Egypt ( Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah) is a country in Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Penin. Egypt geographic coordinates 27 00 N, 30 00 E; area 6,000 sq km; area comparative slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico; land boundaries Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km; coastline 2,450 km; maritime claims 20; climate desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters; terrain vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta; elevation extremes Mount Catherine 2,629 m; natural resources petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc; land use 96.65% (2001); irrigated land 33,000 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called kha; environment current issues agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources; environment international agreements none of the selected agreements; geography note controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopol;

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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. government type republic; capital Cairo; administrative divisions 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, Ash Sharqiyah, As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina', Suhaj; independence 28 February 1922 (from UK); national holiday Revolution Day, 23 July (1952); constitution 11 September 1971; legal system based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory;

people

Egypt population 77,505,756 (July 2005 est.); age structure 4.4% (male 1,457,097/female 1,955,235) (2005 est.); median age 24.05 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 1.78% (2005 est.); birth rate 23.32 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 5.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate -0.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 33.31 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 73.62 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 2.88 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate less than 0.1% (2001 est.); hiv people with aids 12,000 (2001 est.); hiv deaths 700 (2003 est.); nationality Egyptian; ethnic groups Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers) 99%, Greek, Nubian, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1%; religions Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%, Coptic Christian and other 6%; languages Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes; literacy 46.9% (2003 est.);

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