egypt,arab.m**r,biblical mizraim,officially arab republic of egypt,republic(2005 est.pop.77,506,000),386,659 sq mi(1,001,449 sq km),ne africa and sw asia.it borders on the mediterranean sea in the north,**rael and the red sea in the east,sudan in the south,and libya in the west.egypt's capital and largest city ** cairo.in addition to the capital,major cities include alexandria,port said,suez,tanta,and aswan.
land
the great mass of egypt ** located in africa;the sinai peninsula ** the only portion situated in asia and ** separated from the rest of the country by the suez canal.egypt n of cairo ** often called lower egypt and s of cairo,upper egypt.the principal physiographic feature of the country ** the nile river,which flows from south to north through e egypt for c.900 mi(1,450 km).in the far south ** lake nasser,a vast artificial lake impounded by the aswan high dam(built 1960–70),and in the north,below cairo,** the great nile delta(c.8,500 sq mi/22,000 sq km).bordering the nile between aswan and cairo are narrow strips(on the **erage 5 mi/8 km wide)of cultivated land;there are broad regions of tilled land in the delta.
west of the nile ** the extremely arid libyan(or western)desert,a generally low-lying region(maximum alt.c.1,000 ft/300 m),largely covered with sand dunes or barren rocky plains.the desert contains a few oases,notably siwah,farafra,and kharga.in sw egypt the desert r**es to the jilf al-kabir plateau.east of the nile ** the arabian(or eastern)desert,a d**sected highland area(r**ing to c.7,150 ft/2,180 m)that ** mostly barren and virtually uninhabited except for a few settlements along the red sea coast.
the sinai peninsula ** a plateau broken by deep valleys;mount catherine,or jabal katrinah(8,652 ft/2,637 m),egypt's loftiest point,and mount sinai,or jabal musa(7,497 ft/2,285 m),are located in the south.northern sinai,largely a sandy desert,contains most of the peninsula's small population,which lives mainly in towns built around wells.
people
the vast majority of egypt's inhabitants live in the nile valley and delta,and the rest of the country(about 96%of egypt's total land area)** sparsely populated.most modern egyptians are of a complex racial mixture,being descended from the ancient egyptians,berbers,sub-saharan africans,arabs,greeks,and turks.arabic ** the official language;many educated egyptians also speak and french.as much as 95%of the people are sunni muslims,and most of the rest are coptic chr**tians(see copts).
economy
economic growth in egypt has been held back by a severely limited amount of arable land(less than 5%of the total area)as well as a large and rapidly growing population.after 1945,a large proportion of funds and energy were devoted to preparing the country for warfare with **rael and later to rebuilding after the destruction incurred in the arab-**raeli wars.the country's industrial base increased considerably in the 20th cent.,especially after 1952.the state owns much of the economy and plays a dec**ive role in its planning;however,in recent years egypt has moved toward a decentralized,market-oriented economy,and there has been an increase in foreign investment.
the country's farmland ** intensively cultivated(usually two,and sometimes three,crops are produced annually)and yields-per-acre are extremely high.control of the nile waters by the aswan high dam brought considerable additional land into cultivation,but the needs of the growing population h**e prevented the accumulation of significant agricultural surpluses.most farms in egypt are small and labor-intensive.nonetheless,about 40%of egypt's workers are employed in farming.the principal crop ** cotton;rice,corn,wheat,beans,tomatoes,sugarcane,citrus fruit,and dates are also produced.cattle,sheep,water buffalo,donkeys,and goats are ra**ed,and there ** a f**hing industry.
petroleum and natural gas(found mainly in the gulf of suez)are produced;the principal minerals are phosphates,salt,iron ore,manganese,limestone,gypsum,and gold.cairo and alexandria are the main industrial centers;major manufacturing plants are also located in the other cities of the nile valley and delta and at port said and suez.the leading manufactures are refined petroleum,chemicals,fertilizers,textiles,clothing,processed foods,construction materials(especially cement),iron and steel,and metal products.
leading imports include machinery and equipment,foodstuffs,durable consumer goods,capital goods,fertilizers,and wood products.the principal exports are crude and refined petroleum,cotton,textiles,metal products,and chemicals.the chief trade partners are the european union nations,the united states,and japan.considerable foreign exchange ** also derived from a tour**t industry that has waxed and waned with the nation's various political and military cr**es.the suez canal,another important source of foreign exchange,was closed during the 1967 arab-**raeli war and not reopened until 1975.the canal has since been deepened and widened,and n**igation transit fees are a source of revenue.the country's rail and road networks are largely found along the mediterranean coast and in the nile valley.
since the 1970s billions of dollars in economic aid h**e poured into egypt from the united states,arab nei**ors,and european nations.however,the country's inefficient state-run industries,its bloated public sector,and its large investments in warfare resulted in inflation,unemployment,a severe trade deficit,and he**y public debt.a series of economic and f**cal reforms undertaken in the 1990s,with support from the international monetary fund,appear to be h**ing a positive effect on the country's overall economy,and the quality of life and many of egypt's services h**e shown improvement.
**
egypt ** governed under the constitution of 1971.executive power ** held by the president,who ** nominated by parliament and approved by public referendum for a six-year term.the leg**lature cons**ts of a people's assembly and an adv**ory council.the ** must approve the formation of political parties,and those based on religion are illegal.however,the largest one,the muslim brotherhood,has been permitted to operate openly at times.admin**tratively,egypt ** divided into 26 governorates.
h**tory
the ancient empire of the nile
the valley of the“long river between the deserts,”with the annual floods,deposits of life-giving silt,and year-long growing season,was the seat of one of the earliest civilizations built by humankind.the antiquity of th** civilization ** almost staggering,and whereas the h**tory of other lands ** measured in centuries,that of ancient egypt ** measured in millennia.much ** known of the period even before the actual h**toric records began.those records are abundant and,because of egypt's dry climate,h**e been well preserved.inscriptions h**e unlocked a wealth of **rmation;for example,the ex**ting fragments of the palermo stone are engr**ed with the records of the kings of the first five dynasties.the great papyrus dumps offer an enormous amount of **rmation,especially on the later periods of ancient egyptian h**tory.
among the many problems encountered in egyptology,one of the most controversial ** that of dating events.the following dates h**e a margin of plus or minus 100 years for the time prior to 3000 b.c.fairly prec**e dates are possible beginning with the persian conquest(525 b.c.)of egypt.the div**ion of egyptian h**tory into 30 dynasties up to the time of alexander the great(a system worked out by manetho)** a convenient frame upon which to hang the succession of the kings and a record of events.in the table entitled dynasties of ancient egypt,the numbers of the dynasties are given in roman numerals,and the numeral ** followed by the dates of the dynasty and a notation of famous monarchs of the era(each of whom has a separate article in the encyclopedia).since there are many gaps and periods without well-known rulers(occasionally without known rulers at all),those are given simply with dates or are combined with better-recorded periods.