The Nile is one of the longest rivers of the world; rising in the
distant lakes of central Africa, it pursues a course of about four
thousand miles on its way to the sea. But the part of the valley
occupied by the Egyptian people extended only about six hundred miles
from the mouth of the river--to the rapids called the “first cataract,”
on the borders of Ethiopia. The valley is inclosed on either side by low
ranges of mountains, which furnish stone suitable for building; and it
should be noticed that this abundant supply of stone gave to the
Egyptians a great advantage over the Babylonians, who were obliged to
use the less durable materials, clay and brick, for building.
The valley of the Nile is only about seven or eight miles in
width--except at the delta, where it spreads out into an open plain. Not
only has this valley been cut by the Nile, but its fertility was
anciently due to the annual overflow of the river, for the climate is
dry and rain rarely falls. This river was also the great highway of
Egypt, affording a ready means of communication from one part of the
country to another. The fertile soil of Egypt was especially suitable
for the raising of vegetables and grain. Rice, oats, barley, and wheat
grew there in great abundance, so that the country became the granary of
the ancient world.