The Greek historian Herodotus first said that “Egypt is the gift of the Nile.” That river literally runs through the country and symbolically flows through its history. Egypt is 380,000 square miles; 95% of it is barren desert. Nowhere in Egypt is there enough rainfall to sustain agriculture. However, the Nile floodplain, a narrow strip of green three to five miles wide on each side of the river, is extremely fertile. It is 1/20th of Egypt’s area, but it supports more than 96% of its people. The Nile provides both the water and the silt to feed the country. The Nile also is the pathway to its people; they live along the river. Today the Nile also gives us a vision of Egypt’s history, and it explains its legends and mythology. Truly, Egypt is the Nile, and the Nile is Egypt.