Blue Nile

The source of the Blue Nile River is Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It has several feeder streams that flow into Lake Tana.

The local communities consider the sacred source of the river to be a small spring at Gishe Abbai.

The Blue Nile joins the White Nile at Khartoum, Sudan.

It becomes the Nile and flows through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria.

The Blue Nile got its name because its water is pure most of the year compared to the grey-coloured water of the White Nile. The Blue Nile is called the Abay in Ethiopia and the Al Bahr al-Azraq in Sudan.

The river flows through almost impenetrable gorges cut in the Ethiopian highlands to a depth of some 1,500 m.

The might of the Blue Nile may best be appreciated at Tis Issat Falls, which are 45 m (148 ft) high.

The flow of the Blue Nile is at the highest in the rainy season from June to September. It supplies two thirds of the water of the Nile proper.

The Blue Nile, and the Atbara which also flows out of the Ethiopian highlands, were responsible for the annual Nile floods that contributed to the fertility of the Nile Valley and the resultant rise of ancient Egyptian civilization and Egyptian Mythology.

The Blue Nile is vital to the livelihood of Egypt. Approximately 85% of the water that reaches Egypt originates from the Blue Nile branch of the great river.

The river is also an important resource for Sudan, where the Roseires and Sennar dams produce 80% of the country's power. The dams help irrigate the Gezira Plain, famous for its high quality cotton. The region also produces wheat, and animal feed crops.