Desert Regions
Egypt’s deserts—the Western Desert, the Eastern Desert, and
the Sinai—make up most of the country’s area and were not
always as dry as they are today. The Neolithic period, from 8000
to 3000 b.c., was generally a time of more rains. As much as 4
to 12 inches (100 to 300 millimeters) fell each year west of the
Nile, creating semiarid shrub habitats similar to those found
in tropical northeast Africa today. During that time, people
probably kept cattle and grew crops on what is now completely
barren land. They also hunted game animals, including the
giraffe. East of the Nile, where there were abundant winter
rains, hunters pursued elephants and other savanna game ani-
mals. But the rainy period ended about 2400 b.c., and Egypt’s
climate has been extremely dry ever since. The savanna grasses
gave way to barren land. Animals that required a good deal of
water to survive became locally extinct. Some people retreated
to places of permanent water in the Western Desert oases and
along the Nile. Others adjusted to the changing conditions by
practicing a pastoral nomadic livelihood (described in Chapter
4), in which they moved with their livestock in search of water
and vegetation.
Egypt’s deserts—the Western Desert, the Eastern Desert, and
the Sinai—make up most of the country’s area and were not
always as dry as they are today. The Neolithic period, from 8000
to 3000 b.c., was generally a time of more rains. As much as 4
to 12 inches (100 to 300 millimeters) fell each year west of the
Nile, creating semiarid shrub habitats similar to those found
in tropical northeast Africa today. During that time, people
probably kept cattle and grew crops on what is now completely
barren land. They also hunted game animals, including the
giraffe. East of the Nile, where there were abundant winter
rains, hunters pursued elephants and other savanna game ani-
mals. But the rainy period ended about 2400 b.c., and Egypt’s
climate has been extremely dry ever since. The savanna grasses
gave way to barren land. Animals that required a good deal of
water to survive became locally extinct. Some people retreated
to places of permanent water in the Western Desert oases and
along the Nile. Others adjusted to the changing conditions by
practicing a pastoral nomadic livelihood (described in Chapter
4), in which they moved with their livestock in search of water
and vegetation.
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