60:
629:
621:
678:, who records his surprise on arriving in Ethiopia at finding that the upper waters of "one of the most famous of the rivers of the world, and one whose name was well known to the ancients" was in his lifetime "marked on the map by dotted lines", managed to map the upper course of the Blue Nile between 1925 and 1933. He did this not by following the river along its banks and through its impassable canyon but by following it from the highlands above, travelling some 8,000 km (5,000 mi) by mule in the adjacent country.
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669:'s attempt in 1821. The first serious attempt by a non-local to explore this reach of the river was undertaken by the American W.W. Macmillan in 1902, assisted by the Norwegian explorer B.H. Jenssen; Jenssen proceeded upriver from Khartoum while Macmillan sailed downstream from Lake Tana. However, Jenssen's boats were blocked by the rapids at
721:
in approximately 1660 with Roman bridge technology brought to
Ethiopia by Portuguese soldiers during the battle with the Muslim invaders in 1507. In both 2001 and 2009, Bridges to Prosperity volunteers travelled from the United States to repair the broken bridge across the Blue Nile and later built a
743:
On 29 January 2005, Canadian Les
Jickling and his teammate New Zealander Mark Tanner completed the first fully human-powered transit of the entire Blue Nile and the Nile in the Sudan and Egypt. Their journey of over 5,000 km (3,100 mi) took five months and traveled through Ethiopia, Sudan,
649:
who reached the river's source on 21 April 1618. However, the
Portuguese João Bermudes, the self-described "Patriarch of Ethiopia," provided the first description of the Tis Abay River Falls in his memoirs published in 1565, and any number of Europeans who lived in Ethiopia in the late 15th century
572:
The Blue Nile is vital to the livelihood of Egypt: as the most significant tributary of the Nile, it contributes over 85% of the Nile's streamflow. Though shorter than the White Nile, 59% of the water that reaches Egypt originates from the
Ethiopian highlands via the Blue Nile. The river is also an
729:
On 28 April 2004, geologist
Pasquale Scaturro and his partner, kayaker and documentary filmmaker Gordon Brown, became the first known people to navigate the Blue Nile in its entirety. Though their expedition included several others, Brown and Scaturro were the only ones to remain on the expedition
406:
in
Ethiopia (where it is called the Abay River). The river flows generally south before entering a canyon about 400 km (250 mi) long, about 30 km (19 mi) from Lake Tana, which is a tremendous obstacle for travel and communication between north and south Ethiopia. The canyon was
708:
In 1999, writer
Virginia Morell and photographer Nevada Wier made the journey by raft from Lake Tana to Sudan, publishing a documentary about their journey afterwards. In 2000, American and National Geographic reader, Kenneth Frantz, saw a photo taken by Nevada Wier for
673:
short of the Sudan-Ethiopia border, and
Macmillan's boats were wrecked shortly after they had been launched. Macmillan encouraged Jenssen to try to sail upstream from Khartoum again in 1905, but he was forced to stop 500 km (300 mi) short of Lake Tana.
604:, a 6000-megawatt hydroelectric dam on the river. The dam is expected to be a boost for the Ethiopian economy. Sudan and Egypt, however, voiced their concerns over a potential reduction in water available. Electricity generation began in February 2022.
407:
first referred to as the "Grand Canyon" in 1968 by a
British team that accomplished the first descent of the river from Lake Tana to the end of the canyon; subsequent river rafting parties called it the "Grand Canyon of the Nile". The
385:
has been variously reported between 1,460 and 1,600 kilometres (910 and 990 mi). This uncertainty might result from the fact that the river flows through a series of virtually impenetrable gorges cut in the
717:. This photo showed a bridge broken during World War II, with 10 men on either side of the broken span pulling each other across the dangerous gap by rope. This historic bridge was built by Emperor
665:
Although
European explorers contemplated tracing the course of the Nile from the Blue Nile's confluence with the White Nile to Lake Tana, the Blue Nile Canyon has discouraged all attempts since
545:
The flow of the Blue Nile reaches maximum volume in the rainy season from June to September, when it supplies 80–86% of the water of the Nile proper. The river was a major source of the
862:
690:, a team of 60 British and Ethiopian servicemen and scientists made the first full descent of the river from Lake Tana to a point near the Sudanese border led by explorer
998:
654:
could have seen the river long before Páez, but not reached its source. The source of the Nile proper was also reached in 1629 by the Portuguese Jesuit missionary
394:, an Ethiopian government agency, the Blue Nile has a total length of 1,450 kilometres (900 mi), of which 800 kilometres (500 mi) are inside Ethiopia.
455:
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and Egypt. They recount that they paddled through civil war conflict zones, regions known for bandits, and encountered multiple hazards and rapids.
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to navigate the formidable rapids. Subsequent rafting expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s generally only covered parts of the river canyon.
