About Egypt | Egypt holidays

Where in the world is Egypt?Egypt is situated in the northeast corner of the Africa. Covering 386,662 square miles, it is almost twice the size of France and the twelfth largest country in Africa. To the north of Egypt is the Mediterranean Sea, to the south is the Sudan, to the west is Libya and to the east of Egypt is the Red Sea.About 95 % of Egypt’s population live in the Nile valley and the Nile Delta.Explore Ancient Egypt on an Interactive MapFacts about Egypt todayFull nameArab Republic of EgyptFlagA tricolor of red, white and black, with a golden eagle set in the middle.CapitalCairo (also the largest city)Population80,264,543 (2007 estimate)Area1,001,450 sq. km (386,662 sq. mi)CurrencyEgyptian PoundMajor ReligionIslamLanguagesArabic (official), English, French.Major CitiesCairo, Alenxandria, GizaClimateHot summers and cool wintersHow big is Egypt?It is about 1085 km north to south, and 1255 east to west and its total area is approximately 1,001,450 sq. km (386,662 sq. mi).How much of Egypt is desert?More than 90 percent of Egypt consists of desert areas.The two main deserts in Egypt are:the Libyan Desert (also known as the Western Desert) in the west, a part of the Sahara desertthe Arabian Desert (also called the Eastern Desert), which borders the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez, in the eastThe deserts are separated by the river Nile which flows from the Sudan and through the length of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.The river Nile unequally divides the whole country into two parts.

What is the Climate like in Egypt?Egypt is one of the hottest and sunniest countries in the world. It receives very little rain. The average temperature in the Nile Valley is over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (38° C) from May through September. The average temperature in the region during the coldest months of the year is in the sixties (15- 20° C).Egypt has mainly two seasons:a mild winter from November to Aprila hot summer from May to October.TemperatureThe average annual temperature is 20° C (69° F), reaching a high of 27° C (80° F) in the summer.Temperatures vary widely in the inland desert areas, especially in summer, when they may range from 7° C (44.6° F) at night to 43° C (109° F) during the day. During winter, temperatures in the desert fluctuate less dramatically, but they can be as low as 0° C (32° F) at night and as high as 18° C (64.4° F) during the day.RainfallAlong the Mediterranean coast, they have an average annual rainfall of about 20 cm. Rainfall decreases rapidly towards the south; Cairo receives on average only 2.5 cm of rain a year, and in many desert locations it may rain only once in several years.