Egypt

This article is about the country of Egypt. For other uses, see Egypt (disambiguation).

Arab Republic of Egypt جمهورية مصر العربية Gumhūriyyat Miṣr al-ʿArabiyyah
Anthem: Bilady
[[File:LocationEgypt.svg The national_motto =|center|250px|alt=|Location of Egypt]]
Capital and largest city		Cairo 30°2′N 31°13′E
Official languages		Arabic1
Demonym		Egyptian
Government		Semi-presidential republic
-	President	Hosni Mubarak
-	Prime Minister	Ahmed Nazif
Establishment
-	First Dynasty	c.3150 BCE
-	Independence from United Kingdom	February 28 1922
-	Republic declared	June 18 1953
Area
-	Total	1,001,449 km2 (30th) 386,660 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.632
Population
-	2007 estimate	80,335,036 (est.)
-	1996 census	59,312,914
-	Density	74/km2 (120th) 192/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$329.791 billion (29th)
-	Per capita	$4,836 (110th)
Gini (1999–00)		34.5 medium
HDI (2006)		0.702  · 111th
Currency		Egyptian pound (EGP)
Calling code		20
Internet TLD		.eg
1.	Spoken language is Egyptian Arabic.

Egypt (Arabic ; Egyptian Arabic.

Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa.

Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex.

Etymology

style="border-bottom:2px solid Template:Hiero/default/bordercolour; background:Template:Hiero/default/bgcolour; padding:5px; text-align:center;" | km.t (Egypt) in hieroglyphs

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One of the ancient Coptic "land of the riverbank". The names of Upper and Lower Egypt) "northland", respectively.

Miṣr, the Arabic and modern official name of Egypt (Egyptian Arabic), literally meaning "the two straits" (a reference to the dynastic separation of upper and lower Egypt). The word originally connoted "metropolis" or "civilization" and also means "country", or "frontier-land".

The English name "Egypt" came via the Latin), meaning "below the Aegean".

History

The Nile River in Egypt.

Main articles: History of Egypt, Ancient Egypt, and Egyptians

The Nile has been a site of continuous human habitation since at least the Paleolithic.

By about 6000 BC, organized agriculture and large building construction had appeared in the Nile Valley. During the Neolithic III pottery vessels, dated to about 3200 BC.

style="border-bottom:2px solid Template:Hiero/default/bordercolour; background:Template:Hiero/default/bgcolour; padding:5px; text-align:center;" | tAwy ('Two Lands') in hieroglyphs

<hiero>N16:N16</hiero>

A unified kingdom was founded circa 3150 BC by King Menes.

The Pyramids of Giza, built during the Old Kingdom, are modern national icons that are at the heart of Egypt's thriving tourism industry.

The Middle Kingdom c. 2040 BC, reaching a peak during the reign of Pharaoh Amenemhat III.

The New Kingdomns, but native Egyptians drove them out and regained control of their country.

First built in the third or fourth century AD, the Hanging Church is Cairo's most famous Coptic church.

The fell to the Persians in 343 BC after the last native Pharaoh, King Nectanebo II, beginning over two thousand years of foreign rule.

Before Egypt became part of the Byzantine realm, Christianity had been brought by Saint Mark the Evangelist was firmly established.

The Byzantines were able to regain control of the country after a brief invaded by the Muslim in 1517.

Mosque of Mohamed Ali built in the early nineteenth century within the Cairo Citadel.

The brief French Invasion of Egypt.

Following the completion of the Suez Canal.

[[Image:1919revolution.jpg|thumb|left|Public riot during the 1919 Revolution sparked by the British exile of nationalist leader Saad Zaghlul. Constant revolting by the Egyptian people throughout the country led Great Britain to issue a unilateral declaration of Egypt's independence on February 22, 1922.

The new Egyptian government drafted and implemented a new parliamentary representative system. Saad Zaghlul was popularly-elected as Prime Minister of Egypt was concluded.

