Some sentences with or without 'the'

[marker]

I'm confused because I have no idea if I should put 'the' in the following sentences or not.

Life in the Middle East is pretty hard.
The life in the Middle East is pretty hard.


The Nile is the river in Egypt.
The Nile is a river in Egypt.


Everything seems quite easy in English but when it comes to details .... :)

[emsr2d2]

I'm confused because I have no idea if I should put 'the' in the following sentences or not.

Life in the Middle East is pretty hard.
The life in the Middle East is pretty hard.


The Nile is the river in Egypt. (because there is more than one river in Egypt).
The Nile is a river in Egypt.


Everything seems quite easy in English but when it comes to details .... :)

When you are talking about "life" in general, omit the article.

Life in the Arctic is very difficult.
The life of a polar bear in the Arctic is very difficult.

[marker]

Thank you :) Your examples are great, now everything's clear :)