Agriculture ) are the result of
an irrigation system that pumps Nile water out of
Lake Nasser. There is a significant difference in agricultural practices between the northern nations of the Nile Basin (Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan) and the southern nations (Uganda, Ethiopia, etc). The north is primarily a desert, yet the south receives significant rainfall; crops in the north rely primarily on irrigation, whereas the south relies on
rainfall retained in the soil; crop yields are higher in the north (due to intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides) than in the south; and the north has extensive irrigation infrastructure (dams, canals, etc) supported by governmental policies and international funding sources. The amount of
soil water used annually for crops in the south is 229 km, which is more than twice the total annual water flow of the Nile River (about 100 km). Crop yields in the south are adversely influenced by longer distances to market; in contrast to the north, where nearly all farms are concentrated in a narrow strip along riverbanks with ample transportation opportunities. The lack of rainfall and groundwater leads Egypt to rely on the Nile for virtually all its water needs. Principal crops grown in Egypt include cotton, wheat, corn, rice, sorghum, and fava beans. Egypt's land is 94% desert and 3%
arable land. The vast majority of Egypt's farmland is located in the Nile Delta, with the remainder along the banks of the Nile. The primary crops in Sudan are peanuts, cotton, sesame, sugarcane, and
sorghum. Other crops include millet, wheat, corn, and barley. Sudan's crops draw upon water from both the Blue Nile and White Nile, supported by several dams including the Sennar Dam and Khashm el-Girba Dam. Much of the irrigated land is within the
Gezira Scheme, an extensive irrigation project started in the 1920s.
Fisheries was introduced to Lake Victoria in the 1950s to create a new fishery. In the 1950s, Nile perch and Nile tilapia were introduced into Lake Victoria in an effort to reverse the shrinking yields of native fishes in the lake; the effort was successful, but led to a decline in the number of native fish species in the lake. Currently, the vast majority of fish caught in Lake Victoria are Nile perch and
Silver cyprinid (Lake Victoria sardine). Some fisheriesparticularly the
Nile perchare primarily exported to Europe, rather than consumed locally. Fish farming is carried out in some parts of the basin.
Hydropower .|alt=A map of northeast Africa. The Nile River is shown as a blue line. Along the Nile, locations of about ten hydropower stations are indicated. The Nile River and its tributaries power dozens of
hydropower stations, which collectively have a capacity to generate over 10
gigawatts (GW) of electrical power. Prior to the year 2000, there were few dams on the Nile River, but thereafter, governments accelerated the pace of dam construction. Hydropower stations with
capacities over 100 MW are listed in the table below.
Transportation , Egyptare used to carry cargo on the river. The Nile has a flatter gradient in the north relative to the mountainous southern regionso the northern countries (Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan) have more navigable stretches of water. In Egypt, the river has no major obstacles between the delta and the first cataract at Aswan, and as a consequence that stretch has been utilized heavily for transportation. That stretch could be used even before the arrival of
steamships, because currents could carry boats downstream, and winds from the north often helped sailboats travel upstream. The Blue Nile is generally not navigable in most places. Instead of the river, Ethiopians and Italian colonizers used an overland routethe
Strada Imperiale for north-south transportation in Ethiopia. As recently as 1903, explorers were still researching the Blue Nile to see if it could be used for transportation between Ethiopia and Sudan, but were not successful. In ancient Egypt, the river was the primary mode of transportation, and a wide variety of boats were builtboth utilitarian and ceremonial. Egyptian boats were sufficiently sturdy to carry large
obelisks and stones for building pyramids and temples. In the modern era, the river is still used for transportation, particularly in Egypt, which has four navigable waterways suitable for large ships: two in the delta, one between the delta and the Aswan High Dam, and one in Lake Nasser. Egypt moves 500 million tonnes of cargo on the river per year, which is only about 0.8% of Egypt's total freight movement (the vast majority of freight moves by road or railway). Cargo transported on the river includes cement, limestone, coal, petroleum products, and phosphates. Upstream from Lake Nasser, the Nile and its tributaries contain waterfalls,
cataracts, rapids, and dams that make long-distance navigation difficult. Another obstacle to navigation is the
Sudd, a large swampy
wetland on the White Nile in South Sudan. Plans to build a canal through the swampcalled the
Jonglei Canalwere initiated in the early 20th century with the goal of providing more water to grow cotton in Egypt. Construction was briefly started in 1978, but the endeavor was soon halted.
Tourism and recreation on the White Nile, between Lake Victoria and Lake Albert. The Nile Riverin particular, the stretch in Egypthas been one of the world's most popular tourist destinations for millennia, and has been the subject of a vast amount of travel literature. One of the most visited tourist destinations along the Nile is the
Giza pyramid complexabout from the modern course of the Nile in Cairowhich has been a tourist destination since the time of the Greeks. The stretch of the Nile between Cairo and Aswan has long been a popular destination for tourists: during celebrations surrounding the opening of the
Suez Canal in 1870, a large group of tourists took a boat ride on that stretch of the river and visited
Luxor,
Dendera,
Saqqara,
Edfu, and
Philae. One of the world's first
travel agencies,
Thomas Cook & Son, started offering tours of the river in 1870 when the Suez Canal opened, and started regular steamboat cruises on the Nile in 1875. Since the construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1970, the dam itself has become a tourist attraction, along with the nearby temples that were moved during construction to avoid becoming submerged. The Aswan High Dam also benefited the cruise industry because the river from Aswan to the delta became safely navigable all year. The Nile Basin is home to several parks and nature reserves, including Uganda's
Murchison Falls National Park and Egypt's
Salouga and Ghazal Protected Area. The Bujagali Falls were once one of Africa's most notable
rafting sites, but have become submerged due to construction of the
Bujagali Power Station. == In culture==