Delta produced by the Nile River at its mouth in the Mediterranean Sea
NASA satellite photograph of the Nile Delta (shown in false color)The Nile Delta at night as seen from theISS in October 2010.
TheNile Delta (Arabic:دلتا النيل,Delta an-Nīl or simplyالدلتا,ad-Delta) is thedelta formed inLower Egypt where theNile River spreads out and drains into theMediterranean Sea.[1] It is one of the world's larger deltas—fromAlexandria in the west toPort Said in the east; it covers 240 km (150 mi) of the Mediterranean coastline and is a richagricultural region.[2] From north to south the delta is approximately 160 km (100 mi) in length. The Delta begins slightly down-river fromCairo.[3]
From north to south, the delta is approximately 160 km (100 mi) in length. From west to east, it covers some 240 km (150 mi) of coastline. The delta is sometimes divided into sections, with the Nile dividing into two maindistributaries, theDamietta and theRosetta,[4] flowing into the Mediterranean at port cities with the same names. In the past, the delta had several distributaries, but these have been lost due toflood control, silting and changing relief. One such defunct distributary isWadi Tumilat.[citation needed]
The Nile is considered to be an "arcuate" delta (arc-shaped), as it resembles a triangle or flower when seen from above.Aristotle speculated that the delta was constructed for agricultural purposes due to the drying of the region of Egypt.[5]
In modern day, the outer edges of the delta are eroding, and some coastallagoons have seen increasing salinity levels as their connection to the Mediterranean Sea increases. Since the delta no longer receives an annual supply of nutrients and sediments from upstream due to the construction of theAswan Dam, the soils of the floodplains have become poorer, and large amounts of fertilizers are now used.Topsoil in the delta can be as much as 21 m (70 ft) in depth.[citation needed]
Ancient branches of the Nile, showing Wadi Tumilat, and the lakes east of the Delta
People have lived in the Nile Delta region for thousands of years, and it has been intensively farmed for at least the last five thousand years. The delta was a major constituent of Lower Egypt, and there are many archaeological sites in and around the delta.[6] Artifacts belonging to ancient sites have been found on the delta's coast. TheRosetta Stone was found in the delta in 1799 in the port city of Rosetta (an anglicized version of the nameRashid). In July 2019 a small Greek temple, ancient granite columns, treasure-carrying ships, and bronze coins from the reign ofPtolemy II, dating back to the third and fourth centuries BC, were found at the sunken city ofHeracleion, colloquially known as Egypt's Atlantis. The investigations were conducted by Egyptian and European divers led by the underwater archaeologistFranck Goddio. They also uncovered a devastated historic temple (the city's main temple) underwater off Egypt's north coast.[7][8][9][10]
In January 2019 archaeologists led byMostafa Waziri working in the Kom Al-Khelgan area of the Nile Delta discovered tombs from theSecond Intermediate Period and burials from theNaqada II era. The burial site contained the remains of animals,amulets and scarabs carved fromfaience, round and oval pots with handles, flint knives, broken and burned pottery. All burials included skulls and skeletons in the bending position and were not very well-preserved.[11][12]
About 39 million people live in the Delta region. Outside of major cities, population density in the delta averages 1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi) or more.Alexandria is the largest city in the delta with an estimated population of more than 4.5 million. Other large cities in the delta includeShubra El Kheima,Port Said,El Mahalla El Kubra,Mansura,Tanta, andZagazig.[19]
Duringautumn, parts of the Nile River are red withlotus flowers. The Lower Nile (North) and the Upper Nile (South) have plants that grow in abundance. The Upper Nile plant is the Egyptian lotus, and the Lower Nile plant is the Papyrus Sedge (Cyperus papyrus), although it is not nearly as plentiful as it once was, and is becoming quite rare.[20]
The Delta has ahot desert climate (Köppen:BWh) as the rest of Egypt, but its northernmost part, as is the case with the rest of thenorthern coast of Egypt which is the wettest region in the country, has relatively moderate temperatures, with highs usually not surpassing 31 °C (88 °F) in the summer. Only 100–200 mm (4–8 in) of rain falls on the delta area during an average year, and most of this falls in the winter months. The delta experiences its hottest temperatures in July and August, with a maximum average of 34 °C (93 °F). Winter temperatures normally range from 9 °C (48 °F) at nights to 19 °C (66 °F) in the daytime. With cooler temperatures and some rain, the Nile Delta region becomes quite humid during thewinter months.[21]
Egypt's Mediterranean coastline experiences significant loss of land to the sea, in some places amounting to 90 m (100 yd) a year. The low-lying Nile Delta area in particular is vulnerable tosea level rise associated withglobal warming.[22] This effect is exacerbated by the lack of sediments being deposited since the construction of theAswan Dam. If the polar ice caps were to melt, much of the northern delta, including the ancient port city ofAlexandria, could disappear under the Mediterranean. A 30 cm (12 in) rise in sea level could affect about 6.6% of the total land cover area in the Nile Delta region. At 1 m (3 ft 3 in) sea level rise, an estimated 887 thousand people could be at risk of flooding and displacement and about 100 km2 (40 sq mi) of vegetation, 16 km2 (10 sq mi) wetland, 402 km2 (160 sq mi) cropland, and 47 km2 (20 sq mi) of urban area land could be destroyed,[23] flooding approximately 450 km2 (170 sq mi).[24] Some areas of the Nile Delta'sagricultural land have been rendered saline as a result of sea level rise; farming has been abandoned in some places, while in others sand has been brought in from elsewhere to reduce the effect. In addition toagriculture, the delta'secosystems and tourist industry could be negatively affected by global warming. Food shortages resulting from climate change could lead to seven million "climate refugees" by the end of the 21st century. Nevertheless, environmental damage to the delta is not currently one of Egypt's priorities.[25]
The delta's coastline has also undergone significant changes ingeomorphology as a result of the reclamation of coastal dunes and lagoons to form new agricultural land andfish farms as well as the expansion of coastal urban areas.[26]
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