{"id":14726,"date":"2023-12-26T15:50:11","date_gmt":"2023-12-26T14:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=14726"},"modified":"2023-12-26T15:50:11","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T14:50:11","slug":"where-is-the-origin-of-the-nile-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/where-is-the-origin-of-the-nile-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Is The Origin Of The Nile River"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Nile River is the longest river in the world, traveling more than 4,000 miles and flowing through 11 countries. The exact location of the river’s source has long been the subject of debate and speculation. While the origin of the Nile is still uncertain, many historians believe it began in the region now known as Ethiopia and Egypt – where it has been linked to other famous African rivers.<\/p>\n

The earliest references to the Nile River come from ancient Egyptian writings that attributed its origin to gods. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote of its source as the highlands of Ethiopia and of the seven branches that formed the river’s headwaters. In his writings, he also described a third source lying east of the Nile.<\/p>\n

By the fourth century BC, the Nile was divided into two branches – the Blue Nile and the White Nile – coming together to form the main Nile River. The Blue Nile originates in the Ethiopian Highlands and provides 85 percent of the water volume of the Nile. The White Nile, which rises in Lake Victoria, contributes the remaining 15 percent.<\/p>\n

Ethiopians have long claimed the Blue Nile as their own, citing its five main tributaries, including the Atbara, Tekezé, Setit, and Tekezé, as well as numerous smaller streams and rivers which form the Blue Nile’s headwaters.<\/p>\n