After the Sahara dried up, ancient Egyptians started moving into the Nile Valley. There is a river that runs through the valley and it is called the Nile River. The Nile River affected the development of Egyptian society and religion.

The Nile River flows north for more than 4,000 miles. Its surrounding fertile soil helped ancient Egyptians grow crops. It also gave them a large supply of water. Ancient Egypt was the first united nation- state. The shared religion of the people living on the Nile Valley brought the Egyptians together to form a society.

The Nile River helped unite the people who lived along its banks. Early Egyptians used the Nile River as a highway. The first ships the Egyptians built were made of bundles of reeds. As the Egyptians united the boats were larger and built of wooden planks. For years the reed and wooden sailboats traveled...