The area of the Nile Delta is about 25,000 sq. km., and it is inhabitet by about 34 million people, meaning that around half of Egypt's population live here. These figures do not include Cairo's inhabitants.

 

The Nile is almost 5,600 kilometers (3,500 miles) long, and the longest river in the world. It begins in Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia, where it starts its long journey as the Blue Nile until it reaches Khartoum in Sudan. Here it merges with the White Nile to form the River Nile, and continues through Sudan and Egypt. As the Nile makes its way towards the Mediterranean the river branches spread out in a V-shaped fan, creating the delta, which begins north of Cairo. Its area is about 25,000 sq. km., and its inhabited by about 34 million people, meaning that around half of Egypt's population live here. These figures do not include Cairo's inhabitants. The coastline is about 300 km. long, from Alexandria in the west to Port Said and the outlet of the Suez Canal in the east.

Each year the Nile gets flooded at brings with it 140 million tonnes of fertile volcanic soil which over thousands of years has provided the Nile Delta with the most fertile soil in Africa. Intensive farming has been going on in the delta for 5,000 to 6,000 years, making it home to the oldest civilized part of Ancient Egypt. Traditionally, the delta area was considered the heart land of Lower Egypt. Still today the delta is a rich agricultural region.

In 1971, when the Aswan Dam was built and Lake Nassar created, the natural flooding cycle was changed forever and the nutrient rich sediments no longer reach the delta. As a result, salt water seeps back into the freshwater, and fish species both in the Nile and in Eastern Mediterranean have been reduced. The changes has meant that the Nile Delta is now eroding at a rate of 50 sq. km. per year, and it has been predicted that this delta will have vanished about 500 years from now. However, Lake Nasser provides fresh water to millions of people.

The Nile Delta has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by little rainfall. Only 100 to 200 mm of rain falls on the delta area during an average year, and most of it in the winter months. The delta experiences its hottest temperatures in July and August, averaging 30C, with a maximum around 48C. Winter temperatures are normally in the range of 5C to 10C.