An ancient Greek historian named Herodotus called Egypt the "Gift of the Nile" because the Egyptian people depended on the great river. Each year, the Nile would overflow its banks and flood the land. When the flood subsided, it left behind bits of soil and plant life called silt that was rich in nutrients and allowed the people of Ancient Egypt to grow crops on the land. Most people lived near the Nile River as the land beyond was the Sahara Desert. Egypt's northern border is the Mediterranean Sea.
