An Introduction to the Physiography of the Nile Valley

Abstract

This chapter presents an introduction to the physiography of the Nile valley. The Nile flows across 1,520 km in Egypt, but it penetrates deeply into Africa, nearly to its center, creating relations with the African countries and giving both Nilotic and African perspectives to the country. The Nile divides the area south of Cairo into two unequal geomorphic zones. Each has its own physical characteristics and differs considerably from the other. The area on the eastern side of the river—the Eastern Desert—is famous for its rugged mountains, steep scarps, and conspicuous valleys, which have an external drainage system to either the Red Sea or the Nile. The area on the western side of the Nile—the Western Desert—is characterized by the flat, monotonous pediplains located between the Nile in the east and a relatively high scarp to the west. On both sides of the Nile, the sandstone country is highly dissected by faults, which have an east–west trend south of the Kurusku Highland. Toward the northern part of this highland, the faults generally trend north–south, with the east–west system of faults less developed. The effect of these structural lines on the relief of the Nubia area may be seen in the orientation of the ridges, the shape of the geomorphic features, and partly in the course of the river itself.