Introducing Egypt Egypt boasts one of the oldest civilizations in the world dating back more than 5,000 years Modern Egypt is an exciting mix of traditional and modern cultures of rich and poor and of city and countryside It is a major player in the politics and trade of both Africa and the Middle East IT STARTED HERE Early Civilization Egyptian civilization contributed the first organized government to the world Ancient Egyptians also developed methods of irrigation to help grow their crops and they used the earliest known alphabet Where in the World Egypt is one of only three countries in the world the others are Turkey and Russia that lie on two continents It is situated in northeast Africa and on the Sinai Peninsula which is part of Asia Although clearly an African country the Middle Eastern influence is strong in Egypt As well as its land borders Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea in the north and by the Red Sea in the east 쑽 Egypt has land borders with the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast Sudan to the south and Libya to the west NN Mediterranean Sea WW EE SS GAZA STRIP ISRAEL Nile Delta Port Said Suez Canal Subra al-Haymah SINAI PENINSULA Mount Mount Catherine Catherine KeyKey Capital city Capital city Other cities Other cities Mountain Mountain WEST BANK JORDAN An Ancient Civilization One of the world’s earliest civilizations grew up on the banks of the Nile River in Egypt The river gave the ancient Egyptians water to grow their crops and the surrounding desert provided protection against attack from other peoples For 3,000 years Egyptian culture flourished Egyptians built huge pyramids sphinxes and statues as tombs and monuments to their rulers called pharaohs Alexandria Cairo Giza r e v i R e l i N WESTERN DESERT LIBYA EGYPT Sharm el-Sheikh Dahab SAUDI ARABIA Hurghada Red Sea Luxor Aswan Lake Nasser 00 00 milesmiles 200200 kilometers kilometers 200200 SUDAN 4
Influences and Occupations Beginning in 341 BC Egypt was ruled by a series of invaders from Persia now Iran Greece and Rome In the seventh century the Arabs came to Egypt and introduced the Islamic religion and the Arabic language The Arabs ruled Egypt for the next 600 years until the Turks conquered them in 1517 and took control of Egypt INTRODUCING EGYPT IT’S A FACT The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that is still standing It is 482 feet 147 m tall and was the tallest monument in the world until the nineteenth century 쑽 In the desert outside Cairo stand the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza remains of the ancient Egyptian civilization
EGYPT IN OUR WORLD The Suez Canal During the 19th century both France and Britain took an interest in Egypt They helped to pay for the building of the Suez Canal in 1869 This created a 100-mile 163 km shortcut from Europe to India and the rest of Asia Ships no longer had to go all the way around Africa This was very important to countries like Britain that were trying to increase their influence over world trade In 1882 Britain seized control of the Egyptian government to safeguard its interest in the Suez Canal For the next 70 years Britain had some control over Egypt although there was still an Egyptian king and an Egyptian prime minister and parliament GOING GLOBAL The Suez Canal is an important trade route In 2008 an average of 1,780 ships passed through in a month Between 2000 and 2008 the amount of shipping from Southeast Asia and the Far East including China passing through the canal increased by two-and-a-half times This shows how important the Suez Canal has been for Chinese exports to Europe 쏡 A container ship passes through the Suez Canal Fourteen percent of total world trade and 26 percent of world oil exports travel via this waterway
INTRODUCING EGYPT The Egyptian Republic In 1952 a group of soldiers led by Gamal Abdel Nasser staged a revolution They intended to overthrow the king Farouk who they thought was corrupt and too influenced by the British The revolution was a success and the monarchy was abolished In 1953 the new Egyptian republic was born 쏟 Gamal Abdel Nasser waving leader of the revolution and second president of Egypt drives through the streets of Cairo Egypt’s Place in the World Egypt is still a major channel for international trade The country’s role as a go-between and mediator in the Middle East is also becoming more important as problems between its neighbors Israel and Palestine worsen Egypt has a good relationship with the United States which it supported during the Gulf War in 1990 and the European Union EU as well as being a key player in the Arab world 7 BASIC DATA Official name Arab Republic of Egypt Capital Cairo Size 386,662 sq miles 1,001,450 sq km Population 80,471,869 2010 est Currency Egyptian pound
