Herodotus described Egypt as "the gift if the Nile"
and for millennia the Nile Valley and the Delta was
Egypt. The harsh deserts that form most of modern Egypt
were not considered.
Together the river and its delta form a typical river
oasis. From Lake Nasser in the south to the apex of
the Delta roughly at Cairo in the north, the Nile Valley
averages 10km in width. The Delta is 166km from its
apex to the Mediterranean coast and is 250km wide.
Today, after at least 7,000 years of human activity,
this river oasis is essentially a man-made ecosystem
and the area is extensively cultivated. The trees that
grow in the cities are largely introduced, many of them
beautiful ornamentals such as the pink-flowered Cassia
nodosa, the Flame Tree, Delonix regia,
and Bauhinia variegata among others. The fertile
soil of the Nile Valley and the Delta nurtures an enormous
variety of fruits and vegetables that originated far
from Egypt. Plants that do well in cooler weather are
grown during the winter months while others thrive in
the warm summer temperatures. Native plants also thrive
in this habitat, which is home to six species that are
endemic to this zone and three endemics that are found
in other eco-zones of Egypt as well.
Animals that inhabit the region are either commensal
or able to tolerate human activities. The Nile Rat,
Arvicanthis niloticus, is common in the region
together with the Long-eared Hedgehog, Hemiechinus
auritus, the Wildcat, Felis sylvestris,
and the Weasel, Mustela nivalis, which is found
in Cairo and Alexandria. Among the reptiles that inhabit
this eco-zone are the African Beauty Snake, Psammophis
sibilans, Tessellated Water Snake, Natrix tessellata,
which is common in streams and irrigation canals of
the Delta and the Ocellated Skink, Chalcides ocellatus.
Several amphibian species are also found in the region,
most commonly the Square-marked Toad, Bufo regularis,
which can be heard calling in urban gardens even in
Central Cairo. .
The abundance of available food and water attracts many
migrating birds that winter in the area, augmenting
the resident population of about 66 breeding species
among which are the Senegal Coucal, Centropus senegalensis,
and the Senegal Thick-knee, Burhinus senegalensis,
the distinctive call of which can be heard in Cairo
during the night.
Lake Nasser
is the name of the northern portion of the reservoir
that formed after the Aswan High Dam was built. Although
Lake Nasser covers an area of 5248 sq.km., its surface
area fluctuates according to the volume of the annual
Nile flood. Numerous dendritic extensions of the lake
are the flooded lower portions of wadis that drain into
the Nile Valley. These extensions are known as khors
and some of them extend for many kilometers into the
desert. The shores and islands of this lake often support
dense vegetation.
While Lake Nasser does not appear to have attracted
migratory water birds in the past, it now seems be becoming
increasingly important as a wintering area for waterbirds,
particularly Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula.
The lake also provides the only known breeding habitat
for the Egyptian Goose, Alopochen aegyptiacus,
in Egypt. The reptiles of this zone include the
Nile Crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus, the Nile
Monitor, Varanus niloticus, and the Nile Soft-shell
Turtle, Trionyx triunguis, is also restricted
to this habitat. The dog-like Jackal, Canis aureus,
is found here, as is the Sand Cat, Felis margarita.
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