Egypt

Abstract

BACKGROUND Land and Climate Covering an area of 386,662 square miles (1,001,450 square kilometers), Egypt is just larger than the states of Texas and New Mexico combined. Most of Egypt is dry and arid desert, spotted with small, inhabited oases. Part of the Sahara Desert (also called the Western Desert) is in southwestern Egypt. The Nile River, Africa's longest river, runs north through Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea, providing a fertile delta area and the lifeblood for the country. Before the Aswan Dam was built in southeastern Egypt, the Nile Delta and the surrounding valleys were subject to seasonal flooding. Although the dam is credited with triggering Egypt's modern industrialization, generating significant electrical power, and allowing for more predictable crop planting by regulating water flow, it has also caused environmental problems. Because the valuable silt that used to wash in with the floods each year is now trapped behind the dam, Egypt's soils have been depleted and must rely heavily on fertilizers. Days are long, with an average of about 12 hours of sunlight in the summer and 8 to 10 hours in the winter. Summers are hot and humid, with daily high temperatures reaching 108°F (42°C) in some areas. Winters are moderate, with lows near 40°F (4°C). Annual rainfall ranges from virtually nothing in the desert to about 8 inches in the Nile Delta. In the spring, the Khamasiin (a hot, driving, dusty wind) blows. History The earliest recorded Egyptian dynasty united the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt around 3000 BC. Today's Egyptians are proud of the Pharaonic heritage that followed. In 525 BC, Egypt came under Persian control. Alexander the Great's conquest in 332 BC brought Greek rule and culture to Egypt. One of the first nations visited by Christian missionaries, the apostle Mark is generally believed to have brought Christianity to Egypt in AD 57. Egypt became Christianized within three centuries and followed a Coptic patriarch. Egypt came under the rule of the Roman Empire in AD 31. Because of doctrinal differences between Coptic Christians and the Romans, Egypt's Copts often faced religious persecution. The Muslim invasion, in AD 642, brought a new, albeit more tolerant, invader to power. By the eighth century, Egypt had become largely Muslim. For centuries, it was ruled by successive dynasties, including the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century. France's Napoleon invaded in 1798, but Egypt was still associated with the Ottoman Empire until World War I. France and Britain vied for influence over Egypt throughout the 19th century, during which time Viceroy Muhammad Ali successfully governed and reformed Egypt (1805–48). France and Britain exerted increasing control over Egyptian affairs after the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, and Britain made Egypt a protectorate in 1914. Although given official independence in 1922, the Egyptians regard 1952 as the beginning of their real independence. In that year, a military coup led by Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew the British-supported monarchy and brought Muhammad Najib to power as the first president of Egypt. In