Continued instability in the government due to remaining British control and increasing political involvement by the king led to the ouster of the monarchy and the dissolution of the parliament in a military coup d'état.

[[Image:View_from_Cairo_Tower_31march2007.jpg|thumb|400px| View of Cairo (bottom-right) is the main performing arts venue in the Egyptian capital.]] On 18 June 1953, the Egyptian Republic was declared, with General Muhammad Naguib.

Three years after the 1967 Six Day War economic reform policy, while violently clamping down on religious and secular opposition alike.

In 1973, Egypt, along with Syria, launched the October War, a surprise attack against the Israeli forces occupying the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. It was an attempt to liberate the territory Israel had captured 6 years earlier. Both the US presented Sadat with a political victory that later allowed him to pursue peace with Israel.

In 1977, Sadat made a historic visit to Israel, which led to the 1979 peace treaty in exchange for the complete Israeli withdrawal from Sinai. Sadat's initiative sparked enormous controversy in the Arab world and led to Egypt's expulsion from the Arab League, but it was supported by the vast majority of Egyptians. A fundamentalist military soldier assassinated Sadat in Cairo in 1981. He was succeeded by the incumbent Hosni Mubarak.

Identity

File:Egypt's Awakening.jpg

Mahmoud Mokhtar.

The Egyptian Nile Valley was home to one of the Egyptian identity evolved in the span of this long period of occupation to accommodate, in principle, two new religions, Christianity. The degree to which different groups in Egypt identify with these factors in articulating a sense of collective identity can vary greatly. Identity is a source of frequent debate.

Questions of identity came to fore in the last century as Egypt sought to free itself from foreign occupation for the first time in two thousand years. Three chief ideologies came to head: ethno-territorial Egyptian nationalism and by extension Pharaonism. Egyptian nationalism predates its Arab counterpart by many decades, having roots in the nineteenth century and becoming the dominant mode of expression of Egyptian anti-colonial activists of the pre- and inter-war periods. It was nearly always articulated in exclusively Egyptian terms:

{{cquote|What is most significant [about Egypt in this period] is the absence of an Arab component in early Egyptian nationalism. The thrust of Egyptian political, economic, and cultural development throughout the nineteenth century worked against, rather than for, an "Arab" orientation... This situation—that of divergent political trajectories for Egyptians

In 1931 following a visit to Egypt, Syrian Arab nationalist Sati' al-Husri historian H. S. Deighton was still writing:

“

The Egyptians are not Arabs, and both they and the Arabs are aware of this fact. They are Arabic-speaking, and they are Muslim —indeed religion plays a greater part in their lives than it does in those either of the Syrians or the Iraqi. But the Egyptian, during the first thirty years of the [twentieth] century, was not aware of any particular bond with the Arab East... Egypt sees in the Arab cause a worthy object of real and active sympathy and, at the same time, a great and proper opportunity for the exercise of leadership, as well as for the enjoyment of its fruits. But she is still Egyptian first and Arab only in consequence, and her main interests are still domestic.

”

It was not until the Nasser era more than a decade later that Arab nationalism became a state policy and a means with which to define Egypt's position in the Middle East and the world. usually articulated vis-à-vis Zionism in the neighboring Jewish state.

For a while Egypt and Syria, revived an uncontested Egyptian orientation, unequivocally asserting that only Egypt was his responsibility. The terms "Arab", "Arabism" and "Arab unity", save for the new official name, became conspicuously absent. Indeed, as professor of Egyptian history P. J. Vatikiotis explains:

“

...the impact of the October 1973 War (also known as the Ramadan or Yom Kippur War) found Egyptians reverting to an earlier sense of national identity, that of Egyptianism. Egypt became their foremost consideration and top priority in contrast to the earlier one, preferred by the Nasser régime, of Egypt's role and primacy in the Arab world. This kind of national 'restoration' was led by the Old Man of Egyptian Nationalism, Tawfiq el-Hakim, who in the 1920s and 1930s was associated with the Pharaonist movement.

”

Egyptian Flag Until 1958.

