Egypt (
i ee-jipt;
Arabic:
مِصر
Miṣr,
Egyptian Arabic:
مَصر
Maṣr,
Coptic:
Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ Khemi), officially the
Arab Republic of Egypt, is a
transcontinental country spanning the
northeast corner of Africa and
southwest corner of Asia by a
land bridge formed by the
Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is a
Mediterranean country bordered by the
Gaza Strip and
Israel to the northeast, the
Gulf of Aqaba to the east, the
Red Sea to the east and south,
Sudan to the south, and
Libya to the west. Across the Gulf of Aqaba lies
Jordan, and across from the Sinai Peninsula lies
Saudi Arabia, although Jordan and Saudi Arabia do not share a land border with Egypt. It is the world's only contiguous
Eurafrasian nation
.
Egypt has
one of the longest histories of any modern country, arising in the tenth millennium BC as one of the world's first
nation states.
[14] Considered a
cradle of civilisation,
Ancient Egypt experienced some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanisation, organised religion and central government. Iconic monuments such as the
Giza Necropolis and its
Great Sphinx, as well the ruins of
Memphis,
Thebes,
Karnak, and the
Valley of the Kings, reflect this legacy and remain a significant focus of archaeological study and popular interest worldwide. Egypt's rich cultural heritage is an integral part of its national identity, having endured, and at times assimilated, various foreign influences, including Greek, Persian, Roman, Arab, Ottoman, and European. Although
Christianised in the first century of the
Common Era, it was subsequently
Islamised due to the
Islamic conquestsof the seventh century.
With over 90 million inhabitants, Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa and the
Arab world, the third-most populous in Africa (after
Nigeria and
Ethiopia), and the fifteenth-most populous in the world. The great majority of its people live near the banks of the
Nile River, an area of about 40,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi), where the only
arable land is found. The large regions of the
Sahara desert, which constitute most of Egypt's territory, are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater
Cairo,
Alexandria and other major cities in the
Nile Delta.
Egypt reached the pinnacle of its power in the
New Kingdom, during the Ramesside period, where it rivalled the
Hittite Empire,
Assyrian Empire and
Mitanni Empire, after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt was invaded or conquered by a succession of foreign powers, such as the
Canaanites/
Hyksos,
Libyans, the
Nubians, the
Assyrians,
Babylonians, the
Achaemenid Persians, and the
Macedonians in the
Third Intermediate Period and the
Late Period of Egypt. In the aftermath of
Alexander the Great's death, one of his generals,
Ptolemy Soter, established himself as the new ruler of Egypt. This Greek
Ptolemaic Kingdom ruled Egypt until 30 BC, when, under
Cleopatra, it fell to the
Roman Empire and became
a Roman province.
The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture. The predictable
flooding and controlled
irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which supported a more dense population, and
social development and culture. With resources to spare, the
administrationsponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early development of an independent
writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and
a military intended to defeat foreign enemies and assert Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite
scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a pharaoh, who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of
religious beliefs.
The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians include the quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that supported the building of monumental pyramids, temples, and obelisks; a system of mathematics, a practical and effective system of medicine, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, the first known planked boats, Egyptian faience and glass technology, new forms of literature, and the earliest known peace treaty, made with the Hittites. Egypt left a lasting legacy. Its art and architecture were widely copied, and its antiquities carried off to far corners of the world. Its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travelers and writers for centuries. A new-found respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period by Europeans and Egyptians led to thescientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy.
In 332 BC, Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great conquered Egypt as he toppled the Achaemenids and established the
Hellenistic Ptolemaic Kingdom, whose first ruler was one of Alexander's former generals,
Ptolemy I Soter. The Ptolemies had to fight native rebellions and were involved in foreign and civil wars that led to the decline of the kingdom and its final annexation by
Rome.
The death of Cleopatra ended the nominal independence of Egypt resulting in Egypt becoming one of the provinces of the Roman Empire.
Roman rule in Egypt (including Byzantine) lasted from 30 BC to 641 AD, with a brief interlude of control by the
Sasanian Empire between 619-629, known as
Sasanian Egypt. After the
Muslim conquest of Egypt, parts of Egypt became provinces of successive
Caliphates and other Muslim dynasties:
Rashidun Caliphate (632-661),
Umayyad Caliphate (661–750),
Abbasid Caliphate (750-909),
Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171),
Ayyubid Sultanate (1171–1260), and the
Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517). In 1517,
Ottoman sultan
Selim I captured Cairo, absorbing Egypt into the Ottoman Empire.
The modern Republic of
Egypt was founded in 1953, and with the complete withdrawal of British forces from the
Suez Canal in 1956, it marked the first time in 2300 years that Egypt was both fully independent and ruled by native Egyptians. President
Gamal Abdel Nasser (president from 1956 to 1970) introduced many reforms and created the short-lived
United Arab Republic (with
Syria). His terms also saw the
Six-Day War and the creation of the international
Non-Aligned Movement. His successor,
Anwar Sadat (president from 1970 to 1981) changed Egypt's trajectory, departing from many of the political, and economic tenets of Nasserism, re-instituting a multi-party system, and launching the
Infitah economic policy. He led Egypt in the
Yom Kippur War of 1973 to regain Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had occupied since the Six-Day War of 1967. This later led to the
Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty.
Regards
Mark R. Rienzie
Co D 75 Infantry
LRRP
The Most Elite Fighting Force In The United States Army
5th
Special Forces Recondo** - CERTIFIED
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP)
VIETNAM 1969-1970
Airborne / Ranger Team Leader
Staff Sargent (E6 11B4P)
38 Combat Missions and Never Lost a Man!!
Air Medal, National Defense, Vietnam Campaign,
Combat Infantry Badge, etc.....
Discharge: Honorable
Cancer, Neuropathy from Agent Orange plus
liver compromised, kidney questionable, spleen enlarged, low platelets etc....
PTSD confirmed!
The Madhaand Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.
