Egypt
Egypt is located on Northern Africa, boarding the Mediterranean
Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north on
Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula. It’s 27 00N,
longitude and 30 00E Latitude. The Climate is very hot. The
summer is very dry and it’s moderate winters. Ages 0-14= 32.6%
and ages 15-65= 62.9% and ages 65 and over =4.5%. The population
growth rate is 1.75%.The Egyptians loved good food and drinks.
Even the poor people had a healthy diet of vegetables, bread,
and fruit as well as fish from the Nile. The only imported food
was olive oil from Syria and a few spices. Egyptian families
were very much like ours, but larger. It was usual to marry
young and have many children as the death rate was high and
children meant wealth. Girls got married at about 12 and boys at
14. Since the whole of Egypt belonged to the Pharaoh, everybody
in it worked for him. In real life, thousands, of craftsman
worked for government officials or the temples.
Just as today’s bid buildings projects needed stonemasons,
carpenters, architects, decorators, floor layers, and painters,
so did the monuments of Egypt. The Egyptians did not have annual
holidays like us, there were many festivals and “holidays”
through the year. The festivals of the god Amun lasted a month.
Eventually, holidays were about one third of the year, so for
most people there was plenty of time for leisure. In a hot
country like Egypt clothes need to be light and cool. The basic
fashion remained a short kilt for the men, and a simple shift
dress for the women, both woven form fine white linen. Children
usually wore earrings or protective amulets. Egyptians were not
embarrassed about their bodies and did not bother with
underwear. In fact, the linen was so fine it was almost
transparent. Religion plays an important part in an Egyptians
lives. On festival days people went to the state temples, but
they were not allowed to pass the first courtyard.
Hymns like this were sang: “Hail to you Amun, maker of mankind
god who created all beings, great and goodly king.” Most people
had a small chapel in their garden or an alter inside their
houses.
Egypt’s formal name is the Arab Republic of Egypt, and its
capital city is Cairo, the countries 386,661 square miles in
area, approximately the size of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New
Mexico combined. Egypt lies on the eastern edge of the vast
Sahara, whose very name of four major regions. Egypt is the
fifteenth most populous country in the world with 78,887,007
people. That is 1.21% of the world’s population. The vast
majority of its 78.8 million people live near the banks of the
Nile River. In terms of average rainfall, Egypt is almost
certainly the driest country in the world. It is hot in the
summer, with temperatures averaging between 80 degrees and 90
degrees F. Up to 109F on the Red Sea Coast. Winters are warm,
with temperatures averaging between 55 and 70F. On February 28,
1922 the United Kingdom accepted the independence of Egypt.
Religion is predominately Muslim, at approximately 90% of the
population, with the majority being adherents of the Sunni June
18, 1953. An independent candidate must receive the endorsement
of 250 elected members from Egypt’s representatives bodies
(approximately 6.5% from a total of 3847 representatives). The
natural hazards in Egypt are: periodic droughts, landslides,
frequent earthquakes, flash floods, volcanic activity; hot,
driving wind storm, dust storms, and sand storms. The natural
resources in Egypt are: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore,
phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead,
and zinc. Egypt is the northeastern corner of Africa and
connects Africa with Asia and Europe. Egypt is overwhelmingly a
desert country divided by the Nile River. Egypt has only two
seasons; a hot season and a cool season. The climate is dry with
low humidity. Temperatures and humidity can be very different in
Alexandria on the Mediterranean Sea compared to the desert in
south Egypt. Egypt’s government is a democratic republican ruled
by a president. The government consists of legislative,
judicial, and executive branches, along with the Sahara
Consultative Council, or advisory council, which is partially
elected. Egypt’s main sources of income are from the Suez Canal,
agriculture, texture, food processing, tourism, chemicals,
petroleum, construction, cement, and metals. Its main trading
partners are from France, Greece, Germany, Great Britain, Italy,
Japan, and the Untied States. About 99% of Egyptians trace their
heritage to Egyptians Arabian Ancestors. The cultural remaining
1% traces its heritage to Greece, Italy, Syria, and the Labarum.
Approximately 84% of all Egyptians are Muslims the rest are
mostly Coptic Christians. Arabic has been the official language
of Egypt for thirteen centuries. Most share a common cultural
heritage, language (Arabic), and religion (Muslim). Written
Arabic is truly an art form. Some styles are written form right
to left. Some styles are written in very flowery calligraphy,
which means “The art of Handwriting.” Friday is Egypt’s weekend
holiday. All Muslims celebrate three major festivals: MoulidelNab; Eid-el-adha, and Eid-el-Fitr. Egypt appears to us, at first
as a land of towering pyramids and splendid temples, of
glittering treasures and god-like pharaohs.
For the ordinary
people, however, these were not the most important things in
life. The Egyptians did not expect life to get better in the
future; they believed it had been better in the past. The
pharaoh was not only a king he was a god. He was practically
identified with the falcon-god Horus, son of Ra himself. In
modern terms, Egypt was a bureaucratic society; it was governedby a large number of civil servants. There was not an official
in charge of every thing and there are so many ranks and titles
the it’s often difficult to understand exactly with duties were
involved. The most obvious evidence of civilization left behind
by the Egyptians their huge buildings tombs, places, and above
all, the pyramids. Unlike the brick houses, monumental buildings
were built of stone. In the days of the pyramids, it was usually
limestone from the quarries of tura, not far from modern
preferred to use sandstone, from quarries on either side of the
river north of Aswan.