{"id":14351,"date":"2023-11-27T23:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T22:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=14351"},"modified":"2023-11-27T23:00:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T22:00:13","slug":"is-the-nile-river-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/is-the-nile-river-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Is The Nile River In South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Nile river is a hugely significant and iconic waterway that is often associated with Egypt, but did you know that parts of the Nile river also runs through Sudan and South Africa? What could be the history behind it in South Africa? Is it still there?<\/p>\n

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Though common belief is that the Nile river only passes through Egypt and Sudan, the fact of the matter is that South Africa is also home to part of the Nile. This is a result of a phenomenon known as exon capture which took place several million years ago, when the Drakensberg mountain range was formed, and African fish of the family Alestidae became trapped in what is now known as the Inkomati Catchment Area. Many of these fish species were members of the Alestidae family, which belong to the same family that the fish species that are encountered in the upper parts of the Nile river belong to. This serves as evidence of the Nile’s presence in South Africa<\/p>\n

Historically, the Nile river played an important part in the way which rural villagers in South Africa used to live in the bygone years before modernity. The Nile river acted as an important source of water which provided them with vital fresh water for irrigation and sustenance. The Nile river was also a source of food for these rural villages, as many indigenous fish species were caught in the waters. As a result of the river’s water, the surrounding area was a vital source of fertile land, providing the locals with abundant food, which at one time made it renowned as a food bowl for its province.<\/p>\n