Everything about The Blue Nile totally explained
The
Blue Nile (
Amharic: ዓባይ; transliterated: ʿ
Abbai, but pronounced
Abbai;
Arabic: النيل الأزرق;
transliterated:
an-Nīl al-Āzraq) is a
river originating at
Lake Tana in
Ethiopia. Sometimes in Ethiopia the river—especially the upper reaches—is called the Abbai.
The Abbai portion of the river is considered holy by many in Ethiopia, and is believed to be the
Gihon river mentioned as flowing out of the
Garden of Eden in
Genesis 2. The Abay portion of the Blue Nile rises at
Lake Tana and flows for some thirty kilometers before plunging over the
Tis Issat Falls. The river then loops across northwest Ethiopia through a series of deep valleys and canyons into Sudan, by which point it's only known as the Blue Nile.
Although there are several feeder streams that flow into Lake Tana, the
sacred source of the river is generally considered to be a small spring at
Gish Abbai at an altitude of approximately 1800
m (5940 ft). The Blue Nile much later joins the
White Nile at
Khartoum,
Sudan and, as the
Nile, flows through
Egypt to the
Mediterranean Sea at
Alexandria. The Blue Nile is so-called because during flood times the water current is so high, it changes color to an almost black; since in the local Sudanese language the word for black is also used for the color blue.
The distance from its source to its confluence is variously reported as 1460 and 1600 km (907 and 1000 mi). The uncertainty over its length might partially result from the fact that it flows through virtually impenetrable gorges cut in the
Ethiopian highlands to a depth of some 1500 m (4950 ft)—a depth comparable to that of the
Grand Canyon in the
United States.
The Blue Nile flows generally south from Lake Tana and then west across Ethiopia and northwest into Sudan. Within 30 km (18.6 mi) of its source at Lake Tana, the river enters a canyon about 400 km long. This gorge is a tremendous obstacle for travel and communication from the north half of Ethiopia to the southern half. The power of the Blue Nile may best be appreciated at
Tis Issat Falls, which are 45 m (148 ft) high, located about 40 km (25 mi) downstream of Lake Tana. Despite the hazards and obstacles of the river, on January 29, 2005 Canadian Les Jickling and New Zealander Mark Tanner reached the Mediterranean Sea after an epic 148 day journey becoming the first to have paddled the Blue Nile from source to sea.
The flow of the Blue Nile reaches maximum volume in the rainy season (from June to September), when it supplies about two thirds of the water of the Nile proper. The Blue Nile, along with that of the
Atbara River to the north, which also flows out of the Ethiopian highlands, were responsible for the annual Nile floods that contributed to the fertility of the Nile Valley and the consequent rise of
ancient Egyptian civilization and
Egyptian Mythology. With the completion in 1970 of the
Aswan High Dam in Egypt, the Nile floods ended.
The Blue Nile is vital to the livelihood of
Egypt. Though shorter than the White Nile, 56% of the water that reaches Egypt originates from the Blue Nile branch of the great river; when combined with the
Atbara River, which also has its source in the
Ethiopian Highlands, the figure rises to 90% of the water and 96% of transported sediment.The river is also an important resource for Sudan, where the
Roseires and
Sennar dams produce 80% of the country's power. These dams also help irrigate the
Gezira Plain, which is most famous for its high quality
cotton. The region also produces
wheat, and animal feed crops.
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