There's an old saying that denial isn't just a river in Egypt, and that's true.

It's also a river in Sudan, sub-Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda.

The Nile is the longest river in the world, yet it's one of the smallest major rivers in the world as well.

Historically, some of the world's greatest civilizations have depended on it,

and today it is still a source of conflict between countries that depend on it for water and power.

Learn more about the Nile River, and how its geography has and continues to shape history on this episode of

everything everywhere daily. Before I get into anything else I should address the issue of the length of the Nile

River.

Many of you might have heard that the Amazon is the longest river in the world and others

might have heard that the Nile is the longest river. Measuring the length of a river is in the tributary you pick will determine the length of the river.

That being said, the Nile is usually considered to be the longest river with a total length

of 6,393 kilometers or 4,159 miles. Or about 250

250 kilometers longer than the Amazon.

While the Nile is undoubtedly one of the world's great rivers, it actually doesn't transport

nearly as much water as other great rivers. It's number one in length but

only number 97 in terms of average discharge of water, which is measured in terms of

cubic meters per second. The Amazon has almost 70 times more water flowing through it as the

Nile does. In fact, if you look at the list of the greatest rivers in the world

by discharge, you'll encounter dozens of rivers you've probably never heard of before you ever get to the Nile.

The reason why the Nile is so long, yet transports comparatively so little water,

and nonetheless has been the cradle of some of the world's earliest civilizations is what makes the story of the

Nile so interesting.

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