July 1st, 2010 Category: Lakes, Rivers

Egypt - June 2nd, 2010

Lake Nasser, on the border of Egypt (above) and Sudan (below) in the upper right corner, appears dark silver in color due to sun glint. Several smaller lakes are visible to the west; these are the Toshka Lakes, created by excess waters from Lake Nasser.

While the left side of the image is mostly sandy desert, the Nile River makes its way across the right side of the image in large curves. The river’s waters are used for irrigation in areas such as the Gezira Scheme, a large agricultural zone partially visible in the lower right corner.

Tags: Egypt Gezira Scheme Lake Nasser Nile River Sudan |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

April 19th, 2010 Category: Image of the day, Rivers

Sudan - March 5th, 2010

Sun glint causes the White Nile River to appear truly white as it flows past the fields of the Gezira Scheme in Sudan. The Blue Nile borders this agricultural area to the east. The two rivers converge at Khartoum, near the top of the image.

The Gezira Scheme is one of the largest irrigation projects in the world, now covering about now covers 3,400 miles² (8,800 km²) in the Sudanese state of Al Jazirah. It is composed of thousands of kilometers of canals that distribute water from the Blue Nile to farms between the two rivers.

The Gezira (which means “island”) is particularly suited to irrigation because the soil slopes away from the Blue Nile and water therefore naturally runs through the irrigation canals by gravity . The soil has a high clay content which keeps down losses from seepage. The main crop grown in this region is still cotton.

Tags: Africa Agriculture Al Jazirah Blue Nile River Gezira Scheme Irrigation Khartoum Sudan White Nile River |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

February 11th, 2010 Category: Image of the day, Rivers

Sudan - January 26th, 2010

The Nile River, generally regarded as the longest river in the world, can be seen making its way through Egypt (above) and Sudan (below) in this image of northern Africa. Here, the stretch of the river from Lake Nasser (above) to the confluence of its two major tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile, near Khartoum (below).

Upon opening the full image, two other segments of the great river can be observed. The first is a part of the river north of Lake Nasser, surrounded by fertile green land. The second is south of Khartoum, and includes the agricultural land of the Gezira Scheme.

Tags: Africa Agriculture Blue Nile Egypt Gezira Scheme Khartoum Lake Nasser Nile River Sudan White Nile |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

January 15th, 2010 Category: Lakes, Rivers

Sudan - December 16th, 2009

The Roseires Dam was built in 1966 on the Blue Nile River in Sudan, creating the Roseires Reservoir visible here towards the bottom. The dam has a nominal volume of 36.3 km3. Much of the water impounded at Roseires is used to expand and intensify agriculture on the Gezira Scheme.

Raising the crest of Roseires Dam is still on the agenda, especially because low flows on the Blue Nile have cut cropping intensities on the Gezira about 15%. Instead of 1,500,000 irrigated acres, the total irrigated area is closer to 1.2 million, while the cotton crop covers 385,000, not 500,000. As the storage capacity at Roseires declines, these figures may be expected to fall further.

Tags: Blue Nile River Gezira Scheme Roseires Dam Roseires Reservoir Sudan |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

January 5th, 2010 Category: Image of the day, Lakes, Rivers

Sudan - December 16th, 2009

Despite its greenish appearance, the river flowing northward across the left side of this image is the White Nile. Flowing diagonally across the right side is the Blue Nile.

The expansive, green agricultural area between the two rivers are the fields of the Gezira Scheme in Sudan’s Al Jazirah state. The scheme uses an extensive series of canals and ditches to distribute water to farms in the area.

Upon opening the full image and following the Blue Nile southward, the reservoir created by the Sennar Dam can be observed. The dam, located near the town of Sennar, was built in 1925 to provide water for crop irrigation in the Al Jazirah region. It is 3025 meters (9925 feet) long, with a maximum height of 40 meters (130 feet).

Tags: Africa Agriculture Al Jazirah Blue Nile Gezira Scheme Irrigation Sennar Dam Sennar Reservoir Sudan White Nile |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

November 27th, 2009 Category: Image of the day, Rivers

Sudan - October 7th, 2009

The green irrigated fields of the Gezira Scheme in Sudan’s Al Jazirah state fill the land between the Blue (right) and White Nile (left) Rivers. The Gezira Scheme, begun by the British in 1925 to foster cotton farming, distributes water from the Blue Nile through canals and ditches to tenant farms lying between the two rivers.

Since the start of the scheme, Al Jazirah has become Sudan’s major agricultural region, with more than 2.5 million acres (10,000 km²) under cultivation. The initial development project was semi-private, but the government nationalized it in 1950. Cotton production increased in the 1970s but by the 1990s increased wheat production has supplanted a third of the land formerly seeded with cotton.

Tags: Africa Agriculture Al Jazirah Blue Nile Gezira Scheme Sudan White Nile |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

August 10th, 2009 Category: Lakes, Rivers

Sudan and Ethiopia - June 21st, 2009

The golden yellow terrain of Sudan darkens to brown before crossing the border into Ethiopia, where it takens on a green tint in some areas.

Lake Tana, in Ethiopia’s highlands, appearing greenish in color here, provides the source of the Blue Nile River. The river flows northwest, joining with the White Nile at the city of Khartoum, in Sudan.

Just below the rivers’ confluence is the Gezira Scheme, a huge irrigation project that distributes water from the Blue Nile via a series of canals and ditches to farms lying between the banks of the two rivers. This agricultural area appears slightly greenish here.

Tags: Africa Agriculture Blue Nile Ethiopia Gezira Scheme Khartoum Lake Tana Nile River Sudan White Nile |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

June 23rd, 2009 Category: Rivers

Sudan - June 21st, 2009

The White Nile, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile River in Africa, cuts diagonally across the Sudanese terrain in this image.

The bright green fields east of the river are in stark contrast to the reddish desert sands to the west. These crops are irrigated by the Gezira Scheme, a huge irrigation project in Sudan.

The terrain to the northwest of those green fields is actually irrigated agricultural land, part of the Gezira Scheme as well.

By comparing this image with an earlier one of the same area (click here for previous article), it is possible to observe the crops at different seasonal growth stages.

Tags: Africa Agriculture Gezira Scheme Irrigation Nile River Sudan White Nile |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

March 22nd, 2009 Category: Rivers

White Nile, Sudan - March 20th, 2009

The White Nile, which actually does appear white here, due to sun glint, as it runs through the center of this image, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile River in Africa. The other tributary is the Blue Nile, to the right.

Between the two rivers and below their confluence at the city of Khartoum are the crops of the Gezira Scheme, a huge irrigation project in Sudan.

The White Nile enters Sudan at Nimule, then winds through rapids before entering the Sudan plain and the vast swamp of the Sudd. It eventually makes its way to Lake No, passes through Juba, the southernmost navigable point on the Nile river system, and finally merges with the Blue Nile at Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, forming the Nile.

Tags: Agriculture Blue Nile Gezira Scheme Irrigation Khartoum Sudan White Nile |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Comments (1)