The Arab Republic of Egypt is a country in the northeastern corner of Africa. Ancient Egypt gave rise to one of the earliest and most important civilizations in the world. The modern country plays a key role in Middle Eastern politics. Egypt's capital is Cairo. GeographyEgypt has a total area of about 385,230 square miles (997,740 square kilometers). It is bordered by The Sudan to the south, Libya to the west, and Israel and the territory of the Gaza Strip to the northeast. Egypt's northern coast is on the Mediterranean Sea, and its eastern coast is on the Red Sea. Nile RiverThe dominant feature in Egypt's landscape is the Nile River. It flows northward through Egypt for about 960 miles (1,545 kilometers) of its course. The waters of the Nile support most of the country's farming. For centuries, the people have relied on the river's annual floods. The Aswan High Dam now allows the people to use the river's water for farming year-round. When the dam was built in the 1960s, it created Lake Nasser, the largest artificial lake in the world. The Nile River forms a long valley, which fans out into lowlands north of Cairo. The lowlands are the Nile's delta, a triangular shaped area at the mouth of the river. Almost all of Egypt's people live in the valley and large delta. Desert regionsThe Nile divides Egypt into two unequal and very dry regions: the Western Desert and the Eastern Desert. The Western Desert is low-lying and generally flat. It gradually rises to the southwest. The Western Desert is the largest geographic region in Egypt. It is one of the world's driest areas. The Eastern Desert is more rugged, with rolling hills and rocky cliffs. Streambeds cut deeply through the land. The streambeds are usually dry. There are mountains in the southeast. SinaiTo the northeast is the Sinai Peninsula. It is a wedge-shaped block of land surrounded by water on three sides. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Gulf of Aqaba to the southeast. The Gulf of Suez and the Suez Canal separate Sinai from the rest of Egypt to the west. Sinai is the only land bridge between Africa and Asia. The northern part of Sinai is a large desert plain. The southern part is mountainous. The highest point in Egypt is Mount Catherine in the Musa Mountains. It reaches 8,668 feet (2,642 meters). Another peak, Mount Sinai, is sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims as the place where God is said to have given Moses the Ten Commandments. ClimateEgypt has basically only two seasons. Winter lasts from November to March, and summer lasts from May to September. The winters are cool and mild. The summers tend to be hot. Cairo's temperature in July averages 85° F (29° C). The country's climate is very dry and sunny. Annual rainfall varies from about 7 inches (18 centimeters) at Alexandria to about only 0.1 inch (0.25 centimeter) near Aswan in southern Egypt. The Red Sea coastal plain is almost rainless. Plants and animalsThe Western Desert has very few plants. The Eastern Desert and Sinai support more vegetation. There are a great variety of thorny shrubs, small desert plants, and herbs. The acacia is one of the few native trees. Around the Nile are date palms and many water plants, including reeds and more than 100 kinds of grasses. Egypt's wild animals include mountain sheep and goats, gazelles, miniature desert foxes, hares, jackals, and mongooses. Several varieties of rodents, insects, and lizards and snakes also are found. Egypt is rich in bird life. More than 150 bird species live there year-round. About another 200 kinds pass through in the spring and fall. The Nile contains nearly 200 varieties of fish. The Nile Perch is among the most common. PeopleMost Egyptians are descendants of the Hamites of ancient Egypt and of the Arabs who migrated to Egypt centuries ago. Other groups include the Nubians and a few Europeans in the cities, primarily Armenians and Greeks. Most Egyptians are Muslims. Arabic is the official language, and Islam is the official religion. Many people also speak French or English. The largest religious minority is made up of members of the Coptic Church, one of the oldest Christian churches. Egypt also has about 600,000 other Christians and a small Jewish community. CultureEgyptian culture is based on Arabic and Islamic traditions, with significant Western influences. Contemporary Egyptian music embraces native folk, traditional Arabic, and Western styles. Modern Egyptian films are shown throughout the Arab world. They are also distributed in Asian and African countries. Egypt also has a strong literary tradition. Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel prize for literature in 1988. EconomyMuch of Egypt's farming income comes from cotton and rice. These crops are mostly exported, or sold in other countries. Egypt's other crops include sugarcane, watermelons, oranges, onions, potatoes, corn (maize), wheat, millet, pumpkins and squashes, and dates. A great portion of the land is devoted to crops for export. Egypt does not grow enough food for its people, especially grains. Some food must be imported, or bought from other countries. Fishing is well developed. Mining and manufacturing are important parts of Egypt's economy. The country mines petroleum and natural gas. It produces valuable crude oil for export. It manufactures cotton goods, processed foods, and chemicals. There are iron and steel plants near Alexandria. Egypt also has a significant tourist economy. Visitors are attracted to the monuments of ancient Egypt, such as the Great Pyramids at Giza, the Sphinx, and the Valley of the Kings. The treasures found in the tomb of King Tutankhamen are on display at the Egyptian Museum at Cairo. HistoryEarly historyAn almost unbroken line of native kings and queens ruled in ancient Egypt for more than 2,500 years. This period lasted from about 2925 BC until 332 BC. It was remarkable as a flowering of civilization and culture. In 332 BC Alexander the Great invaded Egypt. He founded the city of Alexandria, which developed into a center of Greek scholarship and science. Egypt was part of the Roman Empire from 30 BC. For more information about Egypt's early history, see ancient Egypt. The Arab conquest and Turkish ruleArabs conquered Egypt in AD 642. Within a few hundred years, Egypt was transformed into an Arabic state. Most Egyptians had been Christians. The people gradually converted to Islam. In 1517 the powerful Turkish Ottoman Empire took control of the area. Egypt then became a province of the empire. The economy and Egyptian culture declined somewhat. Napoleon I of France invaded in 1798. The invasion lasted only a few years, but it brought Egypt into the world of European politics. France and Britain each wanted to control Egypt. Modernization and the Suez CanalMuhammad ?Ali, an officer in the Ottoman army, became governor of Egypt in 1805. He introduced many reforms in order to modernize the country. For example, he introduced cotton as a new crop, which became very profitable. Members of ?Ali's family governed Egypt for more than 100 years. Egypt allowed a French company to build the Suez Canal in 1859–69. The canal cuts across Egypt to connect the Mediterranean and Red seas. In 1875 Egypt's ruler was in debt to European bankers. To repay his debts, he sold Egypt's share in the control of the canal to Britain. British controlBritish troops occupied Egypt in 1882. During World War I (1914–18), the Ottoman Empire supported Germany, but Britain did not. In 1914 the British declared war on the Ottomans. Britain made Egypt a British protectorate, or dependent state. Egypt received its independence in 1922. Britain continued to have a strong influence. It also kept its control of the Suez Canal. The new Egyptian state was headed by a king. However, a constitution gave the people some political rights. In the 1940s Egypt helped found the Arab League, a union of several Arab countries. The league became involved in the growing tensions between Arabs and Jews in the region called Palestine. The Jewish people wanted to break away and establish their own state. The Palestinian Arabs resisted that. In 1948 the state of Israel was declared. Egypt and its Arab allies attacked Israel but were defeated. As a result, Israel kept the land they had claimed. Most of the rest of the land that had been Palestine became Transjordan (now Jordan). Egypt retained control of a small area on the Mediterranean coast that became known as the Gaza Strip. The independent republicA military group overthrew the king in 1952. Gamal Abdel Nasser became the first native Egyptian ruler in more than 2,000 years. In 1953 Egypt became a republic. The last British troops left the country in 1956. Nasser declared the Suez Canal to be Egyptian property in 1956. This angered several nations. Israel attacked Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, and British and French forces landed in the canal zone. The United States and the Soviet Union helped bring the crisis to an end quickly, however. Egypt kept the canal but promised that all countries would be able to use it. Nasser wanted Egypt to be a leader in the Arab world. This became a key factor in Egypt's policy toward Israel. The Palestinians attacked Israel in 1966. Nasser then blocked the Gulf of Aqaba so that Israeli ships could not get through. Israel attacked Egypt in 1967. It defeated Egypt, Syria, and other Arab forces in a six-day war. Nasser died in 1970, and Anwar el-Sadat was elected president. Egypt and Syria together launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 6, 1973. The fighting ended later that month. Sadat believed that peace with Israel would eventually serve Egypt's interests. In 1978 Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin met in the United States with the help of United States president Jimmy Carter. The meeting led to a historic peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979. Most other Arab countries were unhappy with the treaty. Sadat could not convince them that it dealt justly with Palestinian rights. Egypt was expelled from the Arab League. Muslim radicals assassinated Sadat in October 1981. Sadat was succeeded by his vice president, Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak's policies were generally moderate. As a result, Egypt was able to repair its relationships with most moderate Arab nations. Egypt was allowed back in the Arab League in 1989. The government continued to work actively for peace in the Middle East. Population (2001 estimate), 65,239,000. |