of obstacles that make them difficult to navigate. Historically, six sections of cataracts along the river have been particularly notable, and there are a number of smaller shallows that have come and gone with the Nile's changing terrain.
How many cataracts can you find in the Nile River?
The six cataracts of the Nile are depicted extensively by European visitors, notably by Winston Churchill in The River War (1899), where he recounts the exploits of the British trying to return to the Sudan between 1896 and 1898, after they were forced to leave in 1885. Between what cataracts of the Nile river is Nubia located?
How many cataracts were there along the Nile River?
There are 6 cataracts along the Nile river, in the Nubian section of the Nile. Why is the Nile the most important physical feature in Egypt? The most important thing the Nile provided to the Ancient Egyptians was fertile land. Most of Egypt is desert, but along the Nile River the soil is rich and good for growing crops. …
What do the cataracts along the Nile River represent?
The cataracts reflect the gradual erosion of the Nubian sandstone—a fairly soft and horizontal rock unit that underlies the flat, broad portion of the Nile—and the resulting exposure of the underlying granitic rocks, which are much harder and tend to erode in narrow channels. The cataracts in southern Egypt. Source: AfricanWater.org and TourEgypt
How many cataract does the river Nile have?
six cataractsThe six cataracts of the Nile are depicted extensively by European visitors, notably by Winston Churchill in The River War (1899), where he recounts the exploits of the British trying to return to the Sudan between 1896 and 1898, after they were forced to leave in 1885.
What are the Cataracts on the Nile river?
The Cataracts of the Nile are shallow lengths of the Nile River, between Khartoum and Aswan, where the surface of the water is broken by many small boulders and stones jutting out of the river bed, as well as many rocky islets.
What is the first cataract of the Nile river?
The Nile River is shown above passing the granite islands that form the first cataract at Aswan City, Egypt. Cataracts occur where outcrops of granite, as well as other resistant rocks, reach the banks of the Nile River.
What caused the Cataracts in the Nile?
Geologists indicate that the region of the northern Sudan is tectonically active and this activity has caused the river to take on “youthful” characteristics. The Nubian Swell has diverted the river's course to the west, while keeping its depth shallow and causing the formation of the cataracts.
Is a waterfall a cataract?
cataract, a waterfall (q.v.), especially one containing great volumes of water rushing over a precipice.
How did the cataracts help Egypt?
The cataract system created a natural boundary at Aswan, separating Egypt from its southern neighbor, Nubia.
Why is it called cataracts?
Cataract dates to the 14th century and comes from the Latin word cataracta, meaning "portcullis." The Latin pertains to the ocular cataract, probably because it obstructs one's vision much like the portcullis's heavy iron grating obstructs passage into a fortress or castle.
Why is the Nile so important?
The Nile, which flows northward for 4,160 miles from east-central Africa to the Mediterranean, provided ancient Egypt with fertile soil and water for irrigation, as well as a means of transporting materials for building projects. Its vital waters enabled cities to sprout in the midst of a desert.
What is the meaning of cataract in Egypt?
In fact, “cataract” means both an opacity of the lens and a torrent of water and is derived from the Greek word kataráktēs meaning the fall of water. A wall painting in an ancient tomb at Thebes (about 1200 B.C.) seems to reveal the treatment of an eye by an oculist.
What are the two main sources of the Nile river?
The Nile is composed of two tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile, which is the longer of the two, begins at Lake Victoria in Tanzania and flows north until it reaches Khartoum, Sudan, where it converges with the Blue Nile. The Blue Nile begins near Lake Tana in Ethiopia.
What is cataract in ancient Egypt?
In fact, “cataract” means both an opacity of the lens and a torrent of water and is derived from the Greek word kataráktēs meaning the fall of water. A wall painting in an ancient tomb at Thebes (about 1200 B.C.) seems to reveal the treatment of an eye by an oculist.
What does cataract mean in ancient Egypt?
waterfallThe word cataract comes from the Greek word Katarakhtes meaning "waterfall". In ancient times, Upper Egypt extended from the Nile Delta to the first cataract. Further upstream, in what is modern Sudan, the land was later controlled by the Kingdom of Kush.
What is a cataract in the Nile river make transportation difficult?
How did cataracts in the Nile River make transportation difficult? Cataracts caused parts of the riverbed to dry out. Cataracts contained rocks and boulders that made the river impassable. Cataracts changed the directional flow of the water.
What are the cataracts along the Nile similar to?
The cataracts along the Nile are most similar to where boulders turn the river into churning rapids.
How many cataracts are there in the Nile?
The six cataracts of the Nile. The First Cataract when it was not all underwater. The cataracts of the Nile are areas between Aswan and Khartoum where the water is shallow and flows quickly. The surface is broken by numerous small boulders and stones that lie on the river bed, as well as many small rocky islets.
Why does the cataract face north?
The cataract faces north, not south, because the river flows north, from Lake Victoria in the south. The 1899 book "The River War" by Winston Churchill explains each of the cataracts.
Where did the word cataract come from?
The word cataract comes from the Greek word Katarakhtes meaning " waterfall " . In ancient times, Upper Egypt extended from the Nile Delta to the first cataract. Further upstream, in what is modern Sudan, the land was later controlled by the Kingdom of Kush . The cataract faces north, not south, because the river flows north, ...
Where is the third cataract?
The Third Cataract is around Tombos / Hannek 19.76° N 30.37° E. The Fourth Cataract is in the Manasir Desert and will be flooded by the Merowe Dam from 2006 onward 18.91° N 32.36° E. The Fifth Cataract is near the confluence with the Atbara River 17.677° N 33.970° E.
What are the obstacles to sailing on the Nile?
River cataracts often go with a rapid down-drop of the river. They block the waterway, since boats cannot safely carry cargo though. The six first cataracts of the River Nile were the main obstacles for boats sailing on the Nile in antiquity.
Where is the first cataract in Egypt?
The First Cataract cuts through Aswan (24°04′41″N 32°52′41″E / 24.078°N 32.878°E / 24.078; 32.878 (First Cataract)) The only cataract in modern-day Egypt.
Where is the 4th cataract?
The Fourth Cataract is in the Manasir Desert and is flooded by the Merowe Dam beginning in the third quarter of 2008. (18°55′N 32°22′E / 18.91°N 32.36°E / 18.91; 32.36 (Fourth Cataract))
