Travel Info Egypt

About Egypt

The pyramids and the Sphinx in Egypt

The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, is the most populous nation of northeastern Africa, and a very popular tourist destination. Covering an area of about 1,020,000 km, it includes the Sinai Peninsula (considered part of Southwest Asia), whilst the majority of the country is located in North Africa.

The vast majority of Egypt's population inhabit the length of the Nile river (about 40,000 km). Large areas of land are part of the Sahara Desert and sparsely inhabited. The country is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most stunning ancient monuments, including pyramids, the Karnak temple and the Valley of the Kings.


Egypt Facts and Figures

  • Official Name: Arab Republic of Egypt
  • Land Area: 386,560 sq miles (1,001,450 sq km)
  • Population: 102.3 million
  • Capital: Cairo (population 9.5 million)

Geography of Egypt

Most of Egypt is in North Africa; the Sinai Peninsula is in Southwest Asia. The country has shorelines on the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Suez, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea; it borders Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east.

Egypt, covering 1,001,450 square kilometers of land, is about the same size as the states of Texas and New Mexico combined. The country's greatest distance from north to south is 1,024 kilometers, and from east to west, 1,240 kilometers.


Culture of Egypt

The culture of Egypt is the world's longest-enduring national culture, with five thousand years of recorded history. Ancient Egypt was perhaps the first civilization and home of writing, and for millennia maintained a strikingly complex and stable culture that had a profound influence on later cultures of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

After the Pharaonic era, Egypt itself came under the influence of Hellenism, for a time Christianity, and later, Arab and Islamic culture. Today, many aspects of Egypt's ancient culture exist in interaction with newer elements, including the influence of modern Western culture, itself with roots in Ancient Egypt.

Related Page: The Roman province of Aegyptus (Egypt)


The Egyptian Climate

Egypt has an arid desert climate. It is hot or warm during the day, and cool at night.

In the coastal regions, daytime temperatures range between an average of minimum 14 °C (57 °F) in winter and average of maximum 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. In deserts, the temperature varies a great degree, especially in winter; they may range from 7 °C (44.6 °F) at night, to 40 °C (104.0 °F) during the day. While the winter temperatures in deserts do not fluctuate as wildly, they can be as low as 0 °C (32 °F) at night, and as high as 18 °C (64.4 °F) during the day.

Hot and dry Khamsin winds blow in the Nile Delta region. Egypt receives less than 80 mm (3.15 in) of precipitation annually in most areas, although in the coastal areas it reaches 200 mm. It hardly ever rains during the summer.


Tourism

Tourism is a significant component of the Egyptian economy. Tourism figures in Egypt grew by 20% in 2007 with roughly 10 million tourist arrivals according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

The greatest tourist attractions in Egypt are the antiquities for which Egypt is known worldwide. Principal attractions include the pyramids and Great Sphinx at Giza, the Abu Simbel temples south of Aswan, the Valley of the Kings, and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha in Cairo, as well as the coastal areas in Sinai. The southern city of Luxor contains a particularly large number of ancient artifacts.

Passports and visas are required of foreign visitors except natives of several Middle Eastern countries. Transit voyagers, however, that travel by ship or plane are not required to obtain visas. Travellers native to most of Africa must have proof of cholera and yellow fever vaccination.

Please note that some of the information above may have changed by the time you read this, so always check well in advance of any travel for the latest information.


Weather in Egypt

In general, Egypt has dry and very hot summers with moderate winters. From November through to January are definitely the most comfortable months for tours to Egypt. There is basically no rain in the Nile valley; thats why there is no need for wet weather gear! However, do not forget to bring sunscreen, sunglasses and a sturdy hat!


How to get to Egypt


To Egypt by Air

Egypt has, with Cairo (CAI) and Luxor (LXR), two large international airports. A number of charter carriers also fly direct to resort towns and locations like Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.


To Egypt by Sea

Several ferry companies have regular trips from Jordan to Egypt. A popular ferry runs between Aqaba in Jordan and Nuweiba in the Sinai.


Egypt Travel Videos

Much like any other destination, it is hard to find excellent travel videos that feature Egypt exclusively. Unfortunately, most videos are about the region in general, or include several tourist destinations and are not soley about Egypt!

We tried very hard to collect the most popular travel videos that feature Egypt (of course most are also available on DVD) and hope we have succeeded with it.

It is also important to look out for the right version of the travel videos, often travel DVD's from the USA do not work in Europe and Asia and vice versa.

Below you will find a selection of Egypt travel videos. We hope you find them as useful as we think they are.


Travel Videos About Egypt




Egypt Travel Maps

It's very important to inform yourself up front about Egypt when travelling, especially if and when there are going to be language barriers. Online maps are not bad to get the basic facts but they aren't always going to be available, depending on where you are. It may seem like a little thing, but it's very important to have a map of the region actually in your hands.


When to Buy Travel Maps for Egypt

Order your map well in advance of your trip. Not only does it give you time to review it, but you don't want to have your order missing in action while your buckling up for takeoff. General tourist maps aren't going to change very much over short periods of time, so be sure to get yours earlier than needed, rather than risk not having one.


Travel Maps for Your Vacation in Egypt

  • Egypt (National Geographic Adventure Map, 3202) - National Geographic's Egypt Adventure Map is designed to meet the unique needs of adventure travelers with its durability and accurate information.

  • The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Hist Atlas) - Recent archaeological evidence sheds new light on the vast architectural legacy of one of the world's oldest nations. Full-color maps and b&w illustrations.

  • Egypt 1:1,650,000 Travel Map - This is a double-sided map, with the entire vast country on one side, and a more detailed map of the Nile River valley (from the delta's mouth to Luxor) on the other side.

  • Egypt Nelles Map - Nelles Verlag have been producing accurate and detilaed maps of all the world since 1982. Their reliability and clarity have made them the first chocie for travelers everywhere.

  • The Rough Guide to Egypt Map - Rip-proof waterproof plastic map. Clear modern mapping and bang-up-to-date research. Printed on non-toxic synthetic paper. Easy to refold.

Books About Egypt

There are an enormous number of fantastic books regarding Egypt, however, you might not find one perfect book that covers everything there is to know about travelling there. That's why one has to carefully select the topic one would like to research/read about regarding the incredible tourist destination of Egypt.

There are excellent books about the ancient history of the country like The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt by Ian Shaw, fantastic books about Cairo's architecture such as The Monuments Of Historic Cairo by Nicholas Warner, or even books about the food in Egypt such as A Memoir with Recipes by Colette Rossant.


Egypt Travel Books

When you buy travel books about Egypt, always keep in mind that the book should be specifically about Egypt. There is nothing more irritating than to buy a book about a specific country, but you end up with an overview rather than in-depth information of your favourite destination.

Make sure that you buy a book that's not too old (published date) because the travel information could be outdated. If possible, buy a book about Egypt that has plenty of pictures in it. After all, you would like to see as much of the country as possible, so you can plan your trip accordingly.

We've collected the (in our opinion) best travel books about Egypt available. We hope you find the selection useful. Happy reading!


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