Officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt, this country has one of the oldest cultures and civilizations that has ever existed.
It is bordered by the Gaza Strip in Palestine, and Israel to the northeast, Sudan to the south, Libya to the west, and the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea to the east.
Egypt also shares a maritime border with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Turkey, and Greece. Continue reading and discover all these amazing facts about Egypt
Egypt Facts
1. Egypt is one of the oldest cultures that has ever been recorded
Ancient Egypt is considered by many as the cradle of civilization. There, activities such as agriculture, writing, and even organized religion and government started to develop.
This Mediterranean country has many complex monuments and ruins, such as the Giza Necropolis, the Great Sphinx, the Memphis and the Valley of the Kings, which are considered as legacies of the ancient world, a fun fact about Egypt.
Egypt has always been a fascinating place, and modern scientists have been trying to discover everything that happened during ancient times as interest in this culture seems to grow each year.
In addition, Egyptians have also been closed to other cultures, such as Greek, Roman, Persian, Arab, Ottoman Turkish, Jewish, and Nubian.
Undoubtedly, this combination of cultures has given Egypt an interesting way of further developments, especially since they entered new periods where they had Kingdoms, such as the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom.
2. The Nile River is very important in Egypt
It can be argued that most of the civilization of Ancient Egypt was located along the course of the Nile River. This, in turn, presented an opportunity for the Egyptians to realize the wealth that was hidden underneath the Nile.
And, what’s more, Egyptians learned how to use the water from this river to help them grow food and sustain the crops that would eventually feed the rest of the citizens, something that not many other cultures had discovered back then.
So, the Nile river was able to provide food, water, soil, and even transportation to the Egyptians, and they were wise enough to understand how nature works. In fact, they were able to create a calendar in which they would base their everyday farming activities.
3. Egypt is an ethnically homogenous place
Egyptians are very proud of their heritage, and they comprise, at least 98% of the population, an interesting fact about Egypt. Of course, nowadays there are immigrants from all over the world who have decided to settle in Egypt.
This Mediterranean country is the home for the largest Arabic population in the world, where approximately, 89% of the Egyptians are Muslim, 10% are Coptic, and, only 1% are Christian.
4. Egyptians love to use Social Media
They love to use it so much that, right in the middle of the Egyptian revolution in 2011, all protesters were communicating with one another through the use of Facebook, Twitter, and, to a lesser degree, Instagram, a fun fact about Egypt.
A father even decided to name his newborn daughter ‘’Facebook’’, as a way to commemorate the role this social media app had in the revolution.
Egyptians also love to use the Internet, and this technology can be found on pretty much all Egyptian households.
5. One of the oldest capital city’s in the world is Cairo
But, unfortunately, it is also one of the most polluted cities in the world. They also have traffic jams that could last for hours, and, many citizens from different parts of the country have now migrated to this city because it is where most jobs can be found.
Cairo has been Egypt’s capital city for the last 1,000 years, but the Government has now made plans to build a new capital city which is located 28 miles away from Cairo.
This will allow citizens to work in a different area and ease congestion in Cairo, something that is much needed. Plans are well ahead, and the government wants to relocate the many Embassies, Ministries, official institutions and Consulates to that new area.
6. This Mediterranean country also has a lot of UNESCO sites
Egypt has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which are: The Whale Valley or Wadi Al-Hitan – which is the home to some fossil remains that depicted the earliest form of whales who have now become extinct, the Abu Mena Site; the Historic Cairo; the Saint Catherine Area; the ancient Thebes and its Necropolis; the Nubian Monuments and the Memphis and its Necropolis.
These Sites also offer tourists a glimpse of Ancient Egypt, and they are the most-visited places in the country, an interesting fact about Egypt.
7. Many people associate Cleopatra with Egypt, but they are somehow wrong
Cleopatra VII is one of the most famous women in history. People still think she was from Egypt, perhaps because of the way she looked, but she was actually from Greece.
Cleopatra VII was born in Alexandria, and she was a descendant of a very famous family of Greek Macedonians.
She did, however, become the first person of her family -which was the Ptolemaic Dynasty- to speak the Egyptian language.
Historians have stated that Cleopatra was really intelligent, apparently, she spoke at least 5 different languages and she was able to study.
Conclusion
Egypt has an interesting combination because it merges culture, ancient history, and modern city life, like no other country. Each year, thousands of tourists go to Egypt in order to embrace the beauty of the Arabic world.
Egyptians place great value in their natural resources and in all the World Heritage Sites that can be found there, and this can also be seen in the way locals welcome tourists from all over the world.
The Sahara Desert is another example of the impressive landscapes that Egypt has. It is the world’s largest desert and it’s definitely a place that must be on everybody’s ‘’to-go’’ list.
Nowadays, the revolution that started in 2011 has settled, and it can be argued that even though Egyptians have calmed down, there are still sporadic protests in regard to how women are treated or the lack of freedom of speech that some sectors face.
I hope that this article on Egypt facts was helpful. If you are interested, visit the Country Facts Page!
