Egypt TourismEgypt Tourism (جمهورية مصر العربية)Arab Republic of Egypt (جمهورية مصر العربية ) Jumhūrīyat Miṣr al-ʻArabīyah Egypt or in Arabic: مصر, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and the Sinai Peninsula in the southwest corner of Asia. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip of Palestine and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt, while Alexandria, the second-largest city, is an important industrial and tourist hub at the Mediterranean coast. At approximately 100 million inhabitants, Egypt is the 14th-most populated country in the world, and the third-most populated in Africa. Egypt has one of the longest histories of any country, tracing its heritage along the Nile Delta back to the 6th–4th millennia BCE. Considered a cradle of civilisation, Ancient Egypt saw some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanisation, organised religion and central government. Egypt was an early and important centre of Christianity, later adopting Islam from the seventh century onwards. Cairo became the capital of the Fatimid Caliphate in the tenth century, and of the Mamluk Sultanate in the 13th century. Egypt then became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517, before its local ruler Muhammad Ali established modern Egypt as an autonomous Khedivate in 1867. The country was then occupied by the British Empire and gained independence in 1922 as a monarchy. Following the 1952 revolution, Egypt declared itself a republic. For a brief period between 1958 and 1961 Egypt merged with Syria to form the United Arab Republic. Egypt fought several armed conflicts with Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973, and occupied the Gaza Strip intermittently until 1967. In 1978, Egypt signed the Camp David Accords, which recognised Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from the occupied Sinai. After the Arab Spring, which led to the 2011 Egyptian revolution and overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the country faced a protracted period of political unrest, this included the election in 2012 of a brief, short-lived Muslim Brotherhood-aligned Islamist government spearheaded by Mohamed Morsi, and its subsequent overthrow after mass protests in 2013. Egypt Tourism Geography Egypt lies primarily between latitudes 22° and 32°N, and longitudes 25° and 35°E. At 1,001,450 square kilometres (386,660 sq mi), it is the world's 30th-largest country. Due to the extreme aridity of Egypt's climate, population centres are concentrated along the narrow Nile Valley and Delta, meaning that about 99% of the population uses about 5.5% of the total land area. 98% of Egyptians live on 3% of the territory. Egypt is bordered by Libya to the west, the Sudan to the south, and the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east. A transcontinental nation, it possesses a land bridge (the Isthmus of Suez) between Africa and Asia, traversed by a navigable waterway (the Suez Canal) that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean by way of the Red Sea. Apart from the Nile Valley, the majority of Egypt's landscape is desert, with a few oases scattered about. Winds create prolific sand dunes that peak at more than 30 metres (100 ft) high. Egypt includes parts of the Sahara desert and of the Libyan Desert. Sinai peninsula hosts the highest mountain in Egypt, Mount Catherine at 2,642 metres. The Red Sea Riviera, on the east of the peninsula, is renowned for its wealth of coral reefs and marine life. Towns and cities include Alexandria, the second largest city, Aswan, Asyut, Cairo, the modern Egyptian capital and largest city, 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 south end of the Suez Canal is located, Zagazig, and Minya. Oases include Bahariya, Dakhla, Farafra, Kharga and Siwa. Protectorates include Ras Mohamed National Park, Zaranik Protectorate and Siwa. On 13 March 2015, plans for a proposed new capital of Egypt were announced. Egypt Tourism Overview Egypt Capital and Largest City: Cairo Egypt: 30°2′N 31°13′E Egypt Official Languages: Arabic Egypt National Language: Egyptian Arabic Egypt Demonym(s): Egyptian Egypt Government: Unitary semi-presidential republic under an authoritarian regime Egypt President: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Egypt Prime Minister: Mostafa Madbouly Egypt Legislature: Parliament Egypt Upper House: Senate Egypt Lower House: House of Representatives Egypt Establishment: Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt c. 3150 BC Fall of Memphis 343 BC Arab Conquest 639–642 Ayyubid dynasty & Mamluk Sultanate 1171/4–1517 Muhammad Ali Dynasty Inaugurated 9 July 1805 Independence from United Kingdom 28 February 1922 Revolution Day 23 July 1952 Republic declared 18 June 1953 Current constitution 18 January 2014 Egypt Area Total: 1,010,408 km2 (390,121 sq mi) (30th) Egypt Population: 2024 Estimate Neutral increase 107,785,000 (14th) 2017 Census Neutral increase 94,798,827 Egypt Currency: Egyptian pound (LE/E£/£E) (EGP) Egypt Time Zone: UTC+2 (EGY) Summer (DST) UTC+3 Egypt Driving Side: right Egypt Calling Code: +20 Egypt ISO 3166 Code: EG Egypt Internet TLD: .eg مصر. | |||||
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