Evolution of Irrigation in Egypt

Abstract

Egypt established fixed boundaries thousands of years ago. The area of the country is approximately one million square kilometers. The cultivated portion of the country does not exceed 5% of the total; while the inhabited portion is no more than 8%. The Nile River crosses the country from south to north. The irrigated area on the floodplain of the river is a narrow strip on both sides which forms the Nile Valley. The Nile Delta starts north of the capital city, Cairo, and ends close to the coast of the Mediterranean. Although Egypt is known as the “gift of the River Nile,” many Egyptian scholars prefer to call Egypt “the gift of the Egyptians” – who managed to train the River, to irrigate the lands, and to build one of the most ancient civilizations in the world.