The Nile is a major river in northeast Africa that empties into the Mediterranean Sea. At 7,088 kilometers (4,404 mi) in length, it is the longest river in the world, although the volume of water it carries is much smaller than other major rivers. The Nile has two major tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. Geologically, the Nile is a young river and has followed its present course for only 15,000 years. The Nile was the foundation of the ancient Egyptian civilization, which relied on the river for nearly every aspect of life. Many Europeans were fascinated by the Nile, and their explorations around Lake Victoria in the late 19th century located the source of the river. The Nile plays a critical role in the economies of Egypt and Sudan, which rely on it for irrigation. More than a dozen dams have been built in the Nile Basin, altering the river's annual flood cycle and restricting the transport of silt downstream to the Nile Delta. ( Full article... )
July 26 : Independence Day in the Maldives (1965), Kargil Vijay Diwas in India
| | The tiger bee fly (Xenox tigrinus) is a species of insect in the family Bombyliidae, the bee flies. It is found in parts of the United States and Canada. Its black-and-white body and patterned wings resemble the coloration of a large bee, an example of Batesian mimicry, which helps to deter predators. Females lay their eggs near the nests of carpenter bees, particularly the eastern carpenter bee, and the developing larvae parasitize the bee's young. Adult tiger bee flies are also pollinators. This tiger bee fly was photographed on a leaf in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York City. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: |