Location and History

Situated at the northeast corner of Africa, Egypt is one of the most populous on the continent. It also has a very high population density as most of its 80 million inhabitants live near the banks of the River Nile. While the country encompasses roughly one million square kilometres, the people live in only about 40,000 of that!

Its capital is Cairo; most of its citizens are Egyptians and Arabic is the official language. Although predominantly an Islamic country, there is a sizeable Christian community and its roots go back many centuries. They make up about ten per cent of the population.

The area has been inhabited since ancient times; archaeological digs have revealed signs of hunter-gatherers living throughout the area for centuries. Then, as the climate changed and the amount of arable land shrank, the communities congregated along the shores of the Nile, chief source of water for the nation. The annual flooding of the banks by the river heavily influenced all aspects of the society.

With the rise of the Pharaohs, the society took on a highly structured and organised framework. Ironically, the same deserts that protected the people and thus allowed them to develop a society in peace would later prove troublesome for their growth. Isolated, and having limited contact with other societies, the Egyptians eventually ceased to innovate and invent. Thus, when the Persians, Greeks and Romans arrived, the Egyptians were ill-equipped to defend themselves.

Geography and Climate

The nation is largely desert and flat; the Nile Valley, Nile Delta, and the coastal areas being the only real arable lands. As part of Africa, and near the Sahara, summers can be quite hot – over 38 degrees Celsius in the deserts is not uncommon. However, the coastal areas can be quite comfortable, and the winter months usually range from about 13 to 21 degrees.

Politics

While the Egyptians were once ruled by the absolute power of a Pharaoh, some would say that little has changed over the millennia. Between the dynasties of Egypt, the foreign rulers such as the Greeks and Romans and later colonial rule under the French and English, the people have never really known any sort of representative government. Today, the country is a republic, and Dr. Ahmed Nazif is the Prime Minister and Mohamed Hosni Mubarak is the President. In his fifth term, he is the leader of the National Democratic Party and was elected in a single-candidate election. While technically the power is supposed to be divided between the two offices, Mubarak is the defacto ruler of the nation. Recent changes to the single-candidate election process were greeted with scepticism as the requirements are nearly impossible to meet. It remains to be seen if the political structure will ever change.

Economy

The nation depends largely on oil, agriculture and tourism for its income. In recent years, the government has been striving to update the economy so that it might better compete on the world market. As the country has coal, oil, natural gas and hydroelectric power, it is seeking to develop them for export. In terms of tourism as well as such iconic attractions as the Pyramids, you can take fantastic Nile Cruises.

Find out more about luxury Nile Cruise holidays at www.luxurynilecruises.co.uk.