Egypt

Travels in Egypt:

Gilf el Kebir (16 days)
Expedition through the Great Sand Sea to Siwa

Egypt by Jeep and Camel (13 days)
Oases, Caves, White Desert

Quick Facts:

Official Name:	Arab Republic of Egypt
Capital:	Cairo
Area:	980,869 km², 378,715 sq mi
Languages:	Arabic (spoken language: Egyptian Arabic)
Currency:	Egyptian Pound (EGP)
Population figure:	2007 estimate: 80,335,036
Ethnology:	Egyptians 94 % Ethnic minorities include the Bedouin Arab tribes living in the eastern deserts and the Sinai Peninsula, the Berber-speaking Siwis (Amazigh) of the Siwa Oasis, and the ancient Nubian communities clustered along the Nile.
Religions:	80-90% Muslim, mostly of the Sunni branch ; 10-20 % Christians, mostly Coptic
National holiday:	July 23 (National Day)
Government type:	Semi-presidential republic

Geography

Egypt is a country in North Africa. The Sinai Peninsula is part of Egypt, but forms a land bridge to Asia. Egypt borders Libya to the west, Sudan to the south and the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east. The northern coast borders the Mediterranean Sea; the eastern coast borders the Red Sea.

The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with the majority spread across the densely-populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.

Climate

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).

This article is partly based on a free article of the encyclopaedia Wikipedia and is subject to GNU-licence for free documentation. A list of authors is available on Wikipedia