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Egypt, commonly known as “The Motherland of the World”, “Land of Civilizations” “Land of Quiver (al-Kinana)” and “The Greatest Power in Human History”, is reputed worldwide for its distinct 7,000-year-old record of civilization and immense wealth of knowledge. This has made Egypt a master and pioneer of science, arts, culture architecture as well as almost all fields of human knowledge.
Amongst all civilizations and nations, Egypt has always maintained a unique position. Historically, Egypt is universally acknowledged as the world's most ancient state with a unified societal entity within its current geographical borders. The name of Egypt refers to the area covering lower Nile Valley, i.e. extending from Nubia in the south to the Mediterranean Sea in the north and from the Red Sea in the east to Libyan borders in the west. Through this area there runs the River Nile starting from the Great Lakes in the heart of Africa, through northern Sudan where the Ethiopian tributaries collecting rain water flows into its course. Running past the cataract area south of Aswan, it calms down, flowing smoothly down to its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea.
Egypt is one of a few countries all over the world that has kept its name unchanged over history. Now, let us probe into the origin of this name.
In this connection, various explanations are provided. According to some Arab historians, this area was named “Misr” (the Arabic equivalent of Egypt) before the “Deluge” at the time of Prophet Noah when Nicraus, son of Misraim, son of Markable, son of Roible, son of Gheriab, son of Adam, peace be upon him, landed there. In recognition of his father, Nicraus named it after him. Others maintain that Egypt was so named after Miser, son of Binsar, son of Hum, son of Noah who landed there after the Deluge. During the Pharaonic era, Egypt was known by several names such as “ Kimpit”, i.e. “black land” as distinct from yellow desert land or red mountainous land, “Thimera” or Thamir', i.e. “fertile black land”.
Egypt and Memphis were also known as “Hiko Ptah” or “Ko Ptah land of the god Ptah”. It was from these names that the Greeks derived the Greek word “Aigyptus” from which the current name of Egypt was in turn derived.
Lexically, the Arabic word for Egypt “Misr” means an across-the-border country, rich with treasures or an urban area. More important is that Egypt was explicitly mentioned several times in the Holy Qura'n.
In his masterpiece “ The Identity of Egypt”, the eminent geographer Dr. Gamal Hemdan says, “Among the Arabs, Egypt occupies a unique position. However, this unique position is further enhanced by its geographical location. Most outstanding about such location is that Egypt is as vital as the heart to the body, the show-pie and point of liaison between Arab-Asian and Arab-African countries”.
While it is understood that Egypt is a part of the Arab Mashreq and that it combines a blend of both the Arab Mashreq and the Arab Maghreb, it is Egypt that introduced the Maghreb to the Mashreq geographically and historically.
Egypt is not only a geographical but also a historical and ethnic unit. By all standards, the Egyptians are a whole, united people. Thanks to its location, the Egyptian people intermingled with other races and nations who all melted into a homogeneous human entity that took part in all realms of human activity. This face can be clearly evidenced by the historical achievements made throughout various eras of history.
Egypt's map is constantly expanding and changing in urban and demographic terms. Generations after generations follow coping with new changes, all leaving their own imprint over years. In view of the major events affecting Egypt and the world at large in the framework of a new world order already in the making with the advent of the 21st century, Egypt pursues its forward march and cultural role. This is now an essential feature of globalization and the communication and information revolution, whereby Egypt can easily cope with the hectic and rapid changes of the Third Millennium.
First: LandContour LocationEgypt lies between latitudes 22° and 32° north of the equator and between longitudes 24° and 37° east of Greenwich line.
Geographical BordersEgypt is bounded as follows:
· To the north, by the Mediterranean with a 955-km-long coast.
· To the east, by the Red Sea with a 1941-km-long coast.
· To the northeast, by 265-km-long borders with Palestine and Israel.
· To the west, by 1115-km-long borders with Libya.
· To the south, by 1280-km-long borders with Sudan.
AreaThe Arab Republic of Egypt has a total area of about 1,002,000 km2 of which 5536 km2, i.e. 5.5 % are populated.
Capital
Cairo, the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt, is the largest city in the Arab world and Africa in order of population estimated at 7.629 million. Cairo is a time-honoured city, with an outstanding position among world capitals.
Physical Features:
The Arab Republic of Egypt is divided into four major parts:
1- Nile Valley and Delta
It has an area of about 33,000 km2, i.e. less than 4 % of the total area of the country. It extends in the south from north of Wadi Halfa up to the Mediterranean coast in the north.
It is divided into:
* Upper Egypt, extending from Wadi Halfa to the south of Cairo.
* Lower Egypt (Nile Delta), extending from the north of Cairo to the Mediterranean.
* The River Nile, extending over 1532 km from Egypt's southern borders through two estuaries up to the Mediterranean. The two estuaries are Damietta and Rachid, which embrace the fertile in the agricultural lands.
2- Western Desert:
The Western Desert occupies an area of about 680,000 km2, i.e. 68% of Egypt's total area extending from the Nile Valley in the east to the Libyan borders in the west, and from the Mediterranean in the north to Egypt's southern borders that are divided into two sections:
a- The Northern Section: including the coastal plane, the northern plateau and the Great Depressions area, including Siwa Oasis, Qattara Depression, Natroun Valley and Baharia Oasis.
b- The Southern Section: including Farafra, Kharga and Dakhla oases and al-Owainat to the extreme south.
