Arab Republic of Egypt

Egypt is considered the cradle of civilisation and was one of the world's first nation states in the tenth millennium BC.
The Arab Republic of Egypt, جمهورية مصر العربية, sits on the Mediterranean and links Africa with the Middle East.

Egypt borders Palestine's Gaza Strip, Israel, Libya, and Sudan.
It is more than three times the size of New Mexico.  Cairo is its capital and largest city.

Egypt is home to over 97 million people making it the most populous Arab country and the third largest in Africa.  Most of the country is desert so around 95% of the population lives in about 5% of the country, within 20 km (12 miles) of the Nile River.

Egypt was ruled by Persians, Greeks, and Romans, before the Arabs arrived in the 7th century and ruled for 600 years.  The Ottoman Empire took control in 1517 until 1914 when it came under the British Empire.  In 1922 it became a monarchy and gained partial independence from the UK.  It gained full independence when it became a republic in 1952.  It merged with Syria in 1958 to become the United Arab Republic, which dissolved in 1961.

The Egyptian Pound is the official currency.  Egypt is a regional power and is Africa's second largest economy.  It is one of only two Arab countries, along with Jordan, to have signed peace treaties with Israel.

Islam is the state religion and it is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country.
Egypt is not a place to be gay.  While homosexuality is not illegal, the state uses morality laws against debauchery to fine and imprison people for up to 17 years with or without hard labour.

Arabic is the official language.  Egyptian Arabic is well understood across most Arabic-speaking countries due to the popularity of Egyptian cinema and music.

Here are a couple of short videos I found out on YouTube about what's going on in Egypt.

©Test Tube News

©Test Tube News