Egypt is situated in the northeast corner of the African continent.
Covering 386,650 square miles, which is about equal in size to Texas and California
combined, it is the twelfth largest country in Africa. Egypt is bounded by Libya to
the west, Sudan to the south, Israel to the northeast, the Gulf of Aqaba and
the Red Sea
to the east, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north.
Egypt receives very little rain and consists largely of desert. However, the Nile River runs through the country, creating a fertile green valley. North of Cairo the river widens to form the Nile Delta. Ninety eight percent of Egypt's population crowds into the valley and delta.
West of the Nile is the Western, or Libyan Desert.
There are some fertile oases in this desert. To the east lies the Eastern Desert or Arabian Desert which is more mountainous and barren.
Egypt may be divided into four main regions: the Nile Valley and Delta, the Western Desert, the Eastern Desert, and the Sinai Peninsula.
Weather
Egypt is a hot and arid. However, there can be a marked difference between winter and summer temperatures. In Cairo, temperatures can rise as high as 95°F in summer and drop to as low as 45°F in winter. Farther south, the country becomes hotter. Winters in Aswan are pleasantly warm, but summer temperatures can reach 107°F. Alexandria, in the north, enjoys much milder weather than the rest of the country. Here, the highest temperature throughout the year will not usually be more than the mid 80s, and the cool breezes of the Mediterranean make even the hottest days pleasant.
Egypt gets hardly any rain or clouds. Cairo will average about five rainy days a year, and sometimes less. Most of this rain will fall between November and January. Siwa, an oasis in the middle of the great Western Desert, might only get rain once or twice every century. Therefore, away from the influence of the Nile, Egypt quickly becomes a desert land.
Flora And Fauna
Of Egypt's natural plant life, papyrus ("peh-PI-rehs") is one of the most interesting and useful. It is a water reed that was used for making paper in ancient times. Today, it can no longer be found in the wild and only grows where cultivated. The palm is the most common native tree, found throughout the Delta, in the Nile Valley, and in the oases and desert. The acacia is widely distributed, as are eucalyptus and sycamore. In the desert areas, coarse alfa grass and stunted tamarisks, as well as a great variety of thorny shrubs and herbs can be found.
Egypt is a desert land without any forest. Because of this lack of tree cover, Egypt has relatively few large animals. The camel is the creature most people associate with Egypt, but this “ship of the desert" was introduced to the country as a domestic animal. There was more wildlife along the Nile in ancient times, and tomb paintings show ostriches, crocodiles, hippopotamuses, and even giraffes. Pressure from the human population has eliminated these animals, although there are occasional, but unconfirmed, reports of ostriches being seen in remote areas.
Today, a few larger animals still survive in the desert. These include the gazelle, the hyena, and the jackal. There are also small numbers of wild boars, lynxes, and wild cats that survive in the Delta region.
Egypt has 33 species of snakes, half of which are venomous. Some of the more spectacular species include the Egyptian cobra, the horned viper, and the hooded snake. Of these, the Egyptian cobra has a reputation for being particularly aggressive. There is a good variety of lizards, scorpions, and insects, but very few butterflies.
Egypt has particularly impressive bird life. There are approximately 200 migratory species and 150 resident species. The Nile Valley is a very important flight path for birds migrating between eastern Europe and East Africa. The fertile valley provides food for these migrating birds, which also use the river for visual navigation.
Some of the world's most beautiful birds, such as the Golden Eagle and lammergeier (a Eurasian vulture), can be found in the Eastern Desert and the Sinai. Although no storks and few ducks breed in Egypt, many of these species use the lakes as feeding grounds. One of the most common birds in Egypt is the hoopoe, a small but colorful ground feeder with a crest like fan.
Egypt's most colorful wildlife can be found under water, in the coral gardens of the
Sea. The coral gardens are home to more than 800 fish species, including potentially
aggressive animals such as tiger sharks and moray eels. Over 190 varieties of fish,
including large perch, carp, and burl, live in the Nile.
Extract from “Cultures Of The World Egypt”, Written by Robert Pateman. New York:
Marshall Cavendish, 1996.
