Today, 95 percent of Egyptians live within a few kilometers of the Nile. Canals bring water from the Nile to irrigate farms and support cities. The Nile agriculture and fishing. The Nile also has as an important transportation route for thousands of years. Today, some of El Qâhira (Cairo) have begun using private speed boats, water taxis, or ferries to avoid streets. Dams, such as the Aswân High Dam in Egypt, have been to help to tame the river and provide a source of hydroelectric power
(Excerpt from ‘Nile River’, nationalgeographic.org)