Egypt is one of the four great ancient civilizations that was once ruled by powerful pharaohs. This powerful civiliziation gave to the Western civilizations many advances in the arts, science, and technology. However, for the last two thousand years, this country has served many foreign masters including Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and the British. In 1922, they gained formal independence, and British rule ended after World War II. In 1981, the completion of the Aswan High Dam changed the sanctioned Nile River in both the agriculture and ecology of Egypt.

Egypt is located in Northern Africa, along the Mediterranean Sea, and between Libya and the Gaza Strip. Much of Egypt is made of desert lands, which is hot and dry in the summers, with have moderate winters. The terrain is a vast desert plateau interrupted bye the Nile valley and delta. 32,460 square kilometers is irragated land, and 2% is arable land. Natural hazards include periodic droughts, frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, volcanic activity, khamsin; which occurs in the spring, and dust and sand storms. Egypt controls the Sinai Peninsula, the only land bridge between African and the remainder of the Eastern Hemisphere. This land also controls the Suez Canal, the shortest sea link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

The population of this Eastern County of Africa is 67,273,906 people. 36% are between the ages 0-14, 61% are in between the ages 15-64, and 3% are 65 years of age and over. The growth rate is 1.82%, which was established 1999. Ethnic backgrounds include the Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers), which make up 99% of the population, and Greek, Nubian, Armenian, and other European groups (mainly Italian and French), which make up the other 1%. Arabic is the official language, though English and French are widely understood by educated classes. In Egypt, most people age 15 and over can read and write, and the literacy rate is 51.4%.

Egypt's capitol is Cairo, and their type of government is republic. The president is Mohammed Hosni Mubarak. The administrative divisions include 26 governorates. On February 28,1922, this country gained independence from the United Kingdom, and the constitution was written September 11, 1971. Their national holiday is called the Anniversary of the