Egypt info.
Egypt...is a country of outstanding monuments, timeless landscapes, friendly people and incredible sunsets. It is a place full of mystery, a place where you can find a textbook of living history.
The Arab Republic of Egypt is situated in the north-eastern corner of Africa and covers an area of 997,739 square kilometers. Egypt extends 1,055 kilometers from north to south and about 1,250 kilometers from east to west at the country's widest point. Egypt is bordered on the east by Israel, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Red Sea; on the south by The Sudan; on the west by Libya; and on the north by the Mediterranean Sea. The capital is Cairo.
QUICK FACTS
Region Middle East
Population Approximately 63,000,000 people live in Egypt.
HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
History
Egypt is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. Around 2925 BC, Upper and Lower Egypt were united. This unification resulted in a
period of huge cultural achievement and began an almost unbroken line of native rulers that lasted nearly 3,000 years. Historians divide the ancient history of Egypt into Old, Middle, and New kingdoms, spanning 31 dynasties and lasting to 332 BC. The Pyramids date from the Old Kingdom; the cult of Osiris and the refinement of sculpture, from the Middle Kingdom; the era of empire and the Exodus of the Jews, from the NewKingdom. An Assyrian invasion occurred in the 7th century, and the Persian Achaemenids established a dynasty in 525 BC. The invasion by Alexander the Great in 332 BC inaugurated the Macedonian Ptolemaic period, during which the rulers of Egypt remained firmly planted in the Hellenic world. The city of Alexandria, founded by Alexander, developed into a center not only of Hellenism but of Semitic learning as well and was soon a focal point of the highest developments of Greek scholarship and science. The Romans held Egypt from 30 BC to AD 395 when it was placed under the control of Constantinople, the capital of the East Roman Empire. The granting of tolerance in 313 AD to the Christians by the emperor Constantine the Great gave impetus to the development of a formal Egyptian church. The Byzantine Empire's control of Egypt came to an end in 642, when Byzantine forces evacuated Egypt after three years' armed conflict with invading Arabs. Within a few hundred years, Egypt was transformed into an Arabic-speaking state, with Islam as the dominant religion. A series of Caliphates (dynasties) followed that lasted until 1517 and made Egypt the center of the eastern Arabic-speaking zone of the Moslem world. By this time, the Arabization of Egypt was almost complete.
In 1517 Egypt fell to the Ottoman Turks, and the country reverted to the status of a province governed from Istanbul. The country fell into a period of economic and cultural decline. A French invasion in 1798 lasted only a few years but brought Egypt into the world of European politics. In 1882 Britain occupied Egypt during a period of civil unrest and then in 1914 the country became a British protectorate. In 1922 Egypt gained nominal independence, when a constitutional monarchy was established. A coup overthrew the monarchy in 1952, and Gamal Abdel Nasser emerged as the first native Egyptian ruler in more than 2,000 years. He nationalised the Suez Canal, briefly attempted a federation with Syria and Yemen, built the Aswan High Dam, and waged two unsuccessful wars with Israel (1956, 1967). His successor, Anwar el- Sadat, attempted to reverse some of Nasser's more socialistic policies, also attacked Israel (1973) and regained a foothold in the Sinai, and ultimately played a leading role in Middle East peace talks, until his assassination by fundamentalists in October 1981. He was succeeded by his vice president, Hosni Mubarak, who continued with the peace initiatives of Sadat. In 1982 Egypt regained sovereignty (lost in 1967) over the Sinai Peninsula.
Geography
Egypt is divided into two unequal, extremely arid regions by the landscape's dominant feature, the northward-flowing Nile River. The larger of the desert areas, the Western Desert, is a low-lying plateau without wadis (normally dry riverbeds); the smaller Eastern Desert is a limestone and sandstone plateau area that is extensively dissected by wadis and fringed by rugged mountains in the southeast. The Sinai, northeast of the Eastern Desert, is a peninsula similarly marked by wadis. The mountains in the south of the Sinai, containing the country's highest peak, Mount Catherine, rise to 2,642 metres. The Nile River has no significant tributaries in Egypt and forms a flat-bottomed valley, generally 8 to 16 kilometres wide, that is bordered by precipitous scarps until it fans out into the delta lowlands north of Cairo. The Nile delta is much wider and is densely populated and perennially irrigated.
