Geography
The following table illustrates the water availability in each country within the Nile basin, and researchers' estimates of decrease in water availability to these countries, due largely to an increase in the countries' populations.
While the Nile and its tributaries are vital sources of water throughout the basin, the dependence of basin countries on the river varies dramatically. Egypt and Sudan, to name two examples, are almost completely dependent on the Nile system. By contrast, the Nile is a vanishingly small part of the water resources of DR Congo, most of which lies within the drainage basin of the Congo River—a river with more than 10 times the average discharge of the Nile.
| Country | Population 1995 (millions) | Population 2025 (millions) | GNP per capita 1996 (US $) | Population below the poverty line (1US$/day) (PPP) (%) | Per capita water availability 1990 (m³) | Per capita water availability 2025 (m³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burundi | 6.4 | 13.5 | 170 | 655 | 269 | |
| DRC | 43.9 | 104.6 | 160 | 359,803 | 139,309 | |
| Egypt | 62.9 | 97.3 | 1,090 | 7.6 | 1,123 | 630 |
| Ethiopia | 55.1 | 126.9 | 100 | 33.8 | 2,207 | 842 |
| Eritrea | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Kenya | 28.8 | 63.4 | 320 | 50.2 | 636 | 235 |
| Rwanda | 8 | 15.8 | 190 | 45.7 | 897 | 306 |
| Sudan | 28.1 | 58.4 | 4,792 | 1,993 | ||
| Tanzania | 29.7 | 62.9 | 170 | 16.4 | 2,924 | 1,025 |
| Uganda | 21.3 | 48.1 | 300 | 50 | 3,759 | 1,437 |
Read more about this topic: Water Politics In The Nile Basin
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