Egypt » Key Facts
Location
Area
Population
Population Density
Capital
Government
Geography
The Mediterranean Sea forms Egypt's northern border, bringing cooler weather to the seaboard city of Alexandria and providing a coastal getaway for Cairo's residents. To the east, lies the mountainous Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel and the Palestinian Territories; to the south, the deserts of Egypt quietly roll into the deserts of Sudan; to the west, the Great Western Desert forms an almost seamless wilderness through Libya and beyond.
Sinai is divided from the main landmass of Africa by the country's busy shipping lane, the Suez Canal. For centuries, however, it was the River Nile, plied by felucca (traditional Nile sailing boats), that provided the main conduit for trade along the country's length. Railways and roads now compete for that distinction, but the Nile remains an important economic and cultural artery.
The Nile perfuses the Delta north of Cairo, supporting 90% of the population in a flood land of cotton and rice-growing crops. The river's potency has been reduced since the building of the Aswan Dam; on the positive side, the dam has provided the country with a safe and reliable electricity supply - and has had the side effect of keeping the crocodiles out.
Language
Religion
Time
Social Conventions
Dress should be conservative and women should not wear revealing clothes, particularly when in religious buildings and in towns (although Western style of dress is accepted at the main archaeological sites and in modern nightclubs, restaurants, hotels and bars in Cairo, Alexandria and other tourist destinations). Official or social functions and smart restaurants usually require more formal wear. Smoking is very common.
Photography: Tourists will have to pay a fee to take photographs inside pyramids, tombs and museums.
Electricity
Head of Government
Head of State
Recent History
The only opposition organisation which has broad public support, the Muslim Brotherhood, is outlawed and cannot field candidates. Mr Mubarak succeeded Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981. He is a great survivor, having escaped no fewer than six assassination attempts. The president appoints the prime minister.
Parliamentary elections in 2007 were won comfortably by the governing National Democracy Party. The February 2009 bombing in the bazaar in Cairo was an isolated incident in an otherwise stable political climate.
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Information in this section was last updated: Tue Sep 20 2011
