As other contributors have already pointed out, the Nile River was critical to Egyptian civilization (so much so that it's difficult to imagine Egyptian civilization existing as we know it without the presence of the River). Indeed, if you look back towards the Neolithic Era and the early stages of Ancient History, you tend to find that many of the earliest centers of human habitation and civilization were in River Valleys, and the Nile is no exception.
Additionally, when discussing the importance of the Nile, it's worth noting the degree to which Egyptian civilization was able to maintain, for so much of its history, a centralized political structure, where all authority emanating downwards from the Pharaoh. I'd suggest that the Nile was a key component to Egyptian unification and state-building, which allowed for rapid communications and transport of goods and people.
The river Nile played a critical role in ancient Egyptian civilization. The river flooded annually and deposited nutrient-rich silt on its banks that created an environment that supported agriculture. The Egyptians planted crops such as wheat, beans, and cotton, as well as built canals that sustained agriculture all year round. Agriculture was the bedrock of Egyptian civilization.
The annual occurrence of the Nile floods led to the belief in gods and establishment of a social structure. The Egyptians believed that as long as the gods were happy, the Nile would continue flooding and bringing along the abundant blessings. At the apex of the social structure were gods, followed by pharaohs, scribes, merchants, artisans, farmers, and slaves. Individuals in each social stratum had a specific responsibility to perform, although education made it possible for people from lower social strata to progress to higher ones.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/nile_01.shtml
https://pages.vassar.edu/realarchaeology/2017/04/09/impact-of-the-nile-river-on-ancient-egypt/
Without the Nile, Egyptian civilization would not have been possible. With the exception of a few oases, most of Egypt, other than the areas bordering the Nile, is inhospitable desert. Everything that demands water—drinking, cooking, animal husbandry, creating pottery—depended on the Nile bringing water from the southern mountains to lower Egypt. The Egyptians also relied on the Nile for transportation.
It has also been argued that much of the character of early Egyptian civilization depended on the need to maintain an extensive network of irrigation channels, which worked extremely quickly during the annual floods to ensure that water was distributed to the fields. This required complex cooperative action and a strong legal system ensuring that people did not divert water or fail to maintain channels running through the lands they cultivated. This may have been one reason Egypt developed a complex and sophisticated civilization quite early in its history.
The Nile River shaped ancient Egypt in that it provided a waterway for trading, a means of defending against enemies, and a water source for agriculture. Each year, the river flooded the land around it. This caused silt deposits to develop and made the land fertile for agriculture. Wheat and papyrus were important crops in ancient Egypt. Agricultural life in Egypt was dependent on the Nile River because much of Egypt was desert.
Egyptian merchants both exported and imported goods. Sailing vessels traveled along the Nile River for trading purposes. Boats from Egypt could travel north to the Mediterranean Sea. From there, they could get to Asia and Europe to trade.
In the southern part of the Egyptian Kingdom, the cataracts provided protection along the Nile. Fortresses were built along the Nile for defense. Military forces from Egypt also sailed up and down the river.
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