Final answer:
The answer to the schoolwork question is: With irrigation, the rich soil of the Nile produced abundant harvests of wheat, barley, and flax. Beyond the delta and irrigated lands lay the Sahara which could sustain sheep and goats. This illustrates the historical importance of the Nile in fostering Egyptian civilization through its agricultural productivity.
Step-by-step explanation:
With irrigation, the rich soil of the Nile produced abundant harvests of wheat, barley, and flax. Beyond the delta and irrigated lands lay the Sahara which could sustain sheep and goats. Beyond the subdesert was full desert and mountains.
The Egyptians referred to the agriculturally fertile region as "Kemet," the Black Land, due to the annually-renewed black soil that arrived with the floodwaters of the Nile. This allowed Egyptian peasants to bring in harvests that were thrice as bountiful compared to other regions such as Mesopotamia. The surplus wealth was taxed and redistributed by the royal government, indicating a well-organized economic system supported by the rich Nile valley.
However, beyond this strip of fertile land, Egypt and the surrounding areas are part of the expansive and very arid Sahara. In the past, before the Sahara became the desert we know today, much of North Africa including Egypt was lush and wet. But as it transformed, people settled along the Nile River valley where they could farm thanks to the nutrient-rich silt deposited by the river's annual flooding.