Egypt had valuable natural resources that really helped their economy. They had oil and natural gas, honey, papyrus plant, and water from the Nile River. The Europeans wanted these resources because the oil and natural gas had huge revenues from export profits. The honey provided medicine which means longer life expectancy. The papyrus plant also had huge profits from the exported paper. The Nile River provided bread, cultivation of land, and production of hydroelectric power. These resources would be used for multiple things that would turn into better inventions. The Nile is the reason behind the flourishing civilization of the Nile valley. American missionaries opened dozens of schools, medical facilities, and public libraries and initiated rural development programs to improve livestock and reduce the spread of endemic diseases; and vigorously promoted literacy campaigns, especially for the sake of Bible reading. Socially, this improved Egyptian lives for all and focused on vital necessities in life. The European's were really focused on local affairs and “European’s interest”. The Suez Canal also played an important role in Egypt's colonization. The Suez Canal was funded and steadily increased their economic base in the country. The British troops defeated the Egyptian army. The British took control of the trade market and opened up more countries to ship goods for money. In 1798 the Ottoman empire finds itself unavoidably caught up in Europe's great war of the time, when Napoleon decides to invade Egypt as an indirect method of harming British imperial interests. People were forced to devise a number of strategies to survive and to keep their Native identities, histories, and cultures alive. As the colonists acquired more and more Native lands, some tribes emigrated to other areas where they could live more peacefully.