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Aswan High Dam
Crossing the Nile River near Aswan, Egypt

Providing international intrigue, world-class engineering, irrigation and electricity for half a nation, the Aswan High Dam, crossing the Nile River in southern Egypt, near the city of Aswan, forever changed the Nile Valley in ways that are only now beginning to be understood. Work on the dam started in 1960, and like the Hoover Dam before, the Aswan was 10 years in the building. At last, a nation that had been at the mercy of the Nile had made the river bend to its will, harnessing the power to do its bidding.

Funding for the dam was provided by the Soviet Union. The chosen source of funding was significant in that it made a public statement about Egypt's wariness of Israel, France and Great Britain. Almost one-third of the estimated $1 billion cost was provided by the Soviet Union. The former USSR also supplied Egypt with 400 technicians and engineers during the construction process. The remaining $650 million was funded by Egyptian President Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal.

Typically, the construction of sizable dams is a source of great controversy. The Aswan High Dam however, is a disguised blessing for the people of Egypt. In the past, the Nile flooded annually, depositing rich, arable soil along the banks after the floodwaters receded. Now, the Nile's floods are moderated by the dam. While this may mean the narrow strip of arable land is no longer available, the other benefits vastly outweigh any losses.

Today, the reservoir known as Lake Nasser, spans 500 kilometers across the Egyptian-Sudanese border providing water for agriculture, municipalities, recreation and wildlife conservation. Because of the dams construction and the resulting reservoir, Egypt was unaffected by the drought that hit Africa during the late 1980s.

In addition, the dam provides 50 percent of Egypt's electric power, normally producing 2.1 gigawatts annually, and Lake Nasser contains several years of irrigation reserve -enough in fact, to irrigate more than 7 million acres and facilitate multiple cropping. Its irrigation capacity has led to a 200 percent increase in Egypt's agricultural income.

The dam consists of a 111 meter-high, 1000 meter-wide earthen embankment. Although the dam first hit spill levels in 1996, the typically low level of Lake Nasser does not allow for full hydro-electric output.