Natural vegetation varies throughout the country. The arid Western Desert is generally devoid of life, but, where moisture is available at all, desert
perennials and grasses do grow. The Eastern Desert, which is less arid than the Western, receives sporadic rainfall and supports some vegetation, including tamarisk and acacia and a great variety of thorny shrubs, small succulents, and aromatic herbs. The Nile valley and delta, and scattered oases, support all of Egypt's agriculture and are home to more than 99% of its population. Egypt's modest mineral reserves include iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, gypsum, and phosphates.
People
The people of Egypt have dominant physical characteristics that are the result of the admixture of Hamitic and Semitic peoples. The inhabitants of
the Nile delta have had greater contact with the rest of the Middle East and Europe than have the inhabitants of Upper Egypt (Southern) who are generally more conservative. Minority groups include the Nubians, in the southern part of the Nile valley; the Hamitic Beja, in the southern part of the Eastern Desert; and peoples of mixed Arab and Berber stock, in the Western Desert.
Language
Arabic is the official language. English is widely spoken.
Religion
Islam is the official religion of Egypt, and about 75% of the population is Moslem, nearly all of whom are Sunni. All types of Christianity are also represented, especially the Coptic Christian Church.
Economy
The GNP originates primarily from industry, followed by agriculture, public administration and defence, and trade and finance.
Agriculture accounts for about 20% of the gross domestic product but employs more than 40% of the labour force. Arable land in Egypt is nearly entirely confined to the Nile valley and delta, and irrigation is essential. The Aswan High Dam allows the annual Nile flood to be totally controlled. Cash crops occupy 75% of the arable land; sugarcane, tomatoes, cotton, watermelons, oranges, onions, and potatoes yield the largest harvests. Domestic food crops include corn (maize), rice, wheat, millet, pumpkins and squashes, and especially dates. Because of the rapidly growing population and the amount of land devoted to cash crops, much of the country's food must be imported. Although there is virtually no pastureland, livestock are kept on farms and in villages. Commonly found animals include water buffalo, cattle, asses, sheep, and goats. Chickens, ducks, and pigeons are raised, and milk is obtained from both the water buffalo and dairy cows, which are also used in rural areas as draft animals; asses are used widely for transport. Egypt has a well-developed fishing industry. The mineral industry, dominated by petroleum and natural gas, and manufacturing together produce about 22% of the GDP. The principal industrial products are refined petroleum products, cement, cotton and woolen textiles and clothing, and wheat flour. The Suez Canal is another important source of income as is tourism. Ancient monuments, a mild winter climate, and beaches and resorts along the Mediterranean coast all attract tourists.
The Arab Republic of Egypt is situated in the north-eastern corner of Africa and covers an area of 997,739 square kilometers. Egypt extends 1,055 kilometers from north to south and about 1,250 kilometers from east to west at the country's widest point. Egypt is bordered on the east by Israel, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Red Sea; on the south by The Sudan; on the west by Libya; and on the north by the Mediterranean Sea. The capital is Cairo.
QUICK FACTS
Region Middle East
Population Approximately 63,000,000 people live in Egypt.
HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
History
Egypt is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. Around 2925 BC, Upper and Lower Egypt were united. This unification resulted in a
period of huge cultural achievement and began an almost unbroken line of native rulers that lasted nearly 3,000 years. Historians divide the ancient history of Egypt into Old, Middle, and New kingdoms, spanning 31 dynasties and lasting to 332 BC. The Pyramids date from the Old Kingdom; the cult of Osiris and the refinement of sculpture, from the Middle Kingdom; the era of empire and the Exodus of the Jews, from the NewKingdom. An Assyrian invasion occurred in the 7th century, and the Persian Achaemenids established a dynasty in 525 BC. The invasion by Alexander the Great in 332 BC inaugurated the Macedonian Ptolemaic period, during which the rulers of Egypt remained firmly planted in the Hellenic world. The city of Alexandria, founded by Alexander, developed into a center not only of Hellenism but of Semitic learning as well and was soon a focal point of the highest developments of Greek scholarship and science. The Romans held Egypt from 30 BC to AD 395 when it was placed under the control of Constantinople, the capital of the East Roman Empire. The granting of tolerance in 313 AD to the Christians by the emperor Constantine the Great gave impetus to the development of a formal Egyptian church. The Byzantine Empire's control of Egypt came to an end in 642, when Byzantine forces evacuated Egypt after three years' armed conflict with invading Arabs. Within a few hundred years, Egypt was transformed into an Arabic-speaking state, with Islam as the dominant religion. A series of Caliphates (dynasties) followed that lasted until 1517 and made Egypt the center of the eastern Arabic-speaking zone of the Moslem world. By this time, the Arabization of Egypt was almost complete.