The question of identity continues to be debated today. Many Egyptians feel that Egyptian and Arab identities are linked and not necessarily incompatible. Many others continue to believe that Egypt and Egyptians are simply not Arab. They emphasize indigenous Egyptian heritage, culture and independent polity; point to the failures of Arab nationalist policies; and publicly voice objection to the present official name of the country. Ordinary Egyptians frequently express this sentiment. For example, a foreign tourist said after visiting Egypt,"Although an avowedly Islamic country and now part and parcel of the Arab world, Egyptians are very proud of their distinctiveness and their glorious Pharaonic past dating back to 3500 BC... 'We are not Arabs, we are Egyptians,' said tour guide Shayma, who is a devout Muslim."

In late 2007, el-Masri el-Yom daily newspaper conducted an interview at a bus stop in the working-class district of Imbaba to ask citizens what Arab nationalism (el-qawmeyya el-'arabeyya) represented for them. One Egyptian Muslim youth responded, "Arab nationalism means that the Egyptian Foreign Minister in Jerusalem gets humiliated by the Palestinians, that Arab leaders dance on hearing of Sadat's death, that Egyptians get humiliated in the Arab Gulf States, and of course that Arab countries get to fight Israel until the last Egyptian soldier." Another felt that,"Arab countries hate Egyptians," and that unity with Israel may even be more of a possibility than Arab nationalism, because he believes that Israelis at least respect Egyptians.

Some contemporary prominent Egyptians who oppose Arab nationalism or the idea that Egyptians are Arabs include Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass</ref> This understanding is also expressed in other contexts, such as Neil DeRosa's novel Joseph's Seed in his depiction of an Egyptian character "who declares that Egyptians are not Arabs and never will be."

Egyptian critics of Arab nationalism contend that it has worked to erode and/or relegate native Egyptian identity by superimposing only one aspect of Egypt's culture. These views and sources for collective identification in the Egyptian state are captured in the words of a linguistic anthropologist who conducted fieldwork in Cairo:

“

Historically, Egyptians have considered themselves as distinct from 'Arabs' and even at present rarely do they make that identification in casual contexts; il-'arab [the Arabs] as used by Egyptians refers mainly to the inhabitants of the Gulf states... Egypt has been both a leader of pan-Arabism and a site of intense resentment towards that ideology. Egyptians had to be made, often forcefully, into "Arabs" [during the Nasser era] because they did not historically identify themselves as such. Egypt was self-consciously a nation not only before pan-Arabism but also before becoming a colony of the British Empire. Its territorial continuity since ancient times, its unique history as exemplified in its pharaonic past and later on its Coptic language and culture, had already made Egypt into a nation for centuries. Egyptians saw themselves, their history, culture and language as specifically Egyptian and not "Arab."

”

Politics

Main article: Politics of Egypt

National

Egypt has been a republic since 18 June 1953. President Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif from his office.

Although power is ostensibly organized under a multi-party semi-presidential system.

In late February 2005, President Mubarak announced in a surprise television broadcast that he had ordered the reform of the country's presidential election law, paving the way for multi-candidate polls in the upcoming presidential election. For the first time since the 1952 movement, the Egyptian people had an apparent chance to elect a leader from a list of various candidates. The President said his initiative came "out of my full conviction of the need to consolidate efforts for more freedom and democracy." However, the new law placed draconian restrictions on the filing for presidential candidacies, designed to prevent well-known candidates such as Ayman Nour from standing against Mubarak, and paved the road for his easy re-election victory. Concerns were once again expressed after the 2005 presidential elections about government interference in the election process through fraud and vote-rigging, in addition to police brutality and violence by pro-Mubarak supporters against opposition demonstrators. After the election, Egypt imprisoned Nour, and the U.S. Government stated the “conviction of Mr. Nour, the runner-up in Egypt's 2005 presidential elections, calls into question Egypt's commitment to democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.”

