Collect information about the Nile river.

The Nile River is the longest river in the world. The river got its name from the Greek word Neilos which means valley. This Nile river is called the Father of the African rivers. It rises to the south of the equator and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. This river flows through eleven countries. This river is the primary source of water for Egypt. This river has got two tributaries namely the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile has its origin in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. The Blue Nile originates from the Lake Tana in Ethiopia. This great river of north eastern Africa played a major role as the cradle of the Egyptian Civilization. Thus, Egypt is called as the Gift of Nile. The ancient Egyptians cultivated crops like wheat, flax etc., around the Nile. Nile river was the only means of transport which enabled the country to have trade relations with other countries. It is very surprising that the Egyptian calendar was based on the three cycles of the Nile such as Akhet, Peret and Shemu. Akhet was the inundation, Peret was to the growing season and Shemu was the harvest season.