Physical Geography, continued

Egypt's Nile River

The Nile, which is the longest river in the region and the longest river in the world, has two lakes of origin. South of its Mediterranean mouth lies Lake Victoria and Lake Tana, the two lakes from which the Nile originates. From Lake Victoria, the White Nile River flows north through Uganda and into Sudan where it converges at the city of Khartoum with the Blue Nile River from Lake Tana. From Khartoum, the Nile River continues to flow north through the Nubian Desert into Egypt, where it eventually reaches its mouth at the Mediterranean Sea. The freshwater of the Nile is a lifeline that has enabled agriculture and transportation for many centuries. From ancient to modern times, this famous river has supported and continues to support the region's growing human population.

Until the Aswan High Dam was completed in 1968, the Nile River flooded its banks yearly, depositing silt and nutrients onto the soil and causing enormous damage to infrastructure. As far back as when the pharaohs ruled Egypt, the people used flood irrigation to grow their crops. Today, water is pumped from the controlled Nile River onto the fields to water crops. This change has increased the number of crops that can be grown per year. However, it has also caused a buildup of salt in the soil, resulting in declining soil quality. Without annual flooding, the salts cannot be dissolved away but remain in the soil, reducing yields.

Tuareg and Camel - Tuareg are masters of the desert and camels. They often lead camel caravans on long trips through the desert.

The African Transition Zone

Stretching across the widest part of Africa on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert is the African Transition Zone. Known as the Sahel, meaning "border or margin," this zone is where the dry arid conditions of the desert north meet up with the moister region of the tropics. For thousands of years, the seasonal grazing lands of the Sahel have been home to nomadic groups herding their livestock across the zone and eking out a living held together by tradition and heritage.

Changing climate conditions and overgrazing have enhanced the desertification process, and the region is slowly turning into a desert. The Sahara Desert is shifting southward, altering the economic activities of the millions of people who live in its path. Ten thousand years ago, North Africa and the Sahara Desert were tropical environments filled with all the biodiversity and wildlife now found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula is a desert environment surrounded by saltwater bodies. The Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea border the peninsula on three sides. Arid type B climates dominate the region. Saudi Arabia only receives an average of four inches of precipitation per year and the southern portions of the peninsula are some of the hottest places on Earth with summer temperatures reaching more than 120ºF. In the central-southern section of the peninsula is the Rub' al-Khali (Empty Quarter). It is a desert and comprises about 25 percent of Saudi Arabia. Though oil discoveries have brought temporary settlements to the region, it is extremely dry and virtually uninhabited. Unlike other peninsulas throughout the world, there are no natural lakes or major rivers on the Arabian Peninsula. The small amount of agricultural activity that does exist is highly dependent on the availability of water by rainfall, underground aquifers, oases, or the desalinization of seawater. Like other arid climates, the mountains that dominate the Arabian Peninsula's western and southern regions contain minerals that are mined. Saudi Arabia dominates the region in size and in oil resources, while Yemen is substantially smaller and has the fewest oil resources of any country on the peninsula.

Map of the Arabian Peninsula

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