The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, (in Arabic: ???, romanized Misr, or Masr in Egyptian dialect), kemet in Ancient Egyptian, is a transcontinental republic in north-eastern Africa. While it is geographically located in Africa, it is for cultural and political reasons sometimes grouped with the greater Middle Eastern region.
Covering an area of about 1,020,000 kvm, Egypt shares land borders with Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and Israel and the Gaza Strip to the northeast and has coasts on the north and east by the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, respectively.
Egypt is the second most populous country in Africa, and the vast majority of its 77 million population (2005) lives less than a kilometer away from the banks of the Nile River (about 40,000 km?), where the only arable agricultural land is found. Large areas of land are part of the Sahara Desert and are sparsely inhabited. The majority of Egyptians today are urban, living in the great Arab population centers of greater Cairo, the largest city in Africa, and Alexandria.
Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most stunning ancient monuments, including the Giza Pyramids, the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings; the southern city of Luxor contains a particularly large number of ancient artifacts. Today, Egypt is widely regarded as the main political and cultural centre of the Arab and Middle Eastern regions.
Towns and cities include Alexandria, Aswan, Asyut, Cairo, El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Giza, Hurghada, Luxor, Kom Ombo, Port Safaga, Port Said, Sharm el Sheikh, Shubra-El-Khema, Suez, Zagazig,Al-Minya.
Deserts: Egypt includes parts of the Sahara Desert and of the Libyan Desert
Egypt borders on Libya on the west, on Sudan on the south and on Israel on the northeast. It controls the Suez Canal between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
Egypt's important role in geopolitics stems from its strategic position: as a land bridge between Africa and Asia, and as a passage between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal.
