Ancient Egypt Geography is known to everyone as an oasis in the desert of northeastern Africa, a long stretch of land along the banks of the Nile River. Ancient Egypt Geography is characterized by the fertile floodplains of the Nile valley, where the river flows between the limestone hills and the Nile Delta, where the river divides into many branches in the west-north of present-day Cairo. The Nile River is Egypt's only transportation artery.
1. Location
The location of ancient Egypt was in North-Eastern Africa, having formed and flourished along the lower portion of the Nile River. It made up most of what is now the modern Arab Republic of Egypt.
Ancient Egypt had four main divisions of its land, the first two being Upper and Lower Egypt. It may appear odd that Upper Egypt referred to lands to the south, yet this distinction was based on the flow of the Nile. Upper Egypt was little more than a river valley, only about two miles wide at its narrowest and 12 at its widest. Tall cliffs surrounded it on either side. Lower Egypt was the vast delta sitting where the modern city of Cairo is now.
The last two divisions were between red and black land. The western desert contained the occasional oasis, but the eastern desert was primarily barren and hostile, save for mines and quarries.
Ancient Egypt Location On World Map
2. Climate In Ancient Egypt
The climate of ancient Egypt was much the same as it is today; a hot, dry desert climate with very little rainfall. Coastal areas would benefit from winds coming off the Mediterranean Sea, but in the interior, these winds were hardly felt, and the temperature was high, especially in the summer.
A hot, dry wind called the khamsin between March and May blows through the desert. This wind causes humidity to drop and temperatures to soar over 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Rain and clouds are more prevalent near Alexandria, which is influenced again by the Mediterranean Sea. The mountainous region of Sinai has the coolest temperatures during the night due to its elevation. Winter temperatures in some towns can drop as low as three degrees Fahrenheit at night.
View of Saharan dust blowing over Egypt and towards the Middle East
3. Geology
A considerable portion of ancient remains are various types of stone, from which a lot can be gleaned about the geology of ancient Egypt. Different sedimentary stones were used, including limestone, rock gypsum, sandstone, chert, and travertine.
Quarries to find limestone were primarily built in the hills overlooking the Nile River valley. Travertine and chert were also found in these quarries, while additional quarries for limestone were made near Alexandria and the area where the Nile poured into the Mediterranean. Rock gypsum was found near the Red Sea and in the Western desert areas.
Igneous rocks, such as granite, quartz diorite, and andesite, mainly came from the deserts, except the famous Aswan granite quarry on the Nile. The ancient Egyptians also had access to various gemstones for jewelry making. Some of these stones included emerald, beryl, garnet, peridot, turquoise, and a wide variety of quartz, such as agate and amethyst. These precious gemstones were found in Sinai, the deserts, and an island in the Red Sea.
Egypt geological, 1883 antique map
4. Deserts of Ancient Egypt
The deserts of ancient Egypt were the Red Lands, situated on both sides of the Nile.
The Western Desert was part of the Libyan Desert and covered 262,000 square miles. Its geography primarily consisted of valleys, dunes, and some mountainous areas. This desert also contained oases, five of which are still known today.
The Eastern Desert extended out to the Red Sea. It is part of what is known as the Arabian Desert today. This desert was arid and barren, but the ancient Egyptians used it extensively to mine various stones. The geography of this desert consisted of more mountains and rocky areas than dunes.
Topography of Egypt
5. The River Nile
The well-known summation of Egypt's existence as the "gift of the Nile" came from the Greek philosopher Herodotus. The philosopher rightly observed that everything that caused the Egyptian civilization to exist and flourish came from the Nile. Very little rain fell in ancient Egypt, not much more than drops in the present, so drinking water, washing water, and water for crops and animals came from the Nile.
The headwaters of this great river lie deep in Africa, and every spring, snowmelt from the Ethiopian highlands poured into the river, causing it to rise slowly. The Nile floodwaters were highly predictable, overflowing sometime in late July, then receding in November, wildly contrasting to the floods in Mesopotamia, which were unpredictable and highly destructive when they did happen. Ancient Egypt flourished as the garden of the ancient world.
Map of Nile river ancient Egypt
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