<P> Europeans began to learn about the origins of the Nile in the 15th and 16th centuries , when travelers to Ethiopia visited Lake Tana and the source of the Blue Nile in the mountains south of the lake . Although James Bruce claimed to be the first European to have visited the headwaters , modern writers give the credit to the Jesuit Pedro Páez . Páez 's account of the source of the Nile is a long and vivid account of Ethiopia . It was published in full only in the early 20th century , although it was featured in works of Páez 's contemporaries , including Baltazar Téllez , Athanasius Kircher and by Johann Michael Vansleb . </P>
<P> Europeans began to learn about the origins of the Nile in the 15th and 16th centuries , when travelers to Ethiopia visited Lake Tana and the source of the Blue Nile in the mountains south of the lake . Although James Bruce claimed to be the first European to have visited the headwaters , modern writers give the credit to the Jesuit Pedro Páez . Páez 's account of the source of the Nile is a long and vivid account of Ethiopia . It was published in full only in the early 20th century , although it was featured in works of Páez 's contemporaries , including Baltazar Téllez , Athanasius Kircher and by Johann Michael Vansleb . </P>
who discovered the source of the nile river
who discovered the source of the nile river
Jesuit Pedro Páez
Jesuit Pedro Páez