Egypt does not receive much rainfall except in the winter months. 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 410 mm (16 in), with most of the rainfall between October and March. Snow falls on Sinai's mountains and some of the north coastal cities such as Damietta, Baltim, Sidi Barrany, etc. and rarely in Alexandria, frost is also known in mid-Sinai and mid-Egypt.
Temperatures average between 80 °F (27 °C) and 90 °F (32 °C) in summer, and up to 109 °F (43 °C) on the Red Sea coast. Temperatures average between 55 °F (13 °C) and 70 °F (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 in spring, bringing sand and dust, and sometimes raises the temperature in the desert to more than 100 °F (38 °C).
The rise in sea levels due to global warming threatens Egypt’s densely populated coastal strip and could have grave consequences for the country’s economy, agriculture and industry. Combined with growing demographic pressures, a rise in sea levels could turn millions of Egyptians into environmental refugees by the end of the century, according to climate experts.
At 1,001,450 square kilometers (386,660 sq mi), Egypt is the world's 38th-largest country (after Mauritania). It is comparable in size to Tanzania, twice the size of France, four times the size of the United Kingdom, 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 more than 100 feet (30 m) 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. Protectorates include Ras Mohamed National Park, Zaranik Protectorate and Siwa. See Egyptian Protectorates for more information.
The world’s oldest civilization rose on the banks of the Nile around 5000 years ago when the the first dynasty of pharaohs came to power under Narmer. The first pyramid was built in the 27th century BC and the 4th dynasty was the most powerful, when Khufu, Khafre and Mycerinus built the Pyramids of Giza. Between 51 and 48 BC, Egypt was ruled by Ptolemy XIII and his sister Cleopatra VIII. The Roman empire turned their sights on Egypt and there were continual skirmishes. Following the defeat of their naval forces at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide, after which Egypt became part of the Roman Empire.
When the empire fell, Nubians, North Africans and Persians invaded but Egypt remained relatively stable until AD 640 when the Arabs arrived, bringing Islam. Egypt fell to the Turks in 1517 and was later invaded by both the British and the French at different points in time.
Egypt aligned itself with the Allies in WWI and afterwards, the Wafd national political party was formed. The Arab League was founded after WWII by seven Arab countries, including Egypt, but the war had left Egypt in a shambles. In 1952, Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser led a group of military officers and pulled off a coup. The British and French invaded but the United Nations-deployed peacekeepers insisted that the invaders should leave.
President Hosni Mubarak was elected to serve his fifth term as president in Egypt's first contested presidential race in 2005. Periodic attacks on tourists resumed in Sinai in 2005 and 2006 but are generally assumed to be one-off events rather than a sustained terrorist campaign.
7 Jan Coptic Christmas Day.
20 Jan Islamic New Year.
9 Mar Birth of the Prophet.
27 Apr tbc* Sham el-Nassim (Coptic Easter).
25 Apr Sinai Liberation Day (Sinai only).
1 May Labour Day.
23 Jul National Day.
11 Sep tbc* Coptic New Year.
20-23 Sep Bairam Feast (End of Ramadan).
6 Oct Armed Forces Day.
27-28 Nov Grand Feast.
Note
(a) * These holidays are not official, although Coptic Christians may observe them. (b) Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes the Bairam Feast, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Some restaurants are closed during the day but most tourist attractions and hotels are not affected. Some disruption may continue into the three-day Grand Feast itself.
Egypt is one of the most populated countries not only in the African continent but also in the Middle East and in the Arab world. According to the 2006 census conducted by government's statistics agency, the population of Egypt has sprung up to 72.6 million with a growth rate of 2.0 percent each year in the past decade.
In the year 1996 and 1986, the growth rate had been 2.1 and 2.8 respectively thus suggesting that the current growth rate has diminished. There was a huge population shift during the period of 1960s and 1970s when there was an influx of migrants from the rural areas to the cities.
Majority of the population in Egypt is concentrated on the fertile banks of river Nile, especially in Alexandria and Cairo, within the Delta and the Suez Canal. Thus there is unequal distribution of population in the various parts of the country. Cairo, the capital of Egypt has the highest population density (2136.1 person per sq km against 63.7 person per sq km).
The results of the past five censuses have shown that in spite of the decreasing fertility rates, there has been a continual rise in the population of Egypt. Over the past decade, the population of Egypt has expanded by 15 million and it is estimated to reach 138 million within the next fifty years. Thus it is feared that if such population explosion takes place in the coming years, then all agrarian land within the Nile valley will diminish between 2070-2100.
The biggest ethnic group in Egypt are the Egyptians, comprising the bulk of the population. Other minor ethnic groups include the Bedouin Arab clans inhabiting the Sinai Peninsula and the eastern deserts, the Berber-speaking Siwis, the ancient communities of the Nubians and Bejas and a group of Dom tribes. Apart from this, Egypt is also home to a large number of asylum seekers, Sudanese and Palestinian refugees.
Capital: THE CAIRO
Population: over 75,000,000
Area: 1,001,449 Km2
Time zone: +1 h compared to Italy
Languages: Arabic. The most widespread language is English, followed by the French. The Italian is much talk in the area of Sharm el-Sheikh
Religions: Sunni Islamic (public holiday Friday) with a Coptic Christian minority (from 10 to 15%)
Currency: Egyptian Pound (Egyptian Pound)
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