Overview

Egypt is located at an important junction of Europe, Asia and Africa. Egypt is a country which fascinates the entire world with its mystic architecture, ancient Egyptian Civilization, rich Christian and Islamic heritages and medieval markets and souks of Cairo. Egypt is one of the most popular countries in terms of tourism. This country is full of intriguing and fascinating attractions which left tourist enthralled. Egypt is not just about history and architecture, it also offers lots of adventure, romantic and family vacation also and caters to all section of tourist. Egypt is also a major power in the Islamic world and holds considerable influence in world affairs and plays a major role in the Middle East. Egypt is bordered by Israel and the Gaza Strip to the north-east, by Sudan to the south and by Libya to the west. The country is bounded by the Mediterranean and Red Seas (to the north and east respectively) and geographically dominated both by the Nile River and its fertile well-watered valley, and by the Eastern and Western deserts. Egypt stimulates the imagination of western tourists like few other countries and is probably one of the most popular tourist destinations world-wide.

The River Nile played an important role in shaping the destiny of this country. Nile River floods left a highly rich fertile soil which helped in agriculture and creates one of the greatest civilizations on earth. The Egyptian Civilization was not only a civilization that is renowned for its unique engineering and architecture but also for its significant contribution in culture, science and administration. The Egyptian civilization leads to a first unified kingdom in Egypt around 3200 B.C. The glorious Egyptian Kingdom lost its relevance to the Greeks, Romans and Byzantines. The Arabs came in and brought Arabic language and Islam along with them. The Arabs ruled Egypt till 7th Century and were replaced by the Mamluks who were further replaced by the Ottoman Turks. The complex Suez Canal in 1869 is considered as one of the most important engineering landmarks. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Britain seized control of Egypt and after World War II and a revolution by Colonel Gamel Abdel Nasser. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in agriculture and the ecology of Egypt.

The 99% of population of Egypt is concentrated along the narrow Nile Valley and Delta and the North Coast of Mediterranean Sea. The majority of Egypt's landscape is desert. Winds create prolific sand dunes that peak at more than 100 feet (30 m) high. Egypt includes parts of the Sahara Desert and of the Libyan Desert. Towns and cities include Alexandria, the second largest city; Aswan; Asyut; Cairo, the modern Egyptian capital and largest city; El-Mahalla El-Kubra; Giza, the site of the Pyramid of Khufu; Hurghada; Luxor; Kom Ombo; Port Safaga; Port Said; Sharm el Sheikh; Suez, where the Suez Canal is located; Zagazig; and Al-Minya. Oases include Bahariya, el Dakhla, Farafra, el Kharga and Siwa. Protectorates include Ras Mohamed National Park, Zaranik Protectorate and Siwa.

Egypt in recent few days was much in news and discussion due to the popular Arab Spring Movement. On 25 January large scale mass protest began against Hosni Mubarak’s regime at the iconic Tahrir Square in Cairo. These took the form of an intensive campaign of civil resistance supported by a very large number of people and mainly consisting of continuous mass demonstrations. By 29 January it was becoming clear that Mubarak's regime had lost control when a curfew order was ignored, and the army took a semi-neutral stance on enforcing the curfew decree. On 11 February 2011, Mubarak resigned and fled Cairo resulting in a jubilant celebration in Tahrir Square. Egypt is now making transition to a free democratic country ushering a new and bright future prospect for this culturally rich country.