James Bruce Explores the Blue Nile to Its Source and Rekindles Europeans' Fascination with the Nile
Overview
From ancient times, the existence and survival of Egypt has depended on the Nile River. About 4,000 miles (6,437 km) long, the Nile is the longest river in the world and consists of two main branches. The longer branch, often referred to as the White Nile, rises from the heart of central Africa and flows more than 3,000 miles (4,828 km) to the Sudan, where it is joined by the Blue Nile. At this junction, the two tributaries form the greater Nile, which then courses through Egypt and drains at the wide Nile Delta into the Mediterranean Sea.
The ancient Egyptians probably knew that the source of the Blue Nile was Lake Tana in Ethiopia, but the headwaters of the White Nile remained a mystery for centuries. In 457 B.C., the Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484-420 B.C.) attempted to locate the Nile's source and followed the river to Aswan, but he was unable to progress any farther. Six hundred years later, the great Greek geographer and astronomer Ptolemy (fl. A.D. 127-145) described the Nile as originating from two lakes near the Mountains of the Moon in central Africa and snaking northward to the Mediterranean Sea.
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