The Aswan High Dam is a dam in the south of Egypt on the Nile River. It is called the High Dam due to its size and position compared to the Aswan Low Dam, a smaller dam also located on the Nile River. It was constructed over ten years, starting on January 9th 1960. Measuring at 11,811 feet long, 3215 feet thick, and 364 feet tall, it is a massive dam. By volume, the Aswan High Dam is the 15th largest in the world. After its construction was completed, it took nearly six years to fill to capacity. The reservoir created by the dam is known as Lake Nasser, the largest artificial lake in the world.
The Aswan High Dam is an important part of Egypt's economy today. The water that moves through the Aswan High Dam doubles Egypt's energy capacity, and Lake Nasser increases the cultivatable land in Egypt by 30 percent. This is because Egypt has little to no appreciable rainfall, which means crops in Egypt need irrigation to survive. The water diverted from the Aswan High Dam allows crops to grow in nearly 13,000 square miles of otherwise unusable land.
The Aswan High Dam also protects Egypt from seasonal floods and droughts. The Nile no longer floods each year due to the High Dam's control over the flow of water. The dam allows the storage of what would be flood waters in autumn months to be used in the winter, when water levels normally decrease. This level of control allows cruise ships to navigate the Nile, even in the winter months when the water level is normally too low. Farmers who rely on irrigation from the Aswan High Dam rely on the dam's control of the water level, which allows their crops to be grown year-round, never worrying about drought or flood.