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Teleconnection, Modeling, Climate Anomalies Impact and Forecasting of Rainfall and Streamflow of the Upper Blue Nile River Basin
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415:: Tis Abay, literally "great smoke"), one of Ethiopia's biggest tourist attractions, is located at the start of the canyon.
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season, the Blue Nile floods erode a vast amount of fertile soil from the Ethiopian Highlands and carry it downstream as
215:
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454:. Those on the right side, also in downstream order, include the Handassa, Tul, Abaya, Sade, Tammi, Cha, Shita, Suha,
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486:
The Blue Nile then heads northwest into Sudan. It travels for approximately 650 km (400 mi), flowing past
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Suspension bridge over the Blue Nile River. It is the only pedestrian cable bridge over the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.
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The river loops across northwest Ethiopia before being fed by numerous tributaries between Lake Tana and the
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In the 1950s and 1960s, several kayakers paddled parts of the canyon. In 1968, at the request of
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The Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature, Volume 1
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651:
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The first European known to have seen the Blue Nile in Ethiopia and the river's source was
546:
8:
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in Egypt that contributed to the fertility of the Nile Valley and the consequent rise of
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to a depth of some 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). According to materials published by the
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Men pull each other across the Blue Nile by rope prior to the building of a new bridge
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349:. It travels for approximately 1,450 km (900 mi) through Ethiopia and
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319:
31:
1167:"Envisioning a world where poverty caused by rural isolation no longer exists"
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230:
217:
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35:
869:, Table A.1. Central Statistical Agency website (accessed 26 December 2009)
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422:. Those on its left bank, in downstream order, include the Wanqa River, the
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378:
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in 1970, these floods stopped occurring in lower Egypt. During the summer
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camera and two handheld video cameras, sharing their story in the film
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1090:"Blue Nile: Ethiopia's River of Magic and Mystery - Bookreporter.com"
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Ethiopia: Nile Dam Project a Hydropower Hope, but Regional Sore Point
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558:
403:
358:
342:
30:"Abbay" redirects here. For district in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, see
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contribute to the 80% of the country's electricity generation from
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346:
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Historical Geography of Ethiopia from the first century AD to 1704
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1057:, revised edition (New York: Harper and Row, 1972), pp. 319f
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412:
905:
These lists are based on the compilation in G.W.B. Huntingford,
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for the entire journey. They chronicled their adventure with an
71:
990:
951:
590:
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Engelking, Marina; McPherson-Ramirez, Gloria (15 April 2008).
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and supplies about 85.6% of the water to the Nile during the
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1151:(Ninth ed.). Henry G. Allen and Company. p.
1020:"Ethiopia starts generating power from River Nile dam"
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882:
Breakthroughs: An Integrated Advanced English Program
794:
600:
In November 2012, Ethiopia began construction of the
832:
946:Elsanabary, Mohamed Helmy Mahmoud Moustafa (2012),
482:
Satellite image of where White and Blue Niles merge
534:Confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers near
1316:
569:, turning the water dark brown or almost black.
466:, Bachat, Katlan, Jiba, Chamoga, Weter and the
860:"Climate, 2008 National Statistics (Abstract)"
636:
597:and animal feed crop production in the area.
27:Major river flowing across Ethiopia and Sudan
1145:Baynes, Thomas Spencer (1838). "Abyssinia".
1122:. Ngm.nationalgeographic.com. Archived from
589:, which is most famous for its high-quality
1138:
945:
899:
713:which would lead him to found the charity
70:
944:Mohamed Helmy Mahmoud Moustafa Elsanabary
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290:1,548 m/s (54,700 cu ft/s)
268:325,000 km (125,000 sq mi)
922:. Dinknesh Ethiopia Tour. Archived from
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573:important resource for Sudan, where the
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477:
446:, the Agwel River, the Nedi River, the
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1317:
1195:. New York: New American Library, 2005
1144:
909:(London: British Academy, 1989), p. 34
1191:Richard Bangs and Pasquale Scaturro,
658:and in 1770 by the Scottish explorer
1216:from the original on 2 February 2018
1173:from the original on 12 January 2013
1120:"Blue Nile @ nationalgeographic.com"
585:. These dams also help irrigate the
822:
377:The distance of the river from its
24:
34:. For Mississippi politician, see
25:
1361:
1232:
1206:"Department - Alumni Association"
1001:from the original on 14 July 2015
740:and in a book of the same title.
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1100:from the original on 8 June 2011
694:. The team used specially-built
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602:Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
1345:International rivers of Africa
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920:"Its Origin, Falls, and Gorge"
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681:
397:
209: • coordinates
131: • coordinates
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1:
846:
557:. With the completion of the
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357:, it is one of the two major
98:Physical characteristics
1079:. London: Chatto and Windus.
632:Blue Nile Gorge in Ethiopia.
402:The Blue Nile originates at
248: • elevation
174:2,560 m (8,400 ft)
170: • elevation
7:
1066:Cheesman, pp. 358–374.
