blue nile river

It was not until the expeditions of such great travellers as Bruce, Burton, and Speke that the secret of this grand river—which had fascinated, and eluded, even the ancient Romans and Greeks - was revealed. The Blue Nile river starts from Ethiopia's lake Tana and merges with the smaller tributory White Nile at Khartoum Sudan to form the Nile River. This gorge is a tremendous obstacle for travel and communication from the north half of Ethiopia to the southern half. Exploiting its immense energy potential has become an urgent priority for the government in Addis Ababa. Best regards. The Grand Renaissance Dam: a highly controversial project. The dams of Roseires and Sennar, which already lie astride my course, are vital for Sudan since they produce 80% of the country’s electricity. From that date, several explorers attempted to follow my course, but it wasn’t until 1968, at the request of the Emperor Haile Selassie, that a team of 60 British and Ethiopian soldiers and scientists, traced my source from Lake Tana to the Sudanese border. The Al-Ruṣayriṣ and Sannār dams in Sudan irrigate 1,000,000 acres (400,000 hectares) in the plain of Al-Jazīrah (Gezira) between the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers; the Sannār Dam also produces hydroelectric power. On leaving the village the footpath meanders first beside fertile open fields, then drops into a deep basaltic rift spanned by an ancient, fortified stone bridge built in the seventeenth century by Portuguese adventurers and still in use. Above all, it runs counter to the historic treaties governing the Nile (1929 and 1956) which protect Egypt and Sudan from any change in the discharge of the Nile and grant nearly 87% of the Nile’s discharge to these two countries. Egypt could also exploit the huge fossil water aquifer of the western desert, though the cost of extraction would be high. Eight to nine million people suffer from malnutrition, and when droughts occur, as in 2016, this number can reach 20 million. Swamps also interrupt the river’s course. Farming still makes up 40% of the country’s GNP and provides 80% of its jobs. More than 75% of the Ethiopian population, mainly rural, is not connected to the electricity grid. It financed this investment of $4 billion on its own. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Although the country has waged heavily on hydroelectricity, the government is also developing wind farms and solar power plants with the aid of international funding bodies. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Sudan, however, is progressively aligning itself with Ethiopia. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In May 2018, Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia concluded an agreement to set up a scientific committee to study the dam’s impact. With another tributary of the Nile, the Atbara, we spring from the high plateaux of Ethiopia and are the two main reasons for the annual summer floods. This huge structure will become the largest hydropower dam in Africa. The mysterious Nile was long hidden from Western geographers and explorers. This misty deluge, in turn, produces rainbows that shift and shimmer across the gorge and a perennial rainforest of lush green vegetation - much to the delight of the innumerable monkeys and multi-coloured birds that inhabit the gorge. Ich besuche dieses Restaurant oder das Blue Nile 2 (weitere Filiale) schon seit Jahren und es fasziniert mich immer wieder aufs Neue. The Blue Nile River, like the White Nile, is a tributary of the worlds longest river, the Nile. 75% of the population is not yet connected to the electricity grid. It was Pedro Paez, a Spanish Jesuit priest, who was the first to discover my source in 1613. But I, “Abay”, or “Dark Nile”, as the Ethiopians call me, am a strategic resource. It was Pedro Paez, a Spanish Jesuit priest, who was the first to discover my source in 1613. JavaScript must be enabled in order for you to use Google Maps. For best viewing experience on this website, please use Chrome browser. I invite you to visit the following page, on the Initiatives for the Future of Great Rivers (IFGR) website :Blue Nile We use cookies to properly format the display and to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Within 30 kilometres (19 miles) of its source at Lake Tana, the river enters a canyon about 400 kilometres (250 miles) long. Learn more about our Privacy Policy I Agree. The second is the Rift Valley internal drainage system, composed of the Awash River, the Lakes Region,…. The Renaissance dam built on my course is designed to produce 6,000 MW- or the equivalent of six nuclear reactors – and store nearly 70 billion cubic meters of water. All Rights Reserved.By using this Web Site, you agree This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Blue-Nile-River, Fact Monster - World - Blue Nile, United States. A king of rivers, the Nile is the cradle of the Egyptian civilisation and one of the world’s greatest rivers, with a length of 6,700 km. The name Nile comes from the name neilos, a Greek word for river. The river flows into and out of the lake, runs through a series of rapids, and then drops into a gorge. For those who are, power cuts are frequent and long: three per month on average! Together, we form the Nile when converging at Khartoum, after which the river continues its course through Sudan and then Egypt before flowing into the Mediterranean Sea north of Cairo. This country is a “gift of the Nile”, wrote Herodotus the Greek historian as far back as the 5th century BC: 90% of its water resources come from the river. the Blue Nile. Blue Nile River, Arabic Al-Nīl Al-Azraq or Al-Baḥr Al-Azraq, Amharic Abāy, headstream of the Nile River and source of almost 70 percent of its floodwater at Khartoum. Ethiopia has Africa’s second largest population, with more than 90 million people, though it remains one of the world’s poorest countries. Das Blue Nile in München ist ein Restaurant der typisches äthiopisches und afrikanisches Essen