mission #2: Geography of Ancient egypt
Part 1 - Mapping Ancient Egypt
Student Directions:
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Part 2 - Journey of the Nile
Student Directions: Read the passage below. The links in red are new vocabulary words. Download the vocabulary worksheet and type the definitions of each word and provide an example. Print and save this document to your portfolio. DO NOT copy and paste the definition! Write your definition and example in your own words. Download the Journey of the Nile notes. Print and write at least two notes for each section on your paper. Save this document to your portfolio. |
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Journey of the Nile
The Nile is the world’s longest river. It begins in Central Africa and flows about 3,500 miles north to the Mediterranean Sea.
This great river has two main sources—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile is the main stream. It flows out of Lake Victoria in East Africa. The Blue Nile rushes down from the highlands of present-day Ethiopia. The two rivers meet at Khartoum, in the country now called Sudan. In ancient times, this land was known as Kush, or Nubia.
North of Khartoum, the Nile winds through the Sahara, a vast desert that covers much of North Africa. Along the way, the river roars through six sets of rocky rapids called cataracts. The cataracts made it impossible for people to travel by ship from the sea to the interior of Africa. The interior of a continent is the area away from the coast. Therefore, the people of ancient Egypt never knew the sources of the Nile.
Upper and Lower Egypt
Beyond the cataracts, the Nile travels another 700 miles through the land known as Egypt. For much of the way, the river flows through a narrow valley lined with cliffs. This region is known as Upper Egypt because it is upstream from the Mediterranean Sea.
Near the end of its journey, the Nile slows down and fans out into many streams and marshy areas. As it slows, the river drops the silt, or soil, that it has carried north from the African highlands.
Over thousands of years, this silt has built up to form a large river delta. A delta is an area of soil deposited at the mouth of a river. The Nile delta forms the region known as Lower Egypt.
The Black Land and Red Land
A narrow strip of fertile soil lines both banks of the Nile. This rich, dark soil was so important to the Egyptians that they named their country Kemet, which means “the Black Land.”
The annual, or yearly, flooding of the Nile created the Black Land. Each spring, heavy rainfall and melting snow in the highlands of Africa poured into the river. By summer, the surging flood waters reached Egypt and spread across the land. When the flood waters drained away, they left behind a layer of fresh soil that was ready to plant.
The Egyptians could double-crop this rich soil. This means that they could raise two crops on the same land within a year. The river was also a source of fish and useful plants.
On either side of the Black Land lay the endless Sahara. Egyptians called this desert “the Red Land.” Unlike the Black Land, the Red Land was a deadly place of hot, burning sands.
The Nile is the world’s longest river. It begins in Central Africa and flows about 3,500 miles north to the Mediterranean Sea.
This great river has two main sources—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile is the main stream. It flows out of Lake Victoria in East Africa. The Blue Nile rushes down from the highlands of present-day Ethiopia. The two rivers meet at Khartoum, in the country now called Sudan. In ancient times, this land was known as Kush, or Nubia.
North of Khartoum, the Nile winds through the Sahara, a vast desert that covers much of North Africa. Along the way, the river roars through six sets of rocky rapids called cataracts. The cataracts made it impossible for people to travel by ship from the sea to the interior of Africa. The interior of a continent is the area away from the coast. Therefore, the people of ancient Egypt never knew the sources of the Nile.
Upper and Lower Egypt
Beyond the cataracts, the Nile travels another 700 miles through the land known as Egypt. For much of the way, the river flows through a narrow valley lined with cliffs. This region is known as Upper Egypt because it is upstream from the Mediterranean Sea.
Near the end of its journey, the Nile slows down and fans out into many streams and marshy areas. As it slows, the river drops the silt, or soil, that it has carried north from the African highlands.
Over thousands of years, this silt has built up to form a large river delta. A delta is an area of soil deposited at the mouth of a river. The Nile delta forms the region known as Lower Egypt.
The Black Land and Red Land
A narrow strip of fertile soil lines both banks of the Nile. This rich, dark soil was so important to the Egyptians that they named their country Kemet, which means “the Black Land.”
The annual, or yearly, flooding of the Nile created the Black Land. Each spring, heavy rainfall and melting snow in the highlands of Africa poured into the river. By summer, the surging flood waters reached Egypt and spread across the land. When the flood waters drained away, they left behind a layer of fresh soil that was ready to plant.
The Egyptians could double-crop this rich soil. This means that they could raise two crops on the same land within a year. The river was also a source of fish and useful plants.
On either side of the Black Land lay the endless Sahara. Egyptians called this desert “the Red Land.” Unlike the Black Land, the Red Land was a deadly place of hot, burning sands.