Exploration of the Nile River: a Journey of Discovery and Imperialism
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. What we now understand is that the Nile River is not a single flowing body of water that snakes through hundreds of miles of terrain. In fact, what we call the Nile River of today is actually a major drainage source of regions deep into the African continent in an area called the Great Rift Zone. The many beautiful tributaries and lakes create a chain of waterways that empty into a final passageway to the sea at the Great Nile Delta.
This page contains 201 words.
Exploration of the Nile River: a Journey of Discovery and Imperialism article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 2,047 words
(approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our Nile Article
