EGYPT
Pyramids, the Sphinx, Ancient Luxor, Alexandria, Red Sea diving, mosques and monuments there is plenty to see and do in Egypt.
Egypt is situated at the far north eastern corner of Africa, to the north is the Mediterranean sea, to the east Israel and the Red Sea, to the south Sudan and to the west Libya.
Cairo, the capital is the largest city in Africa.
Total Area:1,001,450 sq km
Capital City: Cairo
Land Borders:Gaza Strip, Israel, Libya, sudan
Population: 78,887,007
Life Expectancy: 71 years
HIV % Total Poulation:0.1%
Ethnic Groups: Egyptian 98%, Berber, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%, Greek, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1%
Languages:Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes
President:Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK
GDP - Per Capita: $3,900
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 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., 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. 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.