Nile Delta

The Nile Delta is the fan-shaped delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads into multiple channels and drains into the Mediterranean Sea, extending roughly 240 kilometers along the coast between Alexandria and Port Said and about 160 kilometers inland to the north of Cairo. Its two main distributaries, the Damietta and Rosetta branches, are named for the port cities where they reach the sea, and the delta also holds the coastal lakes Manzala, Burullus, Idku and Mariout. Densely populated and highly fertile, the delta is home to an estimated 70 million people, with population density outside its major cities commonly exceeding 1,000 people per square kilometer.