Overview

The nineteenth-century efforts to find the source of the Nile River, one of the great rivers in the world, can be seen both in the light of genuine scientific exploration and discovery and in the light of naked imperial expansionism. On the one hand, John Hanning Speke's discovery that Lake Victoria is the source of the Nile was the culmination of centuries of curiosity. On the other hand, the discovery reflected the efforts of European colonial powers to explore, conquer, and control the African continent and its vast natural resources.

Background

Our understanding of rivers and river systems has increased greatly in the last few decades. Satellite images have shown us more about the geography of the world's major rivers than we ever knew from land exploration...