Egypt
مهوريّة مصرالعربيّة
Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
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Egypt (Arabic:
مصر,
romanized Mişr or Maşr, in
Egyptian
dialect)
is the most populous nation of northeastern
Africa.
It covers about 1,020,000 kmē. Although it includes the
Sinai Peninsula, which is considered part of
Southwest Asia, the rest of the country is in
North Africa. The main area of habitation is along the Nile river
(about 40,000 kmē). Large areas of land are part of the Sahara Desert
and sparsely inhabited. The country is famous for its ancient
civilization and some of the world's most stunning ancient monuments,
including Khufu's pyramid, Karnak temple and the Valley of the Kings.
Today, Egypt is widely considered the main political and cultural
center of the Arab world.
History
Main articles:
History of Egypt
In
Arabic Egypt is مصر (Mişr) which means literally a country or a
state.
For the origin of the name Egypt, see
Aegyptus.
The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled
with semi-isolation provided by
deserts
to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the
world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa
3200 BC
and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia.
The last native dynasty fell to the
Persians
in 341 BC,
who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and
Byzantines.
It was the
Arabs
who introduced
Islam
and the
Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six
centuries. A local military caste, the
Mamluks
took control about
1250 and
continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the
Ottoman Turks in
1517.
Following the completion of the
Suez Canal in
1869,
Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell
heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments,
Britain seized control of Egypt's government in
1882, but
nominal allegiance to the
Ottoman Empire continued until
1914.
Partially independent from the UK in
1922,
Egypt acquired full sovereignty following
World War II. In
1952
Gamal Abdel Nasser assumed power and nationalized the
Suez Canal leading to the
1956
Suez Crisis. Between
1958 and
1961
Egypt was in a union with
Syria
known as the
United Arab Republic.
Politics
Main article:
Politics of Egypt
Egypt is a republic.
Hosni Mubarak, has been President since
October 14,
1981,
following
Gamal Abdel Nasser and
Anwar Sadat. He is the leader of the
National Democratic Party which has led Egypt continually since
the split with
Syria
in 1978.
Egypt was the first Arab country to establish peace with Israel after
the signing of the
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty (main point of the
Camp David Accords). The permanent headquarters for the
Arab League are located in Cairo. Egypt regularly holds
multi-party elections, but there is expressed concern from
international
human rights observers concerning
freedom of speech, government interference in local elections,
etc.
Governorates
Main article:
Governorates of Egypt
Egypt is divided into 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah):
Ad Daqahliyah,
Al Bahr al Ahmar,
Al Buhayrah,
Al
Fayyum,
Al Gharbiyah,
Al Iskandariyah,
Al Isma'iliyah,
Al
Jizah,
Al Minufiyah,
Al
Minya,
Al Qahirah,
Al Qalyubiyah,
Al Wadi al Jadid,
Ash Sharqiyah,
As
Suways,
Aswan,
Asyut,
Bani Suwayf,
Bur
Sa'id,
Dumyat,
Janub Sina',
Kafr ash Shaykh,
Matruh,
Qina,
Shamal Sina',
Suhaj.
Economy
Main article:
Economy of Egypt
Egypt's economy depends mainly on agriculture, media, petroleum
exports, and tourism; there are also more than 5 million Egyptians
working abroad, mainly in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf area, and Europe.
The completion of the
Aswan High Dam in
1971 and
the resultant
Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River
in the
agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population
(the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence
on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society.
The government has struggled to ready the economy for the new
millennium through economic reform and massive investment in
communications and physical infrastructure, much financed from U.S.
aid. Egypt is the second largest recipient of such funds from the
United States after Israel.
Demographics
Main article:
Demographics of Egypt
Egypt is the most populous
Arab
country, at about 70,000,000 people. Nearly all the population is
concentrated along the
River Nile, notably
Alexandria and
Cairo,
and along the Nile Delta and near the
Suez Canal.
Geography
Main articles:
Geography of Egypt
Other towns and cities include
Alexandria,
Aswan,
Asyut,
El-Mahalla El-Kubra,
Giza,
Hurghada,
Luxor,
Kom
Ombo,
Port Safaga,
Port Said,
Sharm el Sheikh,
Shubra-El-Khema,
Suez,
Zagazig.
Deserts: Egypt includes parts of the Sahara Desert and of the
Libyan Desert
Oases
include:
Bahariya Oasis,
Dakhleh Oasis,
Farafra Oasis,
Kharga Oasis,
Siwa Oasis
Egypt borders on
Libya
on the west, on
Sudan
on the south and on
Israel
on the northeast. It controls the
Suez Canal between the
Mediterranean Sea and the
Red Sea.
Egypt's important role in geopolitics stems from its strategic
position: as a land bridge between Africa and Asia, and as a passage
between the Mediterranian Sea and the Indian Ocean through the Suez
Canal.
Culture
Main article:
Culture of Egypt
The capital city, Cairo, is Africa's largest city and has been
renowned for centuries as a center of learning, culture and commerce.
Egypt also hosts two major religious institutions.
Al-Azhar University, the oldest Islamic institution for higher
studies (founded around
970 CE)
with its corresponding mosque Al-Azhar. The head of Al-Azhar is
traditionally regarded as the supreme leader of Sunni Muslims all over
the world. Egypt also has a strong Christian heritage as evidenced by
the existence of the
Coptic Orthodox Church headed by the
Patriarch of Alexandria, which claims a following of 50 million
Christians worldwide.
Though considered a low-income country, Egypt has a thriving media
and arts industry, with more than 30 satellite channels and more than
100 motion pictures produced a year. To bolster its media industry,
especially with the keen competition from the
Persian Gulf states and Lebanon, it has built a large media city
that it has promoted as the "Hollywood of the East".
Some famous Egyptians include:
Naguib Mahfouz (Nobel Prize-winning novelist),
Omar Sharif (actor),
Ahmed Zewail (Nobel Prize-winning chemist),
Boutros Boutros-Ghali (former Secretary General of the United
Nations),
Mohamed ElBaradei (Head of the International Atomic Energy
Agency), and
Anwar Sadat (former president and winner of the Nobel Peace
Prize.)
Miscellaneous topics
