Where Does the Nile River Flow?

The Nile: Africa's Arterial River

The Nile River flows through 11 countries in northeastern Africa, making it the most international river on the continent.

Countries (Source to Mouth)

1. Burundi (Ruvyironza headwater)
2. Rwanda (Nyabarongo)
3. Tanzania (Kagera, Lake Victoria)
4. Uganda (Victoria Nile, Lake Kyoga, Albert Nile)
5. South Sudan (Bahr al-Jabal, Sudd swamp, Bahr el Ghazal)
6. Sudan (White Nile + Blue Nile at Khartoum → Main Nile)
7. Ethiopia (Blue Nile, Tekeze/Atbara – major sediment/water source)
8. Eritrea (minor tributaries: Mereb/Gash)
9. Democratic Republic of the Congo (Semliki → Lake Albert)
10. Kenya (minor Lake Victoria catchment)
11. Egypt (Lake Nasser, Cairo, Delta → Mediterranean)

Regions Traversed

• East Africa: Great Lakes, Victoria Basin, Albertine Rift.
• Sudano-Sahel: Sudd (vast wetland), Sahel transition.
• North Africa: Sahara Desert, Nile Valley, Delta.
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Broadly, all except Egypt.

Continent

Africa (entirely).

Key Hydrology

• Length: ~6,650 km (4,130 mi) – often cited as longest (disputed with Amazon).
• Basin: 3.4 million km² (10% of Africa).
• Discharge: ~2,830 m³/s (avg at Aswan) – highly seasonal (Blue Nile flood).

The Nile is the lifeline of Northeast Africa—water, agriculture, transport, history, and geopolitics.