As a result, most Egyptians are skeptical about the process of democratization and the role of the elections. Less than 25 percent of the country's 32 million registered voters (out of a population of more than 78 million) turned out for the 2005 elections. A proposed change to the constitution would limit the president to two seven-year terms in office.

Thirty-four constitutional changes voted on by parliament on March 19, 2007 prohibit parties from using religion as a basis for political activity; allow the drafting of a new anti-terrorism law to replace the emergency legislation in place since 1981, giving police wide powers of arrest and surveillance; give the president power to dissolve parliament; and end judicial monitoring of election. As opposition members of parliament withdrew from voting on the proposed changes, it was expected that the referendum will be boycotted by a great number of Egyptians in protest of what has been considered a breach of democratic practices. Eventually it was reported that only 27% of the registered voters went to the polling stations under heavy police presence and tight political control of the ruling National Democratic Party. It was officially announced on March 27,2007 that 75.9% of those who participated in the referendum approved of the constitutional amendments introduced by President Mubarak and was endorsed by opposition free parliament, thus allowing the introduction of laws that curbs the activity of certain opposition elements particularly Islamists.

Human rights

Main article: Human rights in Egypt

Members of the Kifaya. See also video.

Several local and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International challenging his rule. Some of the most serious human rights violations according to HRW's 2006 report on Egypt are routine torture, arbitrary detentions and trials before military and state security courts.

Discriminatory personal status laws governing marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance which put women at a disadvantage have also been cited. Laws concerning Christian by underground radical groups remains a problem. In addition, intolerance of Baha'is and unorthodox Muslim sects remains a problem.

In 2005, the Freedom House</ref> It however noted that "Egypt witnessed its most transparent and competitive presidential and legislative elections in more than half a century and an increasingly unbridled public debate on the country's political future in 2005."

In 2007, human rights group Amnesty International. Accessed 2007-4-13.</ref>

The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) is one of the longest-standing bodies for the defence of human rights in Egypt. In 2003, the government established the National Council for Human Rights, headquartered in Cairo and headed by former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali who directly reports to the president. The council has come under heavy criticism by local NGO activists, who contend it undermines human rights work in Egypt by serving as a propaganda tool for the government to excuse its violations and to provide legitimacy to repressive laws such as the recently renewed Emergency Law. Egypt has recently announced that it is in the process of abolishing the Emergency Law. However, in March 2007 President Mubarak approved several constitutional amendments to include "an anti-terrorism clause that appears to enshrine sweeping police powers of arrest and surveillance", suggesting that the Emergency Law is here to stay for the long haul.

The high court of Egypt has outlawed all religions and belief except Islam, Christianity and Judaism. (For more information see Egyptian Identification Card Controversy.)

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Egypt

Egypt's foreign policy operates along moderate lines. Factors such as population size, historical events, military strength, diplomatic expertise and a strategic geographical position give Egypt extensive political influence in Africaic institutions are at the center of the region's social and cultural development.

The permanent Headquarters of the Arab League is the current Secretary General. The Arab League briefly moved from Egypt to Tunis in 1978, as a protest to the signing by Egypt of a peace treaty with Israel, but returned in 1989.

Egypt was the first Arab state to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. It is also reported that due to Egypt's indulgence in internal problems and its reluctance to play a positive role in regional matters had lost the country great influence in Africa and the neighbouring countries.

Former Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Boutros Boutros-Ghali from 1991 to 1996.

Governorates

Main articles: Governorates of Egypt and Markazes of Egypt

Map of Egypt, showing the 26 capitals of governorates, in addition to the self-governing city of Luxor

Egypt is divided into twenty-six governoratees).

