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Area
1,002,000 sq km (386,874 sq miles).
Population
64,652,000 (2000).
Capital
Cairo Population: 7,283,000 (2001).
Geography
Egypt is bounded to the north by the Mediterranean, to the south
by the Sudan, to the west by Libya, and to the east by the Red
Sea and Israel. The River Nile divides the country unevenly in
two, while the Suez Canal provides a third division with the
Sinai Peninsula. Beyond the highly cultivated Nile Valley and
Delta, a lush green tadpole of land that holds more than 90 per
cent of the population, the landscape is mainly flat desert,
devoid of vegetation apart from the few oases that have
persisted in the once fertile depressions of the Western Desert.
Narrow strips are inhabited on the Mediterranean coast and on
the African Red Sea coast. The coast south of Suez has fine
beaches and the coral reefs just offshore attract many divers.
The High Dam at Aswan now controls the annual floods that once
put much of the Nile Valley under water; it also provides
electricity.
Government
Republic. Head of State: President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak since
1981. Head of Government: Prime Minister Dr Atif Muhammed Obeid
since 1999.
Language
Arabic is the official language. English and French are widely
spoken.
Religion
Over 80 per cent of the population follows Islam; the rest is
Christian. All types of Christianity are represented, especially
the Coptic Christian Church.
Time
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from May to September).
Electricity
Most areas 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Certain rural parts still use
110-380 volts AC.
Telephone
Full IDD is available. Country code: 20. Outgoing international
code: 00.
Mobile telephone
GSM 900. Coverage is limited to Cairo, Alexandria and along the
north coast line of the Red Sea from Suez to Sharm el-Sheikh and
the major towns along the Nile. Network operators include
ECMS-MobilNil (website: www.mobilnil.com) and Vodafone Egypt
Telecommunications (website: www.vodafone.com.eg).
Fax
Several of the major hotels in Cairo have introduced fax
facilities; check with the hotel concerned before traveling.
Telegram
International telegram services are available from the Central
Post Offices in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxur and Aswan and main
hotels.
Internet
There are Internet cafes in the main cities, including Cairo,
Alexandria, Dahab and Luxor. Tourists can also access the
Internet in hotels. The main ISPs include Internet Egypt
(website: www.internetegypt.com), EUN, Rite and Ritesec.
Post
The postal system is efficient for international mail. Airmail
takes about 5 days to western Europe, and 8-10 days to the USA.
There are Poste Restante facilities at the Central Post Office;
a small fee is charged when mail is collected. All post offices
are open daily 0830-1500 except Friday, and the Central Post
Office in Cairo is open 24 hours.
Press
The most influential Egyptian daily is Al-Ahram; others include
Al-Akhbar and several weekly and periodical publications. Two
daily newspapers Le Journal dAlexandrie and Le Progrs Egyptien
are published in French. The English-language daily newspaper is
the Egyptian Gazette. The Middle East Observer is the main
weekly English-language business paper.
Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From
time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can
be found online.
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