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Egypt Hotels and Resorts - has a mystical and timeless appeal that has been attracting travellers from far and wide for many centuries. From the fascinating sights of the Pharoahs, on the banks of the Nile at Luxor to the glorious beaches of the Red Sea at Sharm El Sheikh, this is a land of great contrast, where ancient and modern life exist side by side.
Egypt Travel Guide :
Egypt Travel Tips
Egypt Geography - Fast Facts
| Location: | Nortmhern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula |
| Geographic coordinates: | 27 00 N, 30 00 E |
| Area: | total: 1,001,450 sq km / land: 995,450 sq km / water: 6,000 sq km |
| Area comparative: | slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico |
| Land boundaries: | total: 2,665 km border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km |
| Coastline: | 2,450 km |
| Maritime claims as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions): |
territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
| Climate: | desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters |
| Terrain: | vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m / highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m |
| Natural resources: | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc |
| Land use: | arable land: 2.85% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.68% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated land: | 33,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: | periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms |
| Environment - current issues: | agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Geography - note: | controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees |