Egypt
From Encyclopædia
Egypt is a
nation occupying the northeastern corner of
Africa, the
Sinai Peninsula in adjacent Southwest
Asia, and some islands in the Gulf of
Suez and the Red Sea. It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the north,
Sudan on the south, the Red Sea and Israel on the east, and Libya on the west. The name Egypt is derived from the Greek word Aegyptus, which was taken from the ancient Egyptian term Hik up tah ("House of the Spirit"). The term was used to designate the
city of MEMPHIS, Egypt's earliest capital.Egypt is the most populous
nation in the Arab
world and (after Nigeria) the second most populous country in
Africa. CAIRO, Egypt's capital, is the largest
city in both
Africa and the Middle East. Over 96% of Egypt's population lives along the narrow, fertile
Nile River valley and its
Delta, which accounts for only 4% of the total land area. Most of the remainder live along the
Suez CANAL. Overpopulation in relation to the country's resources is Egypt's greatest barrier to economic development, and today the
nation is heavily dependent upon
foreign aid.Egyptians' strong identity extends back to the 4th millennium BC when the ancient Egyptian
civilization was established. Conquered by the
Arabs during the 7th century, Egypt was part of the
Ottoman Empire from 1517 to 1798 and was held by the British from 1882 to 1922. It then became an independent monarchy. The monarchy was abolished after a military coup in 1952, and in 1954, Col. Gamal Abdel NASSER became
president, shaping Egypt into the socialist republic it is today. Egypt was a leading belligerent in four
Arab-Israeli Wars, but in 1979
president Anwar al-SADAT signed a peace treaty with the Israelis.LAND AND RESOURCESEgypt can be divided into four major physiographic regions: the Nile Valley and
Delta, the ARABIAN
desert, the LIBYAN
desert, and the
Sinai.The
Nile River valley is about 1,530 km (950 mi) long. In the south the valley is rarely more than 3 km (2 mi) wide. North of
Edfu (Idfu) the valley
averages 8 to 16 km (5 to 10 mi) in width, with steep cliffs on either side. From Cairo to the north, the valley merges with the fertile
Delta. Southwest of Cairo near the town of AL-
Faiyum, a large depression called the
Faiyum Depression, covering about 1,800 sq km (700 sq mi) in area, was left when ancient Lake Moeris evaporated. Today Birket (lake) Qarun, a shallow lake, occupies part of the depression, 45 m (150 ft) below sea level. The depression is extremely fertile and is noted for its orchards and gardens.The Arabian
desert (known in Egypt as the Eastern
desert) is an extension of the
Sahara. It consists of a
plateau that slopes upward from the Nile to heights of about 600 m (2,000 ft). On the east it is bordered by a range of jagged mountains reaching 2,187 m (7,175 ft) at Jabal (mount) Shayib al-Banat. There are few oases, and the region is sparsely populated. The southern part of the Eastern
desert, the NUBIAN
desert, is a rocky
plateau extending south into
Sudan. The
Sinai Peninsula is also part of the Eastern
desert. In the south the
Sinai is a
Highland dominated by Jabal Katerina at 2,642 m (8,668 ft)--the highest mountain in Egypt.The Libyan
desert (known in Egypt as the Western
desert) is a great arid plain, most of it lying below 300 m (1,000 ft). Great sand-dune formations form an effective barrier along the Egyptian-Libyan border. The southern part of the Western
desert has no oases or settlements. To the north is a series of depressions; the
Qattara Depression, covering about 18,100 sq km (7,000 sq mi), is 133 m (436 ft) below sea level.SoilsMost of the farmland of Egypt is limited to the Nile Valley and
Delta, where
irrigation can make the rich alluvial
soils productive. The vast majority of remaining land is too dry for farming and covered with infertile rocky or sandy
soils.ClimateEgypt's climate is generally dry, with two seasons: a hot season from May to October and a cool season from November to April. During the summer, temperatures may reach 42 deg C (107 deg F). Winters are generally warm, with
average temperatures between 13 deg and 21 deg C (55 deg and 70 deg F). Wide temperature variations occur in the
deserts, ranging from a mean annual maximum of 46 deg C (114 deg F) during the day to a mean annual minimum of 6 deg C (42 deg F) after sunset.The Mediterranean coast, which receives the most rain in Egypt, has about 200 mm (8 in) or less. In drier areas of southern Egypt several years may elapse without any rain at all. In April and May hot, dry winds and sandstorms called khamsin blow frequently, causing much damage to crops.DrainageThe Nile, Egypt's only river, has no tributaries of importance in Egypt and draws most of its water from wetter areas to the s?uth of Egypt. The
world's longest river, it is more than 6,440 km (4,000 mi) in length and is navigable as far south as
Aswan where the
