Egypt, one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations, still draws visitors and businessmen, Ancient monuments, the Red Sea coast, Nile Cruises and Africa's largest city, Cairo, are among its many attractions.
The country known as Egypt is officially called the Arab Republic of Egypt and it is situated in the north-east of Africa; though the Sinai Peninsula forms a land bridge with south-west Asia. It is because of this that Egypt is also called a Middle-East country. Therefore Egypt is a transcontinental country, because of this strategic location it makes Egypt a major power in Africa, the Middle-East, the Mediterranean, and the Muslim world.
In Arabic Egypt is called (Miṣr), and in ancient times the country was known as Kemet, or the black land, due to the fertile soil which was deposited during the annual inundation of the River Nile. This yearly event gave Egypt its fertile land that enabled it to expand along the length of the river, especially in the Delta area.
The climate is hot and dry, most of the country receives less than one inch of rainfall each year. The Mediterranean may offer Egypt's northern coastline up to eight inches of rainfall each year, and keeps year-round temperatures cooler than the rest of the country.
A predominantly Sunni Muslim country, Egypt has Islam as its state religion. 90% of the population are Muslims. Five times a day the "Adhan", the Islamic call to prayer, can be heard being broadcast from the loudspeakers on Cairo's many minarets. There are so many Mosques in Cairo, Cairo is known as "the city of 1,000 minarets".
Cairo also hosts a considerable number of churches due to the Christian community in Egypt, which makes up about 10% of the population. Of these, 90% belong to the native Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria with the other 10% comprising of the Coptic Catholic Church; the Evangelical Church of Egypt; and various other Protestant denominations.
There is some few Jews they live in Egypt, with a number of synagogues being sited around Cairo and Alexandria Islam, Christianity and Judaism are the only three religions that Egypt officially recognises.
Egypt's Main Attractions:
The Pyramids of Giza: The Pyramids represent one of the greatest architectural feats by man. The last surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid is one of the world's oldest tourist attractions and the reason most people visit Egypt today. More about the Pyramids.
Luxor: Luxor is known as the world's largest open air museum. Luxor and Karnak Temples are hugely impressive as are the tombs across the Nile in the Valley of Kings and Queens.
Egyptian Museum in Cairo: With over 150,000 artifacts, the museum houses an incredible display depicting ancient Egypt's glorious reign. Mummies, sarcophagi, pottery, jewellery and of course King Tutankhamen's treasures.
Abu Simbel: The two temples built for the pharaoh Ramesses II have been attracting visitors since Victorian times. Almost as impressive as the monument itself is the story of its restoration in the 1960's
Red sea Coast: The Red Sea coast is hugely popular with beach lovers and divers. Package tours operate from every European country and are often very affordable.
Egypt's International Airport: Egypt's main airport is Cairo International Aiport (Airport code: CAI), 12 miles (20 km's) northeast of Cairo's city center. There are also international airports in Sharm El Sheikh (Airport Code: SSH) and Alexandria (Airport Code: ALY).
Getting to Egypt: Egypt is easily accessible by air direct from the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. A few ferries operate from Greece and Cyprus and sail into Alexandria port and portsaid port.
The River Nile is nowadays regarded as the longest river in the world and it enters Egypt from the Sudan and flows north for about 1,545km (960 miles) until it exits into the Mediterranean Sea. From the Sudanese border to Cairo, the River Nile flows through a narrow cliff lined valley, which, south of Edfu, is hardly more than 3km (2 miles) wide. From Edfu to Cairo, it is about 23km (14 miles) in width, with most of the arable land lying on the western side. Just north of Cairo the valley merges with the Delta before the River Nile joins with the Mediterranean Sea.
The Delta is a triangular shaped plain, bordering the Mediterranean coastline for approximately 250km (155 miles). Silt has been deposited here by the many tributaries of the River Nile, and this has made the Delta the most fertile area of Egypt. The Aswan High Dam, however, has reduced the flow of the Nile, the annual inundation now being confined to history, and this has caused the salty waters of the Mediterranean Sea to erode most of the land along the coast.
From ancient times, right through to the modern era, the Nile Valley has been divided into two separate regions, Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. Lower Egypt, where the Pharaohs wore the red crown, is the area of the Delta, whilst Upper Egypt, where the Pharaohs wore the white crown, is the entire valley south of Cairo (or Memphis during the Pharaonic period).
Lake Nasser, the world's largest man-made reservoir, was formed by the building of the Aswan High Dam in 1970. It is approximately 480km (300 miles) long and 16km (10 miles) across at its widest point. Almost two-thirds of this lake is situated in Egypt, and it extends southwards across the Sudanese border.
