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Whose Expedition Discovered the Source of the Nile?
explorationhistory
Quick Answer
John Hanning Speke identified Lake Victoria as the source of the White Nile in 1858.
The Full Story
British explorer John Hanning Speke first reached the southern shore of Lake Victoria on 3 August 1858 during an expedition with Richard Burton and declared it the source of the White Nile. He returned in 1862 and confirmed the Nile flowing out of the lake at Ripon Falls (now submerged by a dam). Burton disputed the claim, and the debate lasted years. Later explorers confirmed that the most distant headwaters of the Nile lie in the highlands of Burundi and Rwanda, feeding rivers into Lake Victoria.
Key Facts
1.The Nile is about 6,650 km long — one of the longest rivers in the world.
2.Burton and Speke's partnership dissolved into a bitter public feud.
3.Speke died of an accidental gunshot wound the day before a planned debate with Burton in 1864.
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"The Search for the Source of the Nile — Speke vs. Burton"