Egypt

Egypt (Egyptian: Kemet; Coptic: Kīmi; Arabic: Misr; Egyptian Arabic: Másr) is a country in North Africa. The Sinai Peninsula is part of Egypt, but forms a land bridge to Asia. Covering an area of about 1,001,450 square kilometers (386,660 sq mi), Egypt borders Libya to the west, Sudan to the south and the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east. The northern coast borders the Mediterranean Sea; the eastern coast borders the Red Sea.  

Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its estimated 80 million people (2007) live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable agricultural land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt’s residents live in urban areas, with the majority spread across the densely-populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.

Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world’s most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx. The southern city of Luxor contains numerous ancient artifacts, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Egypt is widely regarded as an important political and cultural nation of the Middle East.

At 1,001,450 square kilometers (386,660 sq mi), Egypt is the world’s 38th-largest country (after Mauritania). It is comparable in size to Tanzania, twice the size of France, four times the size of the United Kingdom, and is more than half the size of the US state of Alaska.Nevertheless, due to the aridity of Egypt’s climate, population centres are concentrated along the narrow Nile Valley and Delta, meaning that approximately 99% of the population uses only about 5.5% of the total land area.Egyptian culture has five thousand years of recorded history. Ancient Egypt was among the earliest civilizations and for millennia, Egypt maintained a strikingly complex and stable culture that influenced later cultures of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. After the Pharaonic era, Egypt itself came under the influence of Hellenism, Christianity, and Islamic culture. Today, many aspects of Egypt’s ancient culture exist in interaction with newer elements, including the influence of modern Western culture, itself with roots in ancient Egypt.

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula 

Capital (and largest city): Cairo

Official language: ArabicSpoken language is Egyptian Arabic

Government type:  Semi-presidential republic

President: Hosni Mubarak

Prime Minister: Ahmed Nazif

National Holiday: Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)

Area

• total: 1 001 450  km²
• land: 995 450  km²
• water: 6 000  km²

Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters.

Population: 80 335 036 (July 2007)

Currency: Egyptian Pound (EGP)

Internet domain: .eg

International dialing code: +20            

Sources: www.wikipedia.org

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