The Sinai Peninsula mainly consists of sandy desert in the north with rugged mountains in the south; the summits here towering more than 2,100m (7,000 ft) above the Red Sea. Mount Catherine, or Gebel Katherîna, reigns supreme here at a height of 2,629m (8,625 ft) and is the highest point in Egypt, slightly dwarfing the nearby Mount Sinai, or Moses Mountain (Gabal Musa), at 2,285m (7,497 ft). According to Islamic, Christian and Jewish beliefs, the biblical Mount Sinai was the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments.
EGYPT FACTS AND FIGURES
Area: Egypt covers just over 1 million square kilometers.
Country name: Arab republic of Egypt short form: Egypt
Geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during standard time).
Government type: Republic.
Population: Around 91 million people live in Egypt.
Capital City: Cairo.
Administrative divisions: 29 governorates.
Major cities: Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan , Luxor and the red sea.
Language: Arabic (official), English and French are widely understood by educated classes.
Religion: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic Christian and other 10%.
Climate: It's hot and sunny for most of the year in Egypt, Winters (November to February) are generally mild.
When to Go: October - April when it's a bit cooler, but the Red Sea coast is a year around destination.
Currency: Egyptian Pound.
Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK protectorate status; the revolution that began on 23 July 1952 led to a republic being declared on 18 June 1953 and all British troops withdrawn on 18 June 1956).
National holiday: Revolution day, 23 July (1952)
Flag description: Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (an eagle ) centered in the white band; the band colours derive from the Arab liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white)
Labour force: 26.1 million (2010 est.)
Labour force - by occupation: Agriculture: 32% Industry: 17% Services: 51% .
Unemployment rate: 9.7% (2010)
Agriculture - products: Cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats.
Industries: Textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures
Exports - commodities: oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals, processed food.
Exports - partners: Us 7.95%, Italy 7.26%, Spain 6.78%, India 6.69%, Saudi Arabia 5.53%, Syria 5.3%, France 4.39%, South Korea 4.27% .
Imports - commodities: Machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels.
Imports - partners: Us 9.92%, china 9.63%, Germany 6.98%, Italy 6.88%, turkey 4.94% .
Egypt's Economy and Politics
Economy: Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt Foreign direct investment has increased significantly in the past two years. Egypt's export sectors - particularly natural gas - have bright prospects.
Egypt has one of the most diverse economies in North-Africa and the Middle-East with the various sectors employing the following amounts of people: agriculture 32%; industry 17%; services 39%; and tourism 12%.
Important Dates in the Egyptian history :
c. 5,000 B.C. People begin to settle down to live and grow crops along the banks of the Nile for the first time.
c. 3200 B. C. Writing begins in Egypt.
c. 3100 B.C. Legendary King Menes (Namer) unites Egypt. Upper and Lower Egypt are joined together under one pharaoh for the first time.
c. 2630 B.C. Imhotep builds the first pyramid.
c. 1500 B.C. Earliest examples of the Book of the Dead.
c. 1380 B.C. Temple of Luxor by Amenhotep III is built.
1367-1350 B.C. Reign of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton) who abandons Egyptian polytheism for monotheism.
1347-1339 B.C. Reign of Tutankhamen.
1070-712 B.C. Collapse of the New Kingdom.
669 B.C. Assyrians conquer and rule Egypt.
332 B.C. Alexander the Great conquers Egypt and founds Alexandria. A Macedonian dynasty rules until 31 B.C.
31 B.C. Rome conquers Egypt. Cleopatra commits suicide after Octavian’s armies defeat her forces.
A.D. 642 Arab conquest of Egypt. Egypt becomes Islamic.
969 Cairo is established as the capital of Egypt.
1250-1517 Mamluk (armies of slaves, often Turks/Cumans) rule.
1517 Egypt is absorbed into the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
1822 Jean Francois Champollion deciphers the system of Egyptian hieroglyphs from the Rosetta Stone.
1882 British troops take control of Egypt.
1914 Egypt becomes a British protectorate.
1922 Egypt gains independence from Britain.
1953 Egypt is declared a Republic.
1954 The British finally leave Egypt.
1970 The Aswan High Dam is completed.
1971 Egypt’s new constitution is introduced. The country is renamed the Arab Republic of Egypt.
1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., between Anwar El Sadat and Menachem Begin.
1981 President Anwar El Sadat is assassinated and Hosni Mubarak becomes president of Egypt by a national referendum.
2011 President Mubarak steps down amid protests.
2012 President Mohamed Morsi elected president.