The geography and geology of south-eastern EgyptBall, John
Science
The geography and geology of south-eastern Egypt
Ball, John
Geology -- Egypt; Physical geography -- Egypt
The principal drainage-basins are shown on the small scale map
on Plate II. The westward drainage ultimately reaches the Nile by
the three main trunk wadis of Shait, Kharit, and Alaqi; Shait and
Kharit enter the Nile Valley at Kom Ombo, while Alaqi debouches near
Dakka. The eastward drainage is much more complex, the principal
trunk wadis, such as Um Khariga, Gemal, Khoda, Rahaba, Hodein, Ibib,
Di-ib, and Serimtai, being separated by very numerous minor wadis
draining independently to the sea.[37]
Nearly all the wadis contain vegetation in the form of trees and
bushes, and plant life flourishes as a rule far more luxuriously in
wadis draining seawards than in those leading to the Nile. Feqoh,
Naam, and the lower reaches of Hodein are, however, exceptionally
barren. Forming, as they do, the only possible roads, furnishing
the entire supply of camel food, and containing most of the wells,
the wadis are to the desert what the Nile is to Egypt proper. The
intervening mountains are of no interest to the Arabs, except when
they contain water-reservoirs. Hence the place-naming starts from
the wadis, even the smallest of which have names unless they are
barren. Mountains are generally named after the nearest wadi, and may
thus have two names when situated between two wadis, the particular
name used depending on which side the mountain is seen from.
=Coast-line.=
The coast-line of this part of Egypt is somewhat irregular, the
peninsula of Ras Benas forming a prominent projection in latitude
24°. In the south part of the area the eastward extension of the
country, culminating in Ras Hadarba (Cape Elba of existing maps),
is very marked, extending nearly to 37° of east longitude. The
coast is almost entirely fringed by coral reefs, passage through
which is only possible at certain points, and then only with the
utmost care in navigation.[38] Between the feet of the mountains and
the sea there extends a gently sloping plain, varying in width from
about eight to twenty-five kilometres, covered with sand, over which
the drainage meanders in shallow courses, often only traceable by
the vegetation which occurs along them. A rather surprising result
brought out by the levelling observations is that the slope of the
coast plain, even where it looks flattest and sandiest, is as steep
as the floors of some of the wadis draining on to it, and several
times more steep than the beds of the wadis which drain westwards
to the Nile, its fall seawards averaging six metres per kilometre
and reaching over ten metres per kilometre in some sections.
=Climate.=
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account