The Aswan High Dam and Lake Nasser behind it completed in 1971 have provided continual irrigation and more electricity than the country can consume and a thriving fish industry. But its environmental effects have not been wholly beneficial. The sediment which used to be spread by the floods has been bottled up behind the dam reducing the fertility of the downstream fields. Many ancient monuments were also lost under the lake though the temples of Philae and Abu Simbel were moved to safety. The pyramids which are synonymous with Egypt attract many visitors every year.
Islamic architecture is, of course, a major feature of Egyptian towns.
The population of Egypt is around sixty million. Most of the inhabitants live around the Nile. English and French are also spoken. The ancient religion of Egypt had many gods and goddesses. Its concern with life after death was typified by the funerary cult recorded in the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the monumental pyramids built to house the royal dead.