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Egypt

Mira Ramzy
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Egypt

 Where’s it ?


Egypt’s official name is the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The country is situated in the north-east part of Africa , although the Sinai Peninsula forms a land bridge with south-west Asia , and so Egypt is also called a Middle East country. 


Therefore it’s a transcontinental country , which helps it in being a major power in Africa , the Middle-East , the Mediterranean  . 
In ancient times the country was known as Kemet , or the black land , due to the alluvial soil deposited during the Nile’s annual flooding . 


This yearly event gave Egypt the fertile land that enabled it to expand along the length of the river , especially in the delta where many various crops were harvested . 
The Sinai Peninsula primarily consists of Sandy desert in the north with rugged mountains in the south ; the summits here towering more than 2,100 m ( 7,000 ft ) above the Red Sea . 

Mount Catherine , or Gabel Katherine , at 2,629 m ( 8,625 ft ) high , is the highest point in Egypt , slightly dwarfing the nearby Mount Sinai , or Moses Mountain ( Gabel Musa ), at 2,285 m ( 7,497 ft ) . 


According to Islamic , Christian and Jewish beliefs, the biblical Mount Sinai was the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments . 

Today , the Nile is considered as the longest river in the world , and it enters Egypt from Sudan and flows north for about 1,545 km ( 960 miles ) until it exits into the Mediterranean Sea . 


Just north of Cairo, the valley merges with the Delta before the River Nile joins the Mediterranean Sea . 

From ancient times , right through to the modern era , the Nile Valley has been divided into two separate regions , Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt . 


Lower Egypt, where the Pharaohs wore the red crown , is the area of the Delta , whilst Upper Egypt , where the Pharaohs wore the white crown , is the entire Valley south of Cairo ( or Memphis during the Pharaonic period ) . 


Egypt : Background 


Egypt , as a unified country , is believed to have been created about 3,200 BCE , though it is known that a civilisation existed here since the Neolithic period ( 8,8000-4,700 BCE ) and perhaps as far back as the Palaeolithic period .


Why the ancient people decided to settle on the banks of the River Nile ? 
Is generally accepted that it is because of the Sahara Desert , which was once fertile , started to change into a Sandy expanse , forcing the population to look for water . 


Once the Nile river was discovered , the regularity and richness of the annual inundation or flood , coupled with the semi-isolation that was provided by the deserts to the east and west , allowed for the development of one of the world’s greatest civilisations.

The last indigenous dynasty surrendered to the Persians in 341 BCE , who were then replaced , in turn , by the Greeks , the Romans , and the Byzantines . 


In the 7th century, the Arabs introduced Islam , as well as the Arabic language, and ruled for the next six centuries until the Mamelukes , a local military caste , seized control circa 1250 , continuing to govern after Egypt was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1517 . 

Once the Suez Canal was completed in 1869 , Egypt became an important world transportation hub , but this also caused heavy debt . Seemingly , to protect its investments , Great Britain took control of Egypt’s government in 1882 , but allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914 . 


By s1922 , Egypt was partially independent of the UK , and acquired full sovereignty , with the other throw of the British-backed monarchy , in 1952 . 



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