In 1517 Egypt fell to the Ottoman Turks, and the country reverted to the status of a province governed from Istanbul. The country fell into a period of economic and cultural decline. A French invasion in 1798 lasted only a few years but brought Egypt into the world of European politics. In 1882 Britain occupied Egypt during a period of civil unrest and then in 1914 the country became a British protectorate. In 1922 Egypt gained nominal independence, when a constitutional monarchy was established. A coup overthrew the monarchy in 1952, and Gamal Abdel Nasser emerged as the first native Egyptian ruler in more than 2,000 years. He nationalised the Suez Canal, briefly attempted a federation with Syria and Yemen, built the Aswan High Dam, and waged two unsuccessful wars with Israel (1956, 1967). His successor, Anwar el- Sadat, attempted to reverse some of Nasser's more socialistic policies, also attacked Israel (1973) and regained a foothold in the Sinai, and ultimately played a leading role in Middle East peace talks, until his assassination by fundamentalists in October 1981. He was succeeded by his vice president, Hosni Mubarak, who continued with the peace initiatives of Sadat. In 1982 Egypt regained sovereignty (lost in 1967) over the Sinai Peninsula.
Geography
Egypt is divided into two unequal, extremely arid regions by the landscape's dominant feature, the northward-flowing Nile River. The larger of the desert areas, the Western Desert, is a low-lying plateau without wadis (normally dry riverbeds); the smaller Eastern Desert is a limestone and sandstone plateau area that is extensively dissected by wadis and fringed by rugged mountains in the southeast. The Sinai, northeast of the Eastern Desert, is a peninsula similarly marked by wadis. The mountains in the south of the Sinai, containing the country's highest peak, Mount Catherine, rise to 2,642 metres. The Nile River has no significant tributaries in Egypt and forms a flat-bottomed valley, generally 8 to 16 kilometres wide, that is bordered by precipitous scarps until it fans out into the delta lowlands north of Cairo. The Nile delta is much wider and is densely populated and perennially irrigated.
Natural vegetation varies throughout the country. The arid Western Desert is generally devoid of life, but, where moisture is available at all, desert
perennials and grasses do grow. The Eastern Desert, which is less arid than the Western, receives sporadic rainfall and supports some vegetation, including tamarisk and acacia and a great variety of thorny shrubs, small succulents, and aromatic herbs. The Nile valley and delta, and scattered oases, support all of Egypt's agriculture and are home to more than 99% of its population. Egypt's modest mineral reserves include iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, gypsum, and phosphates.
People
The people of Egypt have dominant physical characteristics that are the result of the admixture of Hamitic and Semitic peoples. The inhabitants of
the Nile delta have had greater contact with the rest of the Middle East and Europe than have the inhabitants of Upper Egypt (Southern) who are generally more conservative. Minority groups include the Nubians, in the southern part of the Nile valley; the Hamitic Beja, in the southern part of the Eastern Desert; and peoples of mixed Arab and Berber stock, in the Western Desert.
Language
Arabic is the official language. English is widely spoken.
Religion
Islam is the official religion of Egypt, and about 75% of the population is Moslem, nearly all of whom are Sunni. All types of Christianity are also represented, especially the Coptic Christian Church.
Economy
The GNP originates primarily from industry, followed by agriculture, public administration and defence, and trade and finance.
Agriculture accounts for about 20% of the gross domestic product but employs more than 40% of the labour force. Arable land in Egypt is nearly entirely confined to the Nile valley and delta, and irrigation is essential. The Aswan High Dam allows the annual Nile flood to be totally controlled. Cash crops occupy 75% of the arable land; sugarcane, tomatoes, cotton, watermelons, oranges, onions, and potatoes yield the largest harvests. Domestic food crops include corn (maize), rice, wheat, millet, pumpkins and squashes, and especially dates. Because of the rapidly growing population and the amount of land devoted to cash crops, much of the country's food must be imported. Although there is virtually no pastureland, livestock are kept on farms and in villages. Commonly found animals include water buffalo, cattle, asses, sheep, and goats. Chickens, ducks, and pigeons are raised, and milk is obtained from both the water buffalo and dairy cows, which are also used in rural areas as draft animals; asses are used widely for transport. Egypt has a well-developed fishing industry. The mineral industry, dominated by petroleum and natural gas, and manufacturing together produce about 22% of the GDP. The principal industrial products are refined petroleum products, cement, cotton and woolen textiles and clothing, and wheat flour. The Suez Canal is another important source of income as is tourism. Ancient monuments, a mild winter climate, and beaches and resorts along the Mediterranean coast all attract tourists.
