Egypt is located in northeastern Africa and borders three countries:
Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and Israel to the northeast.
Egypt is slightly more than three times the size of the state of New
Mexico and is the thirtieth-largest country in the world.
between Europe and the Far East is through the Mediterranean
Sea, the Suez Canal, and the Red Sea—through Egypt. Egypt’s
Suez Canal, opened in 1869, is one of the world’s most impor-
tant waterways. Keeping it open to international sea traffic is
essential to the economic well-being of many countries.
Look closely at the map again. Notice that Egypt occupies
portions of two continents. In the extreme northeast is the
triangular peninsula called Sinai, which sits in Asia. The Suez
Canal marks the dividing line between Asia and Africa. Leaving
Sinai—Asia, that is—one can actually drive through a tunnel
beneath the canal and emerge a few seconds later in Africa.
That is where most of Egypt is located.
Driving westward from the Suez Canal, one would cross
mostly flat, open desert country for about two hours. This is the
Eastern Desert. There are no villages or towns, only a few bus
stops and coffee shops. Then the landscape begins to change.
Factories first, then some apartment blocks, and ever more
traffic, and in the sky above looms a seemingly ever-present
brownish haze. Soon there are high-rise buildings standing side
by side, and traffic comes to a crawl. Welcome to Cairo! With
perhaps as many as 20 million people living in its metropolitan
area, Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the Middle East. This
area is also the Nile Valley. The drive from the eastern outskirts
of Cairo to its downtown on the banks of the Nile takes less
than an hour. Cairo is the heart of Egypt—the great city Egyp-
tians call Umm ad-Dunya, “the Mother of the World.”
Nearly 2,500 years ago, the Greek historian and geographer
Herodotus called Egypt “the gift of the Nile.” The river has
always been Egypt’s lifeblood, and Egypt probably would be
no more world famous than, say, Chad or Paraguay if the Nile
did not run through the country. Egypt without the Nile would
also be a country with few people. The Nile has deposited some
of the world’s best agricultural soils along its floodplain, and
for thousands of years Egypt has been a prolific producer of
Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and Israel to the northeast.
Egypt is slightly more than three times the size of the state of New
Mexico and is the thirtieth-largest country in the world.
between Europe and the Far East is through the Mediterranean
Sea, the Suez Canal, and the Red Sea—through Egypt. Egypt’s
Suez Canal, opened in 1869, is one of the world’s most impor-
tant waterways. Keeping it open to international sea traffic is
essential to the economic well-being of many countries.
Look closely at the map again. Notice that Egypt occupies
portions of two continents. In the extreme northeast is the
triangular peninsula called Sinai, which sits in Asia. The Suez
Canal marks the dividing line between Asia and Africa. Leaving
Sinai—Asia, that is—one can actually drive through a tunnel
beneath the canal and emerge a few seconds later in Africa.
That is where most of Egypt is located.
Driving westward from the Suez Canal, one would cross
mostly flat, open desert country for about two hours. This is the
Eastern Desert. There are no villages or towns, only a few bus
stops and coffee shops. Then the landscape begins to change.
Factories first, then some apartment blocks, and ever more
traffic, and in the sky above looms a seemingly ever-present
brownish haze. Soon there are high-rise buildings standing side
by side, and traffic comes to a crawl. Welcome to Cairo! With
perhaps as many as 20 million people living in its metropolitan
area, Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the Middle East. This
area is also the Nile Valley. The drive from the eastern outskirts
of Cairo to its downtown on the banks of the Nile takes less
than an hour. Cairo is the heart of Egypt—the great city Egyp-
tians call Umm ad-Dunya, “the Mother of the World.”
Nearly 2,500 years ago, the Greek historian and geographer
Herodotus called Egypt “the gift of the Nile.” The river has
always been Egypt’s lifeblood, and Egypt probably would be
no more world famous than, say, Chad or Paraguay if the Nile
did not run through the country. Egypt without the Nile would
also be a country with few people. The Nile has deposited some
of the world’s best agricultural soils along its floodplain, and
for thousands of years Egypt has been a prolific producer of
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