3- Eastern Desert
Its area is about 225,000 km2, i.e. 28% of Egypt's total area. The Eastern Desert is marked with the eastern mountains that range along the Red Sea with peaks that rise up to about 3000 feet above sea level. This desert is fraught with the Egyptian natural resources, including various ores such as gold, coal and oil.
4- Sinai Peninsula
With an area of about 6100 km2, i.e. 6% of Egypt's total area, Sinai is shaped like a triangle whose base rests in the north and its apex in the south. It is bounded by the Mediterranean to the north, the Gulf of Aqaba to the east and the Gulf of Suez and Suez Canal to the west.
In terms of terrain, Sinai is divided into three main sections:
- The Southern Section: involving extremely rough terrain, is composed of high rise granite mountains. Here Mount Catherine rises about 2,640 metres above sea level thus making it the highest mountain top in Egypt
- The Central Section; comprises the central plateaus, known as at-Teeh Plateau, where valleys slope gradually towards the Mediterranean.
- The Northern Section: comprises the area bounded by the Mediterranean to the west and at-Teeh Plateau to the south. It is a plain area, where abundant rain water falls from southern heights and central plateaus.
Climate:
Egypt lies within the dry tropical region, except for the northern parts that lie within the warm moderate region, with a semi-Mediterranean climate characterized by hot dry summers and moderate winters with little rain falls, potentially heavier along coastal areas. Annual average temperature in Lower Egypt ranges from 20% centigrade during the day to 7o centigrade at night. In Upper Egypt, average temperature ranges from a maximum of 25o centigrade to a minimum of 17o centigrade.
Natural Resources
Egypt's land area is about 238 million feddans, of which 8.3 million feddans are cultivated, while the remaining part consists of deserts, lakes and territorial water.
Water Resources
Egypt depends for its water supply on three fresh water sources, namely surface water from the Nile, rain and storm water and subterranean water, besides some other sources.
Quantity of available water resources for the year 2003/ 04 showed 69.7 billion cubic metre, 85% used in agriculture, 9.5% in industry and 5.5% in potable water per annum.
Second Population- Ancient Egypt applied the systematic registration of birth and mortality rates in official registrations, known as “ The Life Registration”. The Egyptians also were keen on providing a lot of information via establishing a central archive, named as “ The Royal Archive”, to keep the official documents.
- In this respect, (the) historians exerted great efforts to identify Egypt's population during different eras.
- Successive censuses conducted during the 20th century show that Egypt's population is continuously increasing.
By the end of 19th century in 1897 Egypt's population reached about 9.7 million; however, this number was doubled in the coming 50 years to 19 million in 1947. In less than 30 years, this number redoubled again to reach about 38 million in 1976.
- According to the 1986 census Egypt's population showed about 48.2 million while in 1966 census it showed 59.4 million.
- According to the last estimates of population on 1/1/2005, Egypt's population at home showed about 69.9 million.
- The rapid increasing in over population is due to the rising of population growth rate as a result of mortality rates dropping faster than birth rates dropping.
- Although Egypt's relatively great area, the inhabited area only extended in a narrow strip along the Nile banks to the Delta that characterized by fertilized soil.
Moreover, the inhabited area represents about 5.5 percent of Egypt's total area, lieing in limited spots such as in border governorates of Northern coast, oases in Western Desert, Red Sea Coast and Sinai Peninsula.
Estimates of Egypt Population (at home and abroad) on 1/1/2005:
- On January 1,2005, the population at home is estimated at about 69,997 million, of whom 35,817 million i.e. 51.1 percent are males and 34,179 million i.e. 48,83 percent are females of total population, apart from Egyptians living abroad (on temporary immigration estimated at about 1,900 million.
- Total population at home and abroad rose to 71,897 million on January 1, 2005.
- Birthrate dropped from 26,12 per thousand in 2003 to 25,83 per thousand by the end of 2004.
- Mortality rate dropped from 6,48 per thousand in 2003 to 6,37 per thousand by the end of 2004.
Normal Population Increase in 2004
- Normal population growth in 2004 is estimated at about 1.348 million. i.e.:
* A monthly growth of about 112.402 births
* A daily increase of about 3685 births
* One birth every 23.4 second
- Normal increase rate fell from 1.96 percent in 2003 to 1.94 percent by the end of 2004.
- In 2003, life expectancy at birth rose to 68.4 years from 67.9 years in 2004 for males and to 72.8 years from 72.3 years in 2004 for females.
Population Age Structure
Population Age Structure as on January 1, 2004 is characterized by:
a- Population below 10 years are estimated at about 17.107 million i.e. 24.4 percent of total population.
b- Population below 15 years are estimated at about 26.395 million at a rate of 37.5 percent of total population.
c- Population above 15 years and below 60 years are estimated at about 39.576 million, i.e. 56.5 percent of total population.
Elderly population, i.e. from 60 years are estimated at about 4.024 million, i.e. 5.8 percent of total population.
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