It rises from Lake Victoria as the Victoria Nile, then flows north and westwards through Uganda, Lake Kyoga, and Lake Albert. The stream exiting Lake Albert is known as the Albert Nile; it flows north to Nimule where it enters Sudan and becomes known as the Mountain Nile. It then flows over rapids entering the Sudan plain, through the vast swamps of the Sudd, and via Lake No before meeting with the Blue Nile at Khartoum in Sudan and forming the Nile. From Lake Victoria to Khartoum, the length of the river is approximately 3700 kilometers (2300 miles).

The 19th century search for the source of the Nile was mainly focused on the White Nile, which disappeared into the depths of what was then known as Darkest Africa. The discovery of the source of the White Nile thus came to symbolise modern civilisation's penetration of unknown jungle in order to finally map and tame the wild and 'barbaric' source of the most influential of early civilisations.

Nile | Nile basin | Tributaries of the Nile | Rivers of Sudan | Rivers of Uganda | Lake Victoria

Bílý Nil | Hvide Nil | Valge Niilus | Nilo Blanco | Nil Blanc | Hvíta Níl | Nilo bianco | הנילוס הלבן | Baltasis Nilas | Witte Nijl | 白ナイル川 | Nil Biały | Белый Нил (река) | Beli Nil | Бели Нил | வெள்ளை நைல்