Atbarah River

"Astaboras" redirects here. For the feature formerly thought to exist on Mars, seeList of Martian canals.

Atbarah River
Upper Atbara and Setit Dam Complex Hydroelectric Power Plant
Atbarah River Basin (Interactive map)
Location
Countries	Ethiopia Sudan
Physical characteristics
Mouth
• location	Discharges into theNile
• coordinates	17.6781°N 33.9735°E/17.6781; 33.9735
Length	805 kilometres (500 mi)
Basin size	69,000 square kilometres (27,000 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	374 m3/s (13,200 cu ft/s)

TheAtbarah River(Arabic:نهر عطبرة;transliterated:Nahr 'Atbarah), also referred to as theRed Nileand / orBlack Nile,is a river in northeastAfrica.It rises in northwestEthiopia,approximately 50 km north ofLake Tanaand 30 km west ofGondar.It then flows about 805 km (500 mi) to theNilein north-centralSudan,joining it at the city ofAtbarah(17.677°N 33.970°E/17.677; 33.970). The river'stributary,theTekezé (Setit) River,is perhaps the true upper course of the Atbarah, as the Tekezé follows the longer course prior to theconfluenceof the two rivers (at 14° 10' N, 36° E) in northeastern Sudan. The Atbarah is the last tributary of the Nile before it reaches theMediterranean.

For much of the year, it is little more than a stream. However, during the rainy season (generally July to October), the Atbarah rises some 18 ft (5 m) above its normal level. At this time, it forms a formidable barrier between the northern and central districts of theAmhara Regionof Ethiopia. Besides the Tekezé, other important tributaries of the Atbarah include theShinfa Riverwhich rises west of Lake Tana, and theGreater Angerebwhich has its source north of the city ofGondar.

History

The earliest surviving mention of the Atbarah is byStrabo(16.4.8), who called the riverAstaboras(Greek:Ασταβόρας).Other ancient authors mentioning the name includeAgatharchides,who called itAstabaras(Greek:Ασταβάρας),andPtolemy(Geography4.7).Richard Pankhurstand others have argued that the name should be understood as "River of the Boras people", whereastacan be related to Proto-Nubianasti"water",while-borascan be linked to a number of Roman allusions to a tribe named the Bora (Bera), who lived nearMeroe,and another tribe named theMegabares(Greek:Μεγάβαροιin Eratosthenes and Strabo,Latin:MegabarriinPliny the Elder).Pliny the Elderprovides a slightly different etymology of Astaboras, stating that "in the language of the local people" the name means "water coming from the shades below" (N.H.5.10).

In April 1898 a majorbattlewas fought beside the river during theAnglo-Egyptian invasion of Sudan 1896–1899betweenMahdistforces and an Anglo-Egyptian Army under the command ofLord Kitchener,which resulted in the destruction of the 20,000-strong Mahdist detachment.

In 1964, the river was dammed by theKhashm el-Girba DamnearKassalain Sudan to provide irrigation to the newly built town of Halfa Dughaym in an otherwise fairly arid region and to resettle the Sudanese population driven away by theAswan High Dam(Sad al-Aali) in Egypt, which flooded 500 km of the Nile Valley in southern Egypt and northern Sudan.

Construction on a $1.9 billion twin dam project about 20 km upstream from the confluence of the Upper Atbara and Setit rivers, theRumela and Burdana dams,began in 2011 and was inaugurated by PresidentOmar al-Bashirin February 2017.

Hydrology

Average monthly flow (1912–1982) of the Atbarah measured approximately 25 km upstream of its mouth, measured in m³/s:

See also

• List of rivers of Ethiopia
• List of rivers of Sudan

External links

• Maps of Ethiopia- Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection,University of Texas