✔ Find out where ancient Egypt was.
✔ Learn why the Nile River was so important.
✔ Discover why Egypt is called 'the gift of the Nile.'
Let's travel back about 5,000 years to a hot, sandy land in Africa called Egypt. Most of Egypt is desert — dry sand as far as the eye can see. But one amazing river cuts through the desert like a long blue ribbon: the Nile River.
The Nile is the longest river in the world! It flows more than 4,000 miles from the south to the north, where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Almost all ancient Egyptians lived close to its banks.
Why? Because the Nile gave them everything: water to drink, fish to eat, mud to grow crops, and a watery road for their boats. A wise Greek writer named Herodotus called Egypt 'the gift of the Nile.' Without the river, there would have been no ancient Egypt at all!
1. On which continent was ancient Egypt?
2. What is special about the Nile's length?
3. Why did almost all Egyptians live near the Nile?
Write what each word means in your own words.
Write T for true or F for false in each circle.
Draw the Nile River flowing through the desert. Add a boat, some fish, and green plants along the banks.
1. Imagine you live in ancient Egypt. Write one way you would use the Nile River each day.
2. What do you think would happen to Egypt if the Nile dried up?
| I learned... | Circle one |
|---|---|
| Where ancient Egypt was | YES / NOT YET |
| Why the Nile was important | YES / NOT YET |