GEOGRAPHY
General Information
The Arab Republic of Egypt (ARE) is a state located in Northeast Africa, on the Sinai Peninsula in Asia.
The territory area of modern Egypt, including the Sinai Peninsula located in Asia (61 thousand sq. km, 6% of the country's total territory), is 1001,4 thousand sq. km, of which land: 995 450 sq. km, water: 6000 sq. km.
Four main physical-geographical regions are distinguished in the country, among which are: the Delta and the Nile Valley; the Libyan Desert; the Arabian Desert; the Sinai Peninsula.
The main water body of Egypt is the Nile River (6853 km – one of the longest rivers in the world), which separates the plateaus of the Libyan and Arabian Deserts. In the south of the country lies the artificial Lake Nasser. The country is washed by the Mediterranean Sea from the north and the Red Sea from the east.
Approximately 96% of the country's territory is occupied by deserts, 4% falls on the delta and valley of the Nile River.
Relief – plain. There are low mountains (less than 2000 m above sea level); the Etbai mountain range (less than 1000 m above sea level) is located along the entire Red Sea coast.
Among the natural resources of Egypt, the following are distinguished: oil, gas, phosphorites, and iron ores; deposits of aluminum, tin, tantalum and niobium, molybdenum and tungsten, gold, coal, non-metallic construction materials, and other minerals.
The main geographical features of Egypt are the Nile River with the High Aswan Dam, the White Desert located in the Farafra Depression, the oases of the Libyan Desert, the Suez Canal between the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as Mount Sinai (Mount Moses) and the Colored Canyon near the city of Nuweiba (located on the Sinai Peninsula), Sharks Bay and Ras Nasrani near the city of Sharm el-Sheikh, the underwater cave Blue Hole near the city of Dahab (in the Red Sea).
Time zone – UTC+2.
From April to October, the country switches to daylight saving time, the zone changes to UTC+3.
State Borders
Egypt borders 6 countries.
The total length of Egypt's land border is 2612 km:
- Sudan (1276 km);
- Libya (1115 km);
- Israel (208 km);
- Gaza Strip (13 km).
The country has maritime borders with Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The total length of the coastline is about 2500 km.
Climate
The climate of Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea coast is subtropical. A tropical desert climate prevails in the rest of the country's territory.
The country's climate is divided into two seasons: hot (April-October) and cool (November-March). The average annual temperature reaches +20°C, the peak temperature in summer is up to +50°C. Egypt is characterized by sharp temperature fluctuations during the day. In January in Cairo, the daytime temperature can be up to +29°C, and at night – below zero. The temperature regime largely depends on winds, so in the winter months the temperature can drop to +6°C.