885:. Oxford University Press.
833:
815:'father of streams'
795:
747:
473:
260:1,450 km (900 mi)
196: • location
118: • location
64:Blue Nile River in Ethiopia
10:
1366:
995:Thomson Reuters Foundation
754:List of rivers of Ethiopia
726:not susceptible to flood.
637:Early European exploration
607:
502:, the Blue Nile joins the
392:Central Statistical Agency
286: • average
252:373 m (1,224 ft)
43:Blue Nile (disambiguation)
40:
29:
1169:. Bridges to Prosperity.
1075:Snailham, Richard. 1970.
895:– via Google Books.
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865:13 November 2010 at the
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1330:Tributaries of the Nile
759:List of rivers of Sudan
1244:Paddling the Blue Nile
1077:The Blue Nile Revealed
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956:University of Alberta
715:Bridges to Prosperity
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494:on its right bank at
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420:Ethiopia–Sudan border
1038:Geographical Journal
692:John Blashford-Snell
547:flooding of the Nile
41:For other uses, see
1263: /
1193:Mystery of the Nile
1044:(1928), p. 361
1026:. 20 February 2022.
737:Mystery of the Nile
711:National Geographic
388:Ethiopian Highlands
299:Basin features
227: /
149: /
1335:Rivers of Ethiopia
667:Frédéric Cailliaud
634:
626:
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555:Egyptian mythology
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490:and receiving the
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1267:12.000°N 37.250°E
1126:on 6 October 2012
964:10.7939/R3377641M
926:on 20 August 2015
892:978-0-19-542738-7
834:an-Nīl al-ʾAzraqu
831:
814:
806:Mormor or Abbayaa
793:
724:suspension bridge
538:, the capital of
516:Mediterranean Sea
353:. Along with the
331:
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312:Mediterranean Sea
231:15.642°N 32.505°E
153:11.002°N 37.225°E
16:(Redirected from
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924:the original
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823:النيل الأزرق
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645:, a Spanish
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575:Roseires Dam
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506:and, as the
492:Dinder River
485:
428:Walaqa River
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367:rainy season
334:
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320:River system
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1270: /
1210:web.uvic.ca
682:Present day
660:James Bruce
488:Er Roseires
452:Dabus River
444:Guder River
440:Muger River
436:Jamma River
398:In Ethiopia
359:tributaries
304:Progression
234: /
156: /
111:Gilgel Abay
1319:Categories
1177:27 January
1130:27 January
930:11 October
847:References
643:Pedro Páez
583:hydropower
579:Sennar Dam
526:Water flow
520:Alexandria
504:White Nile
383:confluence
355:White Nile
265:Basin size
222:32°30′18″E
219:15°38′31″N
189:Nile River
144:37°13′30″E
141:11°00′07″N
125:, Ethiopia
18:Abay River
1350:Lake Tana
1325:Blue Nile
828:romanized
790:romanized
719:Fasilides
559:Aswan Dam
404:Lake Tana
343:Lake Tana
335:Blue Nile
277:Discharge
84:Countries
1297:Ethiopia
1258:037°15′E
1220:1 August
1214:Archived
1171:Archived
1098:Archived
1024:BBC News
999:archived
997:, 2012,
863:Archived
748:See also
650:such as
536:Khartoum
500:Khartoum
474:In Sudan
450:and the
347:Ethiopia
201:Khartoum
88:Ethiopia
79:Location
1283:Portals
1255:12°00′N
830::
813:
792::
785:ጥቁር አባይ
781:Amharic
608:History
563:monsoon
514:to the
413:Amharic
381:to its
361:of the
203:, Sudan
1005:9 July
991:Africa
952:Canada
889:
819:Arabic
671:Famaka
647:Jesuit
591:cotton
496:Dinder
464:Temcha
442:, the
438:, the
434:, the
430:, the
426:, the
379:source
373:Course
280:
257:Length
123:Sekela
107:Source
1309:Water
1104:3 May
802:Oromo
765:Notes
595:wheat
540:Sudan
512:Egypt
498:. At
468:Beles
460:Gulla
351:Sudan
339:river
337:is a
184:Mouth
92:Sudan
1222:2018
1179:2013
1132:2013
1106:2018
1007:2015
932:2015
887:ISBN
811:lit.
732:IMAX
722:new
577:and
567:silt
553:and
508:Nile
456:Muga
363:Nile
333:The
326:Nile
308:Nile
968:hdl
960:doi
518:at
345:in
1321::
1212:.
1208:.
1153:65
1096:.
1092:.
1042:71
1040:,
1022:.
993::
989:,
966:,
958:,
954::
950:,
825:,
821::
808:,
804::
787:,
783::
662:.
522:.
470:.
462:,
458:,
369:.
310:→
90:,
1285::
1224:.
1181:.
1155:.
1134:.
1108:.
970::
962::
934:.
411:(
45:.
38:.
20:)
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