Governorate Capital Location Alexandria Alexandria Northern Aswan Aswan Upper Asyut Asyut Upper Beheira Damanhur Lower Beni Suef Beni Suef Upper Cairo Cairo Middle Dakahlia Mansura Lower Damietta Damietta Lower Faiyum Faiyum Upper Gharbia Tanta Lower Giza Giza Upper Ismailia Ismailia Canal Kafr el-Sheikh Kafr el-Sheikh Lower

Governorate Capital Location Matruh Mersa Matruh Western Minya Upper Monufia Shibin el-Kom Lower New Valley Kharga Western North Sinai Arish Sinai Port Said Port Said Canal Qalyubia Banha Lower Qena Qena Upper Red Sea Hurghada Eastern Sharqia Zagazig Lower Sohag Sohag Upper South Sinai el-Tor Sinai Suez Suez Canal

Economy

Main article: Economy of Egypt

[[Image:S F-E-CAMERON EGYPT nile-aswan.JPG|thumb|left|300px|The Nile and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly-growing population, limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress the economy.

The government has struggled to prepare the economy for the new millennium through economic reform and massive investments in communications and physical infrastructure. Egypt has been receiving U.S. foreign aid.

Egypt has a developed energy market based on coal, oil, natural gas, and hydro power. Substantial coal deposits are in the north-east Sinai, and are mined at the rate of about 600,000t per year. Oil and gas are produced in the western desert regions, the Gulf of Suez, and the Nile Delta. Egypt has huge reserves of gas, estimated at over 1.1 million cubic meters in the 1990s, and LNG is exported to many countries.

Economic conditions have started to improve considerably after a period of stagnation from the adoption of more liberal economic policies by the government, as well as increased revenues from tourism and a booming stock market. In its annual report, the IMF has rated Egypt as one of the top countries in the world undertaking economic reforms. Some major economic reforms taken by the new government since 2003 include a dramatic slashing of customs and tariffs. A new taxation law implemented in 2005 decreased corporate taxes from 40% to the current 20%, resulting in a stated 100% increase in tax revenue by the year 2006.

FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) into Egypt has increased considerably in the past few years due to the recent economic liberalization measures taken by minister of investment Mahmoud Mohieddin, exceeding $6 billion in 2006. Egypt is slated to overcome South Africa as the highest earner of FDI on the African continent in 2007.

Although one of the main obstacles still facing the Egyptian economy is the trickle down of the wealth to the average population, many Egyptians criticize their government for higher prices of basic goods while their standards of living or purchasing power remains relatively stagnant. Often corruption is blamed by Egyptians as the main impediment to feeling the benefits of the newly attained wealth. Major reconstruction of the country's infrastructure is promised by the government, with a large portion of the sum paid for the newly acquired 3rd mobile license ($3 billion) by Etisalat. This is slated to be pumped into the country's railroad system, in response to public outrage against the government for disasters in 2006 that claimed more than 100 lives.

The best known examples of Egyptian companies that have expanded regionally and globally are the Orascom Group. The IT sector has been expanding rapidly in the past few years, with many new start-ups conducting outsourcing business to North America and Europe, operating with companies such as Microsoft, Oracle and other major corporations, as well as numerous SME's. Some of these companies are the Xceed Contact Center, Raya Contact Center, E Group Connections and C3 along with other start ups in that country. The sector has been stimulated by new Egyptian entrepreneurs trying to capitalize on their country's huge potential in the sector, as well as constant government encouragement.

Demographics

Egyptian farm.

Main articles: Demographics of Egypt and Egyptians

Egypt is the most populous country in the Middle East.

Egyptians who are progressively becoming assimilated as urbanization increases.

Egypt also hosts an unknown number of refugees and other cities.

Religion

Cairo's unique cityscape with its ancient mosques

Main article: Religion in Egypt

Religion plays a central role in most Egyptians' lives. The rolling calls to prayer that are heard five times a day have the informal effect of regulating the pace of everything from business to entertainment. Cairo is famous for its numerous mosque minaret.

Egypt is predominantly Muslim, at 80-90% of the population, with the majority being adherents of the Sunni.

Christians represent 10-20% of the population, more than 95% of whom belong to the native Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

According to the Constitution of Egypt judgements on Islamic issues.

Egypt hosts two major religious institutions. Al-Azhar University.

