FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-5 DAILY FEATURE:
By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)
LOVELAND, OH (January 9, 2023) – In this edition of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, we look into the building of a dam on the Nile.
Dam It
Construction of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River commenced on January 9, 1960 and was completed ten years later.
The primary purpose of the dam is improved downstream agriculture – preventing cyclical droughts and floods and to allow for two cultivation cycles per year versus one prior to the dam. It also generates electricity, needless to say.
The first attempt at a dam dates to the 11th century. They had more modest plans than the 4000 feet long Aswan Dam with its 310 mile long reservoir, Lake Nasser.
About 100-120 thousand people were relocated to higher ground in the 1960s behind the dam in Upper Egypt and Sudan. Also 22 archeological sites were moved to the eventual shores of Lake Nasser under the supervision of the United Nations.
Tanner’s map of Egypt is presented here from 1836.
Map of Egypt – 1836 (Credit Steve Kovacs)
Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.
Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.
