Wadi Halfa Salient
Encyclopedia
Wadi Halfa Salient is the unofficial name of a salient
of the international border between Sudan
and Egypt
along the Nile
River to the north.
and Egypt was defined by the Condominium
treaty to run along the 22nd degree north
of latitude
. However, access to the area north of the border along the Nile River and consequently the administration of the population of the area were easier from Sudan. Therefore, in 1902 an amendment to the original treaty defined the new administrative border, deviating north of the 22nd degree north of latitude along the Nile river, thereby placing this area under Sudanese administration.
Besides the Wadi Halfa Salient, there are two more areas where the border deviates from the 22nd degree north of latitude: the Hala'ib Triangle
on the Red Sea
coast, north of the original 1899 border, and the much smaller area around Bir Tawil
, south of the original border.
. While there have been disputes about the Hala'ib Triangle and military occupation by Egypt, the small area of the Wadi Halfa Salient remained out of the headlines because most of the area is flooded by Lake Nasser
.
and the flooding of Lake Nasser
most of the area was flooded, affecting most of the villages of the area and the ancient city of Faras
. Some of the people were resettled to New Halfa in the Butana
region.
After a detailed map of 1953, before the flooding, 52 villages could be counted in the area, of which 24 were west of the Nile River (17 with names on the map), and 29 east of the river (12 with names), and one unnamed village on then Faras Island in the river. The largest town and only one with a population exceeding 2000 was دبيرة (Dubayrah).
A land area of about 30 to 40 km² only remains in Wadi Halfa Salient, most of it on the eastern banks, a desolate rocky area nearly void of vegetation. A superimposition of the map with current NASA World Wind
satellite images shows the extent of flooding in the area of the Wadi Halfa Salient. All villages shown on the map disappeared in the reservoir
.
Panhandle
A panhandle is an informal geographic term for an elongated arm-like protrusion of a geo-political entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state.-Term:...
of the international border between Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
along the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
River to the north.
History
In 1899, the border between Anglo-Egyptian SudanAnglo-Egyptian Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan referred to the manner by which Sudan was administered between 1899 and 1956, when it was a condominium of Egypt and the United Kingdom.-Union with Egypt:...
and Egypt was defined by the Condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
treaty to run along the 22nd degree north
22nd parallel north
The 22nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 22 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, North America, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean....
of latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
. However, access to the area north of the border along the Nile River and consequently the administration of the population of the area were easier from Sudan. Therefore, in 1902 an amendment to the original treaty defined the new administrative border, deviating north of the 22nd degree north of latitude along the Nile river, thereby placing this area under Sudanese administration.
Besides the Wadi Halfa Salient, there are two more areas where the border deviates from the 22nd degree north of latitude: the Hala'ib Triangle
Hala'ib Triangle
The Hala'ib Triangle is an area of land measuring located on the Red Sea's African coast...
on the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
coast, north of the original 1899 border, and the much smaller area around Bir Tawil
Bir Tawil
Bir Tawil or Bi'r Tawīl is a area along the border between Egypt and Sudan which is claimed by neither country. It is sometimes referred to as the Bir Tawil Triangle, despite the area's quadrilateral shape, with the longer side in the north of the area running along the 22° north circle of...
, south of the original border.
Political situation
Egypt claims the more favorable original border of 1899 along the 22nd degree north of latitude and therefore claims both the Hala'ib Triangle and the Wadi Halfa Salient, but not the Bir Tawil area. Since Sudan claims the amended border of 1902, it claims the same areas as Egypt, while no country claims the Bir Tawil area, making it de facto a terra nulliusTerra nullius
Terra nullius is a Latin expression deriving from Roman law meaning "land belonging to no one" , which is used in international law to describe territory which has never been subject to the sovereignty of any state, or over which any prior sovereign has expressly or implicitly relinquished...
. While there have been disputes about the Hala'ib Triangle and military occupation by Egypt, the small area of the Wadi Halfa Salient remained out of the headlines because most of the area is flooded by Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser is a vast reservoir in southern Egypt, and northern Sudan, and is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Strictly, "Lake Nasser" refers only to the much larger portion of the lake that is in Egyptian territory , with the Sudanese preferring to call their smaller body of water...
.
Geography
The Wadi Halfa Salient is roughly nine kilometers wide and stretches on both sides of the original course of the Nile River 25 kilometers to the north finger-shaped into Egyptian territory, with a total area of 210 km². Because of the construction of the Aswan DamAswan Dam
The Aswan Dam is an embankment dam situated across the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt. Since the 1950s, the name commonly refers to the High Dam, which is larger and newer than the Aswan Low Dam, which was first completed in 1902...
and the flooding of Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser is a vast reservoir in southern Egypt, and northern Sudan, and is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Strictly, "Lake Nasser" refers only to the much larger portion of the lake that is in Egyptian territory , with the Sudanese preferring to call their smaller body of water...
most of the area was flooded, affecting most of the villages of the area and the ancient city of Faras
Faras
Faras was a major city in Lower Nubia in modern Egypt. The site of the city was flooded by Lake Nasser in the 1960s, and is now permanently underwater...
. Some of the people were resettled to New Halfa in the Butana
Butana
Butana is a region in Sudan. It is bordered by the Nile from Khartoum to Atbarah, by the Atbarah River from Atbarah to Ethiopia, by the Ethiopian border from the Atbarah River to the Blue Nile, and by the Blue Nile from Ethiopia to Khartoum. It includes most of the state of Al Qadarif plus parts...
region.
After a detailed map of 1953, before the flooding, 52 villages could be counted in the area, of which 24 were west of the Nile River (17 with names on the map), and 29 east of the river (12 with names), and one unnamed village on then Faras Island in the river. The largest town and only one with a population exceeding 2000 was دبيرة (Dubayrah).
A land area of about 30 to 40 km² only remains in Wadi Halfa Salient, most of it on the eastern banks, a desolate rocky area nearly void of vegetation. A superimposition of the map with current NASA World Wind
NASA World Wind
World Wind is an open-source virtual globe developed by NASA and the open source community for use on personal computers. Old versions need Microsoft Windows but the more recent Java version, , is cross platform and provides a suite of . The World Wind Java version was awarded in November 2009...
satellite images shows the extent of flooding in the area of the Wadi Halfa Salient. All villages shown on the map disappeared in the reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
.