Egypt travel guide — Egypt tourism and travel information

Egypt

The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, (Arabic: مصر, romanized Mişr or Maşr, in Egyptian dialect) is the most populous nation of northeastern Africa.

Covering an area of about 1,020,000 km², it includes the Sinai Peninsula (considered part of Southwest Asia), whilst the majority of the country is located in North Africa.

The vast majority of Egypt's population inhabit the length of the Nile river (about 40,000 km²). 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 pyramids, Karnak temple and the Valley of the Kings. Today, Egypt is widely considered the main political and cultural center of the Arab world.

The name Egypt came via Latin Aegyptus and Greek Αιγυπτος (Aiguptos) from Ancient Egyptian Hi-ku-ptah, which was the name of a temple at Thebes.

Egypt geography

Towns and cities include Alexandria, Aswan, Asyut, Cairo, 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.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Egypt".