The Arab Republic of Egypt occupies the northeast corner of the African continent. Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, Libya, Sudan and Israel.
Egypt was one of the world's greatest civilizations, beginning as a unified kingdom around 3200 B.C. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C. They were subsequently replaced by the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Turks and lastly the British who seized control in 1882. Egypt became partially independent of Britain in 1922 and attained complete sovereignty after the end of World War II.
After the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 Egypt became an important transportation hub. Egypt controls the canal which connected the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean allowing commerce to avoid the long journey around the continent of Africa.
The Nile River bisects Egypt and the majority of Egypt's 80 million people live near its banks. Only 2.9 percent of Egypt is arable land. The remainder of the land is desert plateau, which is approximately 1,001,450 square kilometers in size. The climate is hot and dry in the summer.
The official language in Egypt is Arabic, but English and French are also widely spoken, especially by the educated classes. Cairo is both the largest city and the capital.
The legal system of this republic is based on Islamic and civil law. Mohammed Hosni Mubarak has been president since October 1981. 90 percent of Egyptians are Muslim (mostly Sunni).
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