The White Nile, also called the Bahr-el-Azrak, is one of the two main tributaries of the Nile River in Africa.
How long is the White Nile?
The White Nile is 3,700 km (2,300 mi) long .
Its source is Lake Victoria in Uganda, and it flows north-east for nearly 2,700 miles (4,350 km) to the Mediterranean Sea. The White Nile passes through seven countries before reaching the Mediterranean Sea. Its total drainage area encompasses 1,045,000 square kilometers (403,000 sq mi) of land that is mostly located within sub-Saharan Africa. However, its upper reaches extend into four African countries: Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.
Who found the true source of the Nile?
TThe White Nile was long thought to be the source of the Nile, since the Blue Nile did not then appear to descend from Lake Victoria Nyanza. However, when British explorer Sir Samuel Baker reached the lake in 1864, he found that it was only a few feet above sea level.
Who named the Lake Victoria?
The White Nile begins at Lake Victoria in central Africa (Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi). The lake was named by explorer John Hanning Speke, who named it after Queen Victoria of Britain. Some historians believe that Speke was actually searching for the source of the Nile and he thought if he named it after her then she would give him more money to continue his search.The discovery of Lake Victoria was one of the worst disasters in Africa, because almost all the people living around it were wiped out by disease and starvation brought about by European explorers who forced them to grow crops to sell to Europeans.
Where is the White Nile ? What does the White Nile flow through?
After the White Nile rises in Lake Victoria in central Africa, it flows south for about 1 300km (800 miles), passing through eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Sudan. The river then flows north through eastern Sudan where it meets the Blue Nile at Khartoum and forms the northern section of the border between Sudan and Ethiopia. The White Nile continues north through Egypt to join the Mediterranean Sea.
Tributaries of the White Nile include the Kagera River, Wabe Shebelle River and Kibuye River in Rwanda; the Nyabarongo River and the Rufiji River in Tanzania; and the Semliki River in Congo (Zaire).
Why is White Nile called white?
The water of the Nile looks milky white when seen from afar because of reflection of sunlight from its suspended sediments; hence the name "White" river was given to this body of water.
What is the White Nile theory?
The White Nile theory is an explanation for the flow of the Nile River. Though this theory has been accepted as fact for decades, it's actually a collection of theories that have been blended together.
The White Nile theory is a theory that the major tributaries of the Nile River are not just there to supply water and provide life to Egypt, but in reality, the river itself was formed by the joining of the tributaries' waters. The White Nile theory was first proposed in 1876 by Sir Henry Francis Blanford, a British geographer. Blanford's theory was based on the data he collected from his observations in Egypt and Sudan. He noticed that every large tributary flowing into the Nile River originates from high ground, whereas all the other smaller rivers (which have no relation to the Nile) originate from low-lying areas. This was one of the main reasons why Blanford believed that these major tributaries actually hold more water than most of its small streams and creeks.
The White Nile theory also says that these major tributaries flow southwards towards Lake Albert and Lake Victoria, which are found at higher altitudes than any other part of Africa's Great Lakes region. This is how Blanford concluded that there must be a connection between these two lakes and the formation of the Nile River.
Is the White Nile important?
The Nile is vital to sustaining life along its course through these countries as well as many others. It is a major water source for the Sudanese people, who use it for irrigation and drinking water and transport goods down it on rafts for trade. In Sudan and Egypt, the soil is incredibly fertile due to the river's flooding and deposits of silt, which brings with it a bounty of agricultural produce.rops, even before they began building their civilization along its banks. Nowadays, the Nile is vital to the countries' economy and way of life, but environmental concerns have arisen about pollution making its downstream passage less than ideal.
The river's water provides people with water for drinking, cooking and cleaning; it provides irrigation for crops; it helps farmers plant their crops; and it also supplies fish to help feed people who live along the river banks or rely on fish for a large portion of their diet.
