The Nile is arguably one of the most important sources of water in the world and has an extremely rich history dating back thousands of years. Without the Nile, ancient Egyptian civilization would never have existed. Egypt is basically a lot of sand and not much else, except that it is crossed by the Nile River on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. The ancient Egyptians lived along the Nile and it provided them with abundant water, food (fish) and the opportunity to develop agriculture along its banks. The Nile was also used for transportation and trade with other regions, as land travel was more difficult than navigation on the river. The ancient Egyptians were at the mercy of seasonal floods and droughts, but learned to work within the natural river system and weather cycles (Carnegie Museum of Natural History). Modern men, however, were more interested in conquering nature than in living in harmony with it. When we think of the Nile, we usually think of ancient Egypt, but the Nile actually flows through 11 countries now that South Sudan has become an independent nation. p.2/Streets It extends over 6,600 km in length and the Nile basin is home to 160 million people. Due to high fertility rates, this figure is on track to double over the next 25 years (United Nations Environment Program). This means that there will soon be 320 million people to feed in the Nile Basin.PopulationEgypt itself currently has a population of around 87 million and a total fertility rate of 2.87 (Central Intelligence Agency). Egypt's population is expected to reach 100 million in 2025 and nearly 126 million in 2050 (Population Reference Bureau). It's a m...... middle of paper ......b. 2014. Internet. May 7, 2014.Night lights. Digital image. NASA, October 28, 2010. Web. May 3, 2014. “Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae.” UNESCO World Heritage Center. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, nd Web. May 4, 2014. “Demographic Reference Bureau. » Demographic reference office. Np, and Web. May 3, 2014. Pottinger, Lori. “Environmental impacts of large dams: African examples.” International rivers. Np, October 1, 1996. Web. May 4, 2014. Fight for the Nile. Al Jazeera, 2011. The web. May 3, 2014. United Nations Environment Program. Environment, sustainable development and the Nile basin. Np: United Nations Environment Program, nd case study 1. United Nations Environment Program. Internet. May 3, 2014. “The World Factbook – Egypt.” Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, nd Web. May 3 2014.