anbietet. MessageMessageHello, Total length: 1,600km (Blue Nile)/ 6,700 km (whole river) Watershed: 325,000 km² (Blue Nile)/ 3,254,555 km² (total watershed) States crossed: Ethiopia, Sudan (Blue Nile)/ +8 countries (whole river) Tributaries: more than 28 in Ethiopia/ the Dinder in Sudan. The Blue Nile, although not as long, supplies 80% of the water that slakes the thirst of the countries downstream. Without this river which irrigates the land so generously, Egypt would be nothing but a huge desert. The White Nile, which is the longer of the two, begins at Lake Victoria in Tanzania and flows north until it reaches Khartoum, Sudan, where it converges with the Blue Nile. The Blue Nile flows generally south from Lake Tana and then west across Ethiopia and northwest into Sudan. To achieve this ambition, the country is counting on the Grand Renaissance Dam to generate an additional 6,000 MW (read boxed text) and export it to its immediate neighbours, namely Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya. What is less known is that 90% of its resources come from Ethiopia and that it crosses 11 countries of East Africa! Find the perfect Blue Nile River stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. The project of its Ethiopian neighbour to build a mega-dam therefore leads it to fear a reduction of the river’s discharge and the diversion of water upstream, in particular for irrigation. The power of the Blue Nile may best be appreciated at Tis-Isat Falls, which are 45 metres (148 ft) high, located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) downstream of Lake Tana. try again. Not only must the irrigated area be enlarged but farming practices must be modernised to feed the growing population and stem the rural exodus. The country has a hydroelectricity potential of 45,000 MW though only 5% is currently harnessed, i.e. It reputedly rises as the Abāy from a spring 6,000 feet (1,800 metres) above sea level, near Lake Tana in northwestern Ethiopia. After about a thirty-minute walk, a stiff climb up a grassy hillside is then rewarded by a magnificent view of the falls, breaking the smooth edge of the rolling river into a thundering cataract of foaming white water. It is only a five-minute drive from the lakeside town of Bahir Dar across the Blue Nile Bridge, to the spot where the famous river flows out of Lake Tana. Its length is about 907 miles (1,460 km). It reputedly rises as the Abāy from a spring 6,000 feet (1,800 metres) above sea level, near Lake Tana in northwestern Ethiopia. A little history. As for myself, I’m proud to be its eastern branch and to contribute most of its discharge. However, it seems JavaScript is either disabled or not supported by your browser. Please note, some phrases translation could be wrong, Ethiopia - The Nile and The Renaissance Dam. 2 rue André Bonin 69316 Lyon cedex 04 France, Initiatives pour l'Avenir des Grands Fleuves. But there lies the paradox: this country, the water tower of Africa, is regularly confronted by droughts and the famines that result from them. I am a river still tied to age-old practices (mainly agricultural) and many myths and religious customs. You might be asking, Why blue? My name? Other solutions could be considered: drop-by-drop irrigation systems, putting a price on water, etc. Since antiquity, I have given rhythm to the lives of the neighbouring populations and the harvests… Indeed, the silt carried by my floods guarantees the fertility of the surrounding land. At the beginning of the 2000s, Ethiopia launched the construction of a gigantic dam to ensure its energy independence and satisfy its development needs. The Blue Nile river starts from Ethiopia's lake Tana and merges with the smaller tributory White Nile at Khartoum Sudan to form the Nile River. The Blue Nile, locally known as Abbay, is the major tributory of the great Nile river - the longest river in the world. Four hundred metres (1,312 feet) wide when in flood (which normally occurs in September and October, after the rainy season), and dropping over a sheer chasm more than forty-five metres (150 feet) deep, the falls throw up a continuous spray of water droplets which drench onlookers up to a kilometre away. 2,250 MW. The situation is evolving slowly: a tripartite national dam committee that meets in Cairo, Khartoum and Addis-Ababa has been set up and an agreement in principle was signed in 2015 to privilege an approach of cooperation on questions of compensation and energy sales. From time immemorial for Egypt and now for Ethiopia, which has become a regional power. The mysterious Nile was long hidden from Western geographers and explorers. Egypt takes 90% of its water for human and industrial consumption, and farm irrigation from the Nile. As it plunges more than 2,000 metres (6,560 feet) in its 800-kilometres (497-miles) course from Ethiopia to the Sudanese plains, the Blue Nile is what embodies the drama and mystery of the great river of history. Corrections? That’s why water resources have always been a keystone of Egyptian development policies. to comply with all of the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Blue Nile Falls, on the Blue Nile River, Ethiopia. Updates? To view Google Maps, enable JavaScript by changing your browser options, and then Select from premium Blue Nile River of the highest quality. The great majority of the population lives in the countryside and depends on family farming. It is part of the largest urban area in Sudan and is a centre of commerce as well as of government.…, …includes the watersheds of the Blue Nile (known as the Abay in Ethiopia), the Tekeze, and the Baro rivers. Blue Nile River, Arabic Al-Nīl Al-Azraq or Al-Baḥr Al-Azraq, Amharic Abāy, headstream of the Nile River and source of almost 70 percent of its floodwater at Khartoum. It flows through a deep canyon southeast and west around the Choke Mountains and then turns northwest through Sudan to join the White Nile at Khartoum. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

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