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Overview:
High school students should be able to analyze the interrelationships between physical systems (such as rivers) and human settlements and activities. This activity asks them to examine the current water situation in the Nile River region, focusing on the Blue Nile and the Egyptian Nile, and to investigate ways in which the damming of the Nile has changed this river significantly from the way it was in ancient times.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, geology, earth science
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 1: "How to use maps and other geographical representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective"
Standard 3: "How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface"
Standard 7: "The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface"
Time:
Three hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Blank Xpeditions outline maps of Africa, one for each student
- Atlas, globe, or world wall map
Objectives:
Students will
- discuss their impressions of the Nile River;
- read about the sources of the Nile;
- map several locations in the Nile region;
- assess the importance of the Blue Nile to the Nile River system as a whole;
- read about the Aswan Dam;
- research and answer questions about the current water situation in Egypt; and
- create educational brochures for tourists to Egypt, explaining the relationship between the Blue Nile and the Nile and the current potential water crisis facing Egypt.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students what they think of when they hear the word "Nile." They will probably say pyramids, pharaohs, and other words related to ancient Egypt. What do they remember from their studies of ancient Egypt about the annual flooding of the Nile? Discuss their knowledge of these topics.
Development:
Ask students if they are aware of the sources of the Nile. Have them read National Geographic's Blue Nile feature. Give each student a blank outline map of Africa, and have them map the following features, using an atlas for reference: the Nile River, the Blue Nile, the White Nile, Lake Nasser, Lake Tana, Lake Victoria, Cairo, Alexandria, and the Aswan Dam.
Have students write a paragraph answering the question "What was the relationship between the Blue Nile and the development and maintenance of the ancient Egyptian civilization?" The following Web pages will be a good starting point to help them find out about the importance of the Blue Nile to the Nile River system as a whole:
National Geographic: Ethiopia's Sacred Waters—The Blue Nile
Hydrology of the Abay (Nile) Basin
Nile Basin Initiative
Ask students to research and describe in a paragraph the history, location, intended purpose, and controversy surrounding the Aswan Dam. They can start with the following resources:
PBS: Building Big—The Aswan Dam
World Commission on Dams: Hydro Development in Egypt—Lessons from High Aswan Dam
Inform students that the Nile River Valley is currently facing a potential water crisis. Ask them to investigate the causes and implications of this problem by going to the following Web sites, other sites they can find, and any print resources that are available. As they are browsing the sites, have them take notes to answer the questions below.
National Geographic News: Rising Water Table Threatens Egypt's Monuments
BBC: Africa's Potential Water Wars
PBS: Dealing With the Deluge—(scroll down to the Nile)
USGS Earthshots: Nile
Questions:
- What is the relationship between the Blue Nile and the Nile today?
- What are the problems with the Aswan Dam, and what are Egyptian farmers doing about it?
- What are the major concerns for the future regarding water supply in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt?
- How does this water issue affect political relations between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt?
Closing:
Discuss the questions above as a class. What do students think is the biggest problem the Nile faces today? What are the most hopeful solutions?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students imagine that they have been selected by a nonprofit institute to create educational brochures for people traveling to Egypt to see the famous ancient sites. The brochures, intended to provide a different perspective on the region the tourists are visiting, should inform them of the following points:
- The importance of the annual flooding and the Blue Nile to the ancient Egyptian civilization.
- Current water-related threats to the Nile River Valley in Egypt.
- The relationship between the Blue Nile and the Egyptian Nile.
- The effects of the Aswan Dam on the Egyptian Nile.
- The potential political ramifications of this water situation for Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
Students should use the information they have gathered at the Web sites and other resources.
Extending the Lesson:
- Have students list the differences between the Nile River system (including the Blue Nile) of ancient times and the current system, focusing on differences that have arisen since the construction of the Aswan Dam.
- Have students search for additional information and personal accounts of problems related to water supply in Egypt, Sudan, and/or Ethiopia. Which of these countries is facing the greatest water supply crisis overall? Which of these countries is facing the greatest water supply crisis with regard to the Nile? How do people in these countries feel about the situation, and what are they trying to do about it?
- Have students use the UN's InfoNation Database to compare precipitation levels and other indicators for Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. Have them discuss their findings as a class or in paragraphs, relating what they have learned at this Web site with what they learned earlier in the lesson.
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