Religious freedom in Egypt is hampered to varying degrees by extremist Islamist groups and by discriminatory and restrictive government policies. Being the largest religious minority in Egypt, Coptic Christians are the most negatively affected community. Copt were required to obtain presidential approval for even minor repairs in churches. Although the law was eased in 2005 by handing down the authority of approval to the governors, Copts continue to face many obstacles in building new or repairing existing churches. These obstacles are not found in building mosques.

In addition, Copts complain of being minimally represented in law enforcement, state security and public office, and of being discriminated against in the workforce on the basis of their religion. The Coptic community, as well as several human rights activists and intellectuals (such as Saad Eddin Ibrahim left one dead and 17 injured, although the attacker was not linked to any organisation.

Egypt was once home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. Egyptian Jews with Israel in 1967. Today, Jews in Egypt number less than 500.

[[Image:monastry3.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Over ten million Egyptians follow the Christian faith as members of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.]] identity cards</ref>

There are Egyptians who identify as atheist</ref>

While freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution, according to Human Rights Watch (or occasionally vice versa) may stir social unrest, and thereby justify themselves in wrongfully detaining the subjects, insisting that they are simply taking steps to prevent likely social troubles from happening. Recently, a Cairo administrative court denied 45 citizens the right to obtain identity papers documenting their reversion to Christianity after converting to Islam.

Culture

Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt's second largest city.

Main article: Culture of Egypt

Egyptian culture has five thousand years of recorded history. Ancient Egypt, itself with roots in ancient Egypt.

Egypt's capital city, Cairo, is Africa's largest city and has been renowned for centuries as a center of learning, culture and commerce. Egypt has the highest number of Nobel Laureates in Africa and the Arab World. Some Egyptian born politicians were or are currently at the helm of major international organizations like Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

Renaissance

The work of early nineteenth-century scholar Rifa'a et-Tahtawi gave rise to the Egyptian Renaissance, marking the transition from Enlightenment principles. Tahtawi co-founded with education reformer Ali Mubarak and faith in science to bring progress.

Arts

Theban governor Ramose.

The Egyptians were one of the first major civilizations to codify design elements in art. The wall paintings done in the service of the Pharaoh, have achieved worldwide fame.

Literature

Literature.

Music

Upper Egyptian folk musicians from Kom Ombo.

Main article: Music of Egypt

antiquity, Egyptians were playing harps and flutes, including two indigenous instruments: the ney. He is seen by many as the new age "Musical Legend", whose fan base stretches all over the Middle East and Europe. From the 1970s onwards, Egyptian pop music has become increasingly important in Egyptian culture, while Egyptian folk music continues to be played during weddings and other festivities.

Festivals

Egypt is famous for its many festivals and religious carnivals, also known as mulids or Mawlid Sunday.

Sports

Cairo International Stadium

Football (soccer) are the two most popular teams and enjoy the reputation of long-time regional champions. The great rivalries keep the streets of Egypt energized as people fill the streets when their favourite team wins. Egypt is rich in soccer history as soccer has been around for over 100 years. The country is home to many African championships such as the African Cup of Nations. However, Egypt's national team has not been qualified for the FIFA World Cup since 1990.

Squash and tennis are other favourite sports. The Egyptian squash team has been known for its fierce competition in international championships since the 1930s.

Military

Main article: Military of Egypt

The Egyptian Armed forces have a combined troop strength of around 450,000 active personnel. According to the Israeli chair of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuval Steinitz, the Egyptian Air Force has roughly the same number of modern warplanes as the Israeli Air Force and far more Western tanks, artillery, anti-aircraft batteries and warships than the IDF. The Egyptian military has recently undergone massive military modernization mostly in their Air Force. Other than Israel, Egypt is the first country in the region with a spy satellite, EgyptSat 1, and is planning to launch 3 more spy satellites (DesertSat1, EgyptSat2, DesertSat2) over the next two years.

Geography

White Desert, Farafra.

