Egypt Egyptian civilization originated over 5000 years ago, the country’s historic sites are among the world’s greatest attractions. The first seeds of the civilization were sown in the fertile land of the Nile Valley, surrounded by the endless desert, at the crossroads between east and west. In Egypt, the first multinational state was born, In Egypt the first writing system using the hieroglyphs was invented the concepts of kingship, and religion and bureaucracy were developed . It is little wonder that Egypt continues to capture the world’s attention as they search for the origins of his humanity. The splendors of the ancient Egyptian civilization have been a source of inspiration down through the ages. People have speculated about how the Egyptians built their massive monuments, and marveled at the beauty of their art and architecture, but more than 90% of all attractions lined up along the river Nile, Egypt is one of big invitation to come and visit; even if traveling in Egypt not done without precautions, everyday Egyptians are friendly people, proud of receive visitors from all over the world and ready to help in all situations. You may surprised at the warmth and charm of Egypt's people and very happily surprised at how easy the experience of visiting Egypt past and present can be; even if most people think of Egypt as Pyramids and ancient monuments there is much more and more! Islamic, Christian sites, a few great cities, many more oases and traditional villages. Egypt status Name : Official Long form : Arab Republic of Egypt [ A.R.E ]. Official short form : Egypt . Local short form ( Arabic ): Misr . Former form : Jumhuriyat Misr Al Arabyiah . Location :- Egypt has a very strategic location occupies the upper northeastern corner of Africa and, with the exception of the Nile River Valley and its Delta, is mainly a flat, vegetation-free desert. The Nile flows north and empties into the Mediterranean Sea, which forms the country’s northern boundary. Egypt is bordered on the south by Sudan, to the west by Libya and to its east by the Red Sea, and beyond the Sinai Peninsula, by Palestine Geography:- Egypt is bordered on the south by Sudan, to the west by Libya and to its east by the Red Sea, and beyond the Sinai Peninsula, by Palestine. The country encompasses about 626,000 square miles (1,002,000 square kilometers) and at its most distant reaches is 640 miles from north to south and 775 miles from east to west. Egypt has two deserts, the Eastern Desert from the Nile to the Red Sea and the Western Desert, separated from the Sahara by sandstone and limestone highlands. There are six inhabited oases watered for the most part through underground strata with water flowing north from Equatorial Africa. Some of this water may take as many as 500 years to reach its final oasis destination. The Sinai Peninsula separates the continents of Africa and Asia and is bordered by the Gulf of Aqaba on the east and the Gulf of Suez on the west. Containing 6% of Egypt’s land area the Sinai is harsh desert in the north and granite mountains in the south. The Red Sea is over 1200 miles long and almost 1-1/2 miles deep. It is part of the fault line juncture between the African and Arabian Tectonic plates, which culminates in the south in Africa’s Great Rift Valley. Lowest Point: Qattara Depression –133m Highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m The Irrigated land : 33,000 sq km (1998 est.) Egypt’s Natural resources: Petroleum, Natural gas, Iron Ore, Phosphates, Manganese, Limestone, Gypsum, Talc, Asbestos, Lead, Zinc Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters . People: - Population : 76,117,421 (July 2004 est.) -Population growth rate : 1.83% (2004 est.) - Birth rate : 23.84 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) - Death rate : 5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) o The citizens structure: o 0-14 years: 33.4% (male 13,038,369; female 12,418,254) & o 15-64 years : 62.2% ( male 23,953949 ; female 23,23,419,418) o 65 years and over : 04.3% (male 1,407,248; female 1,880,183) ( 2004 est. ) - Religion : Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%, Coptic Christian and other 6% . Government: The Type: Republic. The Prisdent: Dr. Mohammad Morsy ( since June 2012) The Prime Minster: Dr. Hisham Kandil ( since mid July 2012 ) Capital: Cairo. Governrates [Administrative divisions] : 26 Legislative formation: The People's Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a consultative role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the president; members serve six-year terms) . Currency: Egyptian pound (EGP) Currency code: ( EGP ) Exchange rates : Egyptian pounds per US dollar 06.19 [subject to change ] Fisical Year : 1 July - 30 June.