Khartoum was founded in 1821 as an outpost for an Egyptian army expedition under Ismail Pasha, and it quickly grew into an administrative and trading hub thanks to its unique position where the Blue Nile, flowing from Ethiopia, meets the White Nile, flowing from Lake Victoria.
The confluence of the two rivers — visibly different in colour and current before gradually merging — can be observed from the city's banks. Together with Omdurman and Khartoum North across the river, Khartoum forms a tri-city urban area known as the «triangular capital».
