Egypt enjoys a distinguished geographical location at the juncture of the ancient world continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. It has always been a place of inter-civilization reactivation between the East and the West as well as the North and the South. Egypt was also the crossing road of the heavenly religions of the world. The Arab Republic of Egypt is located in the north-eastern corner of Africa and south-western Asia. It is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by Palestine and Israel, on the south by Sudan, and on the west by Libya. The country is about 1. 085 km from north to south and about 1. 255 km from east to west. It has a total area of 1. 001450 km2. Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E Map references: Africa Area: Total: 1,001, 450 sq km Land: 995, 450 sq km Water: 6, 000 sq km Area-comparatives: slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico Land boundaries: Total: 2, 665 km Border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Palestine 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1, 273 km. Coastline: 2, 450 km Maritime claims: - Territorial sea: 12 nm -Contiguous zone: 24 nm -Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm -Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Elevation extremes: -lowest point : Qattara Depression 436 m -highest point: Mount Catherine 2, 629 m -Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead and zinc. Land use: -Arable land: 2.87% -Permanent crops: 0.48% -Other: 96.65% (2001) Irrigated land: 33, 000 sq km (1998 est.) Capital of Egypt Cairo - the Triumphant City - is the glorious capital of Egypt, the cradle of civilization and the beacon of religion. It is the largest city in the Middle East and Africa and lies at the centre of all routes that lead to and from Asia, Africa and Europe. Cairo was founded on July 16, 969 AD by the Fatimid leader Jawhar Al-Sequilli, by an order from the Fatimid Khalif Al-Moiz lideenellah. It was named the city of the 1000 minarets. Cairo is Africas most populous city and the Arab worlds cultural center. People from all over the world visit Cairo to see the monuments and artifacts of ancient Egypt as well as the various aspects of modern Cairo. Cairo provides its visitors with great cultural destinations which include a vast amount of art galleries, music halls, cultural centers etc… Cairo also offers its visitors with great accommodation, restaurants, and various leisure activities and shopping. In Cairo there is something for everyone. Tourists can enjoy Khan El Khalili Bazaar while shopping for antiques, rugs, copper and many other oriental gifts; while others may enjoy shopping for the latest fashion trends in one of Cairo magnificent malls. Cairo is the city where past and present meet. On its east side stands the evidence of 2000 years of Islamic, Christian Coptic, and Jewish culture still flourishing till this day. On its west side lays the Ancient Egyptian city of Memphis (Giza), the renowned capital of the Old Kingdom and the site of the Pyramids. Indeed, a journey through Cairo is a journey through time, a journey through the history of an immortal civilization. Egypt Topography Egypt is divided into four major parts: 1. The Nile Valley and Delta Extends from north of the valley to the Mediterranean Sea and is divided into Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt: extending from Wadi Halfa to the south of Cairo and from North Cairo to the Mediterranean Sea. The River Nile in the north is divided into two branches, Dumiat and Rashid which embrace the highly fertile agricultural lands of the Delta. 2- The Western Desert Extends from the Nile Valley in the East to the Libyan borders in the west, and from the Mediterranean in the north to Egypts Southern borders. It is divided into: • The Northern section: includes the coastal plane, the northern plateau and the Great Depression, Natroun Valley and Baharia Oasis • The Southern section: includes Farafra, Kharga, Dakhla, and el-Owainat in the extreme south. 3- The Eastern Desert Extends from the Nile Valley in the West to the Red Sea, Suez Gulf, and Suez Canal in the East, and from Lake Manzala on the Mediterranean in the North to Egypts southern borders with Sudan in the south. The Eastern Desert is marked with the Eastern Mountains that extend along the Red Sea with peaks that rise to about 3000 feet above sea level. This desert is rich with Egyptian natural resources; which include various ores such as gold, coal, and oil. 4- The Sinai Peninsula Sinai is shaped like a triangle with its base at the Mediterranean in the North and its tip in the South at Ras Mohammed, the Gulf of Aqaba to the East and the Gulf of Suez and Suez Canal to the west. It is topographically divided into three main sections: • The Southern section: is an extremely tough terrain. It is composed of high rise Granite Mountains. Mount Catherine rises about 2640 meters above sea level, which makes it the highest mountain top in Egypt . • The Central Section: is bounded by the Mediterranean to the North and the At-Teeh plateau to the south. It is a plain area with abundant water resources derived from rain water that flows from southern heights to the central plateau. The Nile Valley and the Delta occupy about 33,000 km2, which account to less than 4% of the total area of the country.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 18:39:55 +0000
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