Aswan HIGH DAM has created a reservoir--Lake NASSER--the
world's largest artificial lake. The Nile
Delta has numerous distributaries, the largest of which are the Rosetta and Damietta. Before regulation by the
Aswan High Dam, the Nile flooded its valley every year. A greater flow of the Nile meant more water for
irrigation and bountiful harvests for Egyptian farmers; a small flow could mean famine.The High Dam stores water to eliminate variation in the amount available for
irrigation each year. Because water is now retained throughout the year, however, much
soil has become waterlogged and has a high saline content, and many
irrigation canals have become clogged.Egypt's best-known oases, located in the Western
desert, include Siwa, Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla, and Kharga. In the coastal area of
Sinai, water drainage toward the Mediterranean supplies sufficient moisture for some agriculture.Vegetation and Animal LifeEgypt's
desert climate restricts most vegetation to the Nile Valley and
Delta and the oases. The most widespread indigenous tree is the date palm; other trees include the
carob, tamarisk, and sycamore. Rushes grow along streams. In the arid regions halfa
grass and thorn trees are common.The lack of forest and grazing areas limits wild-animal life. The few species found include the fox, jackal, boar, hyena, and wild ass. Crocodiles are found in the Upper Nile. Egypt has more than 300 species of
birds and 100 species of fish.PEOPLEMost Egyptians are descended from the successive ARAB settlements that followed the Muslim conquest in the 7th century, mixed with the indigenous pre-Islamic population. The typical Egyptian, of mixed heritage, is the Fellah, or
peasant; the FELLAHIN constitute more than 60% of the population. Egyptian Copts (see COPTIC CHURCH), a Christian minority who constitute about 5% of the population, are the least mixed descendants of the pre-Arab population. The Nubians, who live south of
Aswan, have been Arabized in religion and culture, although they still speak the Nubian
language.
nomads, who live in the semidesert regions, are composed of both Arab and BERBER elements. Small minorities of Italians and Greeks live in the cities.LanguageArabic is the official
language of Egypt and is spoken by almost all Egyptians. The Coptic
language, which is descended from ancient Egyptian, has died out among the people and is now used only in the Coptic
liturgy. Italian, Greek, and Armenian are heard in Cairo and ALEXANDRIA. Berber is spoken in some of the western oases. Many of the nearly 100,000 Nubians in the south speak Sudanic
languages (see AFROASIATIC
languageS).ReligionNearly 93% of Egyptians are Sunni Muslims (see SUNNITES). In addition to Coptic Christians, other religious minorities include Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Armenians, and a very small Jewish community, all concentrated in urban centers. During the 1980s a rise in religious sentiments led to isolated clashes between Muslim and Christian extremists.DemographyEgypt has a high rate of population
growth. By the late 1980s, about 40% of its people were under the age of 15. Population
density in the Nile
Delta, where nearly 99% of all Egyptians live, is one of the highest in the
world: 1,600 persons per sq km (4,143 per sq mi) in 1980.Cairo is the principal industrial and commercial center. Alexandria, the
chief port and second largest
city, is an important commercial center.
Port Said, Tanta, and
Giza have long been major urban areas. Other cities such as
Aswan and Zagazig have grown gradually with industrial development and have become commercial centers.Although more than half of the Egyptian population is rural, a shortage of jobs exists in the countryside, and rapid urbanization has taken place over the last several decades. rapidly over the last several decades. Greater Cairo's population doubled between 1970 and 1980.EducationBecause of the rapid population
growth ?ver recent decades, governmental efforts to reduce the illiteracy rate are making only slow progress. During the 1940s about 80% of the Egyptian people could not read or write. Despite compulsory elementary
education, more than half of the adult population remain illiterate.
education in Egypt is under government
Control and is free, including
university education. Children between the ages of 6 and 12 are required by law to attend elementary school. Graduates of elementary schools may attend either a general intermediate school in preparation for secondary
education or a technical intermediate school. The secondary school system prepares students for higher
education.Egypt has a large
number of institutions of higher learning (see
MIDDLE EASTERN UNIVERSITIES). Al-
Azhar University in Cairo, founded in 970 for Islamic learning, is one of the oldest universities in the
world. Ain Shams
university (1950) and Cairo
university (1908) are Egypt's largest.
