The wonders of Egypt!
The flight distance from Frankfurt(am Main), Germany to Cairo is approx. 2950 Km.
Egypt consists of over 95% uninhabited desert. Most of Egypt is located in the Sahara desert, with the exception of the Sinai peninsula and the Mediterranean coast. The Nile valley is the longest river oasis in the world. The majority of Egypt's 55 million inhabitants, 18 million of whom are in Cairo,live in this valley.
With the exception of the coastal areas, the climate of Egypt is arid. Precipitation in the South is much more sparse than in the North e.g. Alexandria with 191mm, Cairo with 24mm and Asswan with less than 1mm per year.
The soil of the Nile valley contrasts strongly with that of the nearby desert. The ancient Egyptians used the terms "Black land" and "Red land" to describe these various zones. The dark Nile silt deposit is unto 10 meters thick and extremely fertile. In spite of industrialization, Egypt has remained a largely agrarian based country. The majority of the farming methods have remained unchanged for centuries. A complex system of irrigation allows farmers multiple harvests per year.The typical Winter crops are wheat, barley, beans and onions. The typical Summer crops are rice, sugar cane and cotton.
About 85% of the present population are descendants of the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians belong to an ethnic group of the Berbers and are not Arabs. The Arabs, who conquered Egypt referred to the local people as "fellachen" (arb. Felah= field work), The most intact elements of the ancient Egyptian civilization are to be found in the Coptic Christian minority, which represent about 7% of the population. After the "Holy War of the Arabs" Islam was established as the dominant religion. About 80.000 Bedouins cling to their traditional way of life as desert nomads. Nubians from Sudan, displaced by the flooded Nasser lake region, also make up a part of Egypt's population.
Egypt's largest problem is it's 3% population growth per year. The delta region has a population density of over 1,000 per sq. km. The delta region is one of the most heavily populated areas in the world.
Due to it's sheer age, Egypt has a very impressive history. The Early Dynastik perod of the god-like pharaohs lasted 3200 years. The Old Kindom is often referred to as the pyramid building era (2780 b.c.-2263 b.c.). During the Middle Kingdom Egypt was conquered by tribes from Asia. During the New Kingdom (1550 b.c. -1070 b.c.) Thutmose III made Egypt into a world power. Numerous tombs, temples and monuments built by Egvptians, Nubians, Persians, Greeks, Romans Mamelukes and the Turks, are all witnesses in stone to Egypt's fascinating past. Egypt gained ifs independence from Great Britain and established a republic in 1953
