The River Nile Author:Bruce Brander THE NILE intrigues man's imagination more than any other river in the world. Unrivaled in length, it twists for 4,145 miles past primeval jungle, the haunts of big game, and the enigmatic stone faces of Pharaohs who forged the great civilization of Egypt. Ever reluctant to be outdone, the Nile whispers its final song through two great mouths as ... more »it dissolves at last into the Mediterranean Sea.
For centuries, the majestic river defied intrepid adventurers who sought its origin. No one knows who first began the search, but an obscure German explorer ended it when, in 1937, he found the Nile's southernmost source on a lonely summit in Burundi.
Today, giant dams regulate the Nile in the interests of an expanding population. Although impounded waters necessarily drowned much of the past in the Sudan and Egypt, the painstaking salvage of such temples as Abu Simbel testifies to modern builders' esteem for ancient artisans. The Society has sent photographers to record this mammoth, unprecedented undertaking.
Author Bruce Brander, widely traveled Geographic staff member, explored the Nile and its basin by felucca, river-launch, truck, and camel. His lively chronicle brings into perspective a multitude of strange and fascinating facts. It tells of ancient kingdoms and of countries newly independent. It covers more than a million square miles -- the area drained by the Nile.« less