Egypt

Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt is a country in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, located in North Africa and Western Asia.

It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Southern Levant compromising the Gaza Strip of Palestine and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west; the Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. 

Cairo is the capital, largest city, and leading cultural center, while Alexandria is the second-largest city and an important hub of industry and tourism. Egypt is famous for its ancient monuments, such as the Pyramids and the Sphinx 

Egypt is a member of the United Nations and the Arab League.

 History 
Ancient Egypt has one of the longest histories of any country in the world as it used to be ruled by pharaohs. It became part of the Achaemenid Empire and the Ptolemaic dynasty and for centuries a province of the Roman Empire, During the Roman era it became Christian and some Copts remained despite over a thousand years of Muslim rule. The Fatimid Caliphate ruled Egypt in the tenth through twelfth centuries. Mamlukes ruled it until 1798 when Napoleon defeated them. Muhammad Ali Pasha soon took over and started a dynasty of Khedives under the Ottoman Empire. The Empire fell apart after World War I. Egypt became an independent country in 1922 and the khedive became a king. It became a republic after the Army's revolution of 1952.

 Geography 
Egypt is a large country, but a large portion of it is desert. Most people (95% of Egypt's total people) live in areas around the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Nile River. This includes the cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, and Port Said. Not many people live in the desert. Today, Egypt has about 90 million people.

Egypt is divided into 29 areas, called Governorates of Egypt.

 Politics 
Egypt is a country that has had many different rulers and many political systems. After World War II, Egypt was still ruled by a king, Farouk of Egypt (11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965). He was the last ruler of the Muhammad Ali dynasty.

Farouk was overthrown on 23 July 1952 by a military coup. The coup was led by Muhammad Naguib, and Gamal Abdel Nasser. From then on, Egypt had military rulers or rulers who had the backing of the army and many citizens.

Nasser became president, from 1956 to 1970. Later rulers were Anwar Sadat, and Hosni Mubarak.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became president in 2014.

Revolution of 2011 

In January 2011, thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo. They wanted Hosni Mubarak to leave office. He had been the President for almost 30 years. On February 11, 2011, Vice President Omar Suleiman made an announcement. He said that Mubarak agreed to leave office. In 2012, Egypt had a democratic election for the post of President. The winner was the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohamed Morsi.

The events which followed are still controversial, but one aspect stands out. Morsi issued a declaration that in effect gave him unlimited powers. He had the power to legislate (make laws) without legal overview by the courts. This caused widespread protests. On 3 July 2013, he was unseated by a military coup council (a coup d'état). After an election in June 2014, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became President of Egypt. Islamist movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, rejected the change of regime as a military coup, and not democratic.

 Demographics 
 Religion 
Today, the people of Egypt are mostly Sunni Muslims. There are many Christians in Egypt today. Many of these belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

 Languages 
The official language in Egypt is Arabic. The majority speak Egyptian Arabic but many speak other dialects. Some Egyptians still speak Coptic and English. They also speak French and German in Egypt. These are taught in Egypt as additional languages.

Famous people
Many famous people are from Egypt. Some of these include Omar Sharif, who was an international actor, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who was the first person from Africa to lead the United Nations, and four Nobel Prize winners: Anwar Sadat, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978, Naguib Mahfouz, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988, Ahmed Zewail, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999, and Mohamed ElBaradei, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Mohamed Salah is a famous footballer who plays for Liverpool in England. A famous Egyptian singer is called Amr Diab.

Governorates
Egypt is divided into 27 governorates. The governorates are divided into regions. The regions have towns and villages. Each governorate has a capital. Sometimes capital has the same name as the governorate.

 Governorate  Capital  Location Alexandria  Alexandria  Northern Aswan  Aswan  Upper Asyut  Asyut  Upper Beheira  Damanhur  Lower Beni Suef  Beni Suef  Upper Cairo  Cairo  Middle Dakahlia  Mansura  Lower Damietta  Damietta  Lower Faiyum  Faiyum  Upper Gharbia  Tanta  Lower Giza  Giza  Upper Ismailia  Ismailia  Canal Kafr el-Sheikh  Kafr el-Sheikh  Lower Luxor  Luxor  Upper Governorate  Capital  Location Matruh  Mersa Matruh  Western Minya  Minya  Upper Monufia  Shibin el-Kom  Lower New Valley  Kharga  Western North Sinai  Arish  Sinai Port Said  Port Said  Canal Qalyubia  Banha  Lower Qena  Qena  Upper Red Sea  Hurghada  Eastern Sharqia  Zagazig  Upper Sohag  Sohag  Upper South Sinai  el-Tor  Sinai Suez  Suez  Canal

 Culture 

Egypt is a country with an immense cultural mix. Life in the countryside differs from life in large cities. There are differences between the families which are Muslim, and the smaller number which are Coptic Christians. There are noticeable differences in the standards of education.

 Tourism 
Tourism is one of the most important national incomes in Egypt. In 2008, about 12 million tourists visited Egypt providing nearly $12 billion of national income to Egypt. Tourism affects the economy of the country as a whole."Egypt tourism numbers to fall less than feared" , Reuters Africa. (2009-10-20)

Giza Necropolis is one of Egypt's iconic sites. It is a popular destination for tourists to visit. It includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

 Transport 
There are methods of transport in Egypt. The Suez Canal carries ships of many countries.

Cairo Metro is one of the most important projects in Egypt. It consists of 3 lines. Metro is the most preferable transport in Egypt due to persistent major traffic jams in the streets of Cairo."Underground, Everything That Life Above Is Not", NY Times. Retrieved May 3, 2012"Egypt's traffic: The problem grinds on", AhramOnline. Retrieved 8 Oct 2012 Metro line 4 is being developed to reach the New Cairo District."Cairo Metro, Egypt", Railway Technology.

Egypt established EgyptAir in 1932. The airline is based in Cairo International Airport and is owned by the Egyptian government

 Egyptian Armed Forces 
The Egyptian Armed Forces are the defense forces of the Republic of Egypt. They consist of the Egyptian Air Force, Egyptian Navy, Egyptian Army, and the Egyptian Air Defense Forces. It is ranked 8th in the world. It is the strongest military force in the Arab world and Africa.

 References 

Other websites



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Category:Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Category:1922 establishments in Africa
Category:North African countries