Egypt

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Egypt is a transcontinental country in North Africa and the Middle East with Cairo as its capital and largest city. The country has coastline in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and although most of it is desert, the life-giving river Nile flows through it with its fertile valley.

Egypt is known as the home of the ancient Egyptian civilization, one of the oldest in the world, with imposing temples, hieroglyphs, mummies and of course its famous pyramids. Although less well known, Egypt’s medieval history is also important, with ancient churches, monasteries and mosques. Egypt is one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide. After the 2011 revolution, however, tourism has suffered a major blow.

The annual flooding of the Nile River feeding the lands, combined with the protection provided by the deserts from invaders, allowed the development of one of the world’s great civilizations. The first kingdom was created around 3200 BC. and a series of dynasties ruled Egypt for the next three millennia. The last dynasty ended after Persian rule in 341 BC. and then the Greeks, the Romans and the Byzantines. The Arabs introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks, took control around 1250 and continued to rule until the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. After the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became a major global transport hub and Britain seized control of the government.

Egypt gained full independence after World War II. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the creation of Lake Nasser have changed the position of the Nile River. The local community is struggling to achieve a tolerable standard of living that the government is unable to cover with economic reforms and infrastructure.