Last year, one of my daughter's history assignments was about Geography and Egyption civilization. She asked me to help her, so I got a chance to learn a little bit of geography in that area.
The soil of the Nile River delta between Cairo and the Mediterranean Sea is rich in nutrients, due to the large silt depostis the Nile leaves behind as it flows into the sea. The banks of the Nile all along its vast length contain rich soil as well, thanks to annual flooding that deposits silt.
And the Nile River was the high way that joined countries together.