Egypt

About Egypt

Egypt is a country located in the northeast of Africa. Egypt is often divided into two parts: Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north. These sections owe their name to the fact that the Nile flows from south to north. The river flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Without the Nile, all of Egypt would have been a desert. All of Egypt receives only one inch (2.5 cm) of rain per year. But every summer, the river rises in flood because of the rains coming from southern Ethiopia. Floods cover river valleys, leaving sediment needed for trees, plants and crops to grow.
About 90 percent of Egyptians are Muslims, meaning they follow the Islamic religion. About 10 percent of Egyptians are Copts, one of the oldest branches of Christianity. The first inhabitants of the banks of the Nile were hunters and fishermen, settling 8,000 years ago. Around 3100 BC, the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were united under a powerful king, later called pharaoh. These kings built huge pyramids, temples and other monuments. They also conquered other lands.

Facts About Egypt

Official Name: Arab Republic of Egypt

Form of Government: Republic

Capital : Cairo

Population : 99,413,317

Currency / Money : Egyptian pound

Languages: Arabic

Area: 386,662 square miles (1,001,449 square kilometers)

Major Rivers: Nile

Major Mountain Ranges: Eastern Highlands

Language: English and Arabic