The Nile River is the second longest river in the world and flows through Egypt. It was essential for ancient Egyptian civilization, flooding annually and depositing rich soil for farming. The river supported both the peasant farmers who grew crops in the fertile soil and the government officials who collected taxes on the harvest. The pharaoh was responsible for the flooding of the Nile and any problems with farming or goods, demonstrating the river's importance to social and political structures in ancient Egypt.