- The Nile Delta is the world’s largest river delta. It is a flooded savanna located down river from Cairo, where the Nile spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea.
- The Delta stretches 150 miles (240 km) from Alexandria to Port Said. In Ancient Egypt, this was the most fertile area for agriculture and the most heavily fortified, with every river mouth protected by forts.
Ancient Sources
- Diodorus Siculus
- ‘Bibliotheca historica’ Vol.1, Chapter 33.
- Writing between 60-30 BCE, he stated that every mouth of the Nile had a fortified town on either side of the river mouth, equipped with defensive artillery.
- Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE)
- Natural History. He stated that the Nile had seven branches in the Delta. Today, only two exist.
The Seven Branches of the Delta
- From West to East:
-
- Canopic to Alexandria (defunct)
- Bolbitine (Rosetta, still active today)
- Sebennytic (defunct)
- Phatnytic (Damietta, still active today)
- Mendesian (defunct)
- Tanitic (defunct)
- Pelusiac to Pelusium (defunct)
Aswan Dam
- Today, the Delta is shrinking as a result of Flood Control measures and the building of the Aswan Dam that limits river water reaching the Delta.
- As a result, the Nile Delta only retains two of its original seven branches, the Damietta and the Rosetta.
Bird Migration
- The Nile Delta is part of the East Africa Flyway bird migration route between Europe and Africa.
- Millions of birds fly every year along this route and the Egyptian wetlands are critical stopover sites.
Nile Delta, Egypt