Main article: Geography of Egypt

At 386,636 mi² (1,001,450 km²), Egypt is the world's thirtieth-largest country (after Mauritania). It is comparable in size to Tanzania, twice the size of France, four times the size of the UK, 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.

Egypt is bordered by Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east. Egypt's important role in geopolitics stems from its strategic position: a transcontinental nation, it possesses a land bridge (the Isthmus of Suez) between Africa and Asia, which in turn is traversed by a navigable waterway (the Suez Canal) that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea.

Apart from the Nile Valley, the majority of Egypt's landscape is a sandy desert. The winds blowing can create sand dunes over one hundred feet high. Egypt includes parts of the Sahara Desert and of the Libyan Desert. These deserts were referred to as the "red land" in ancient Egypt, and they protected the Kingdom of the Pharaohs from western threats.

Towns and cities include Alexandria, one of the greatest ancient cities, Aswan, Asyut, Cairo, the modern Egyptian capital, El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Giza, the site of the Pyramid of Khufu, Hurghada, Luxor, Kom Ombo, Port Safaga, Port Said, Sharm el Sheikh, Suez, where the Suez Canal is located, Zagazig, and Al-Minya. Oases include Bahariya, el Dakhla, Farafra, el Kharga and Siwa.

Satellite image of Egypt, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library

Protectorates include Ras Mohamed National Park, Zaranik Protectorate and Siwa. See Egyptian Protectorates for more information.

Climate

Egypt receives the least rainfall in the world. South of Cairo, rainfall averages only around 2 to 5 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) per year and at intervals of many years. On a very thin strip of the northern coast the rainfall can be as high as 170 mm (7 in), all between November and March. Snow falls on Sinai's mountains and some of its middle and coastal cities.

Temperatures average between 80 and 90 °F (27 - 32 °C) in summer, and up to 109 °F (42 °C) on the Red Sea coast. Temperatures average between 55 and 70 °F (13 to 21 °C) in winter. A steady wind from the northwest helps hold down the temperature near the Mediterranean coast. The Khamaseen is a wind that blows from the south in Egypt, usually in spring or summer, bringing sand and dust, and sometimes raises the temperature in the desert to more than 100 °F (38 °C).

See also

Ancient Egypt Ham Canal of the Pharoahs' Capital of Egypt Communications in Egypt Copt

Egyptian language Egyptian mythology Egyptian pyramids Egyptians History of Armenians in Egypt

History of Egypt History of Italians in Egypt History of the Jews in Egypt Masri (Egyptian Arabic) Public holidays in Egypt

Red Sea Riviera Scouts and Girl Guides Transport in Egypt Holy Family in Egypt

Lists

• List of Rulers and heads of state of Egypt
• List of writers from Egypt
• List of Egyptian companies
• List of Egypt-related topics
• List of Egyptians
• List of Egyptian universities

Notes and references

General references

• Template:CIAfb
  
• This article contains material from the US Department of State's Background Notes which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.

External links

	Definitions from Wiktionary
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Images and media from Commons
	News stories from Wikinews
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

• Ancient Egyptian Civilization - Aldokkan
• Rural poverty in Egypt (IFAD)
• Encyclopaedia Britannica's Egypt Country Page
• Egyptian Government Services Portal
• New Projects in Egypt
• Egypt State Information Services
• Egypt Information Portal - available in Arabic and English
• BBC News Country Profile - Egypt
• CIA World Factbook - Egypt
• Amnesty International's 2005 Report on Egypt.
• US State Department - Egypt includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
• Business Anti-Corruption Portal Egypt Country Profile
• Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Egypt
• Egypt at the Open Directory Project
• Template:Wikitravel
• Egypt Maps - Perry-Castañeda Map Collection
• Egyptian History (urdu)
• By Nile and Tigris, a narrative of journeys in Egypt and Mesopotamia on behalf of the British museum between the years 1886 and 1913, by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge, 1920 (a searchable facsimile at the University of Georgia Libraries; DjVu & layered PDF format)
• Egypt Online Directory
• The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
• PortSaid Free-zone forums