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The country is almost en- tirely barren desert. The cli- mate is hot and dry, with very little rainfall. Because of that, the key factor in the develop- ment of ancient Egypt was the Nile River. The Nile actually begins as two rivers—the Blue Nile originating at Lake Tana inEthiopia, and theWhiteNile, rising near Lake Victoria in Kenya and Tanzania. The two branches meet at Khartoum in Sudan and flow into the Mediterranean Sea.

The Nile River flows north from central Africa through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.

A Long History

Written historical records begin more than 5,000 years ago, when a pha- raohnamedNarmer (also known asMenes) united the kingdoms of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Upper Egypt was the land between the southern border of Egypt and the point where the river forms several branches called the Delta. The Delta region was known as Lower Egypt. The crown the pharaohs wore was called the pschent . It combined the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt. Narmer began a series of 29 different dynasties that ruled Egypt for nearly 3,000 years. Perhaps the most stunning achievement during this long period was the construction of the three Great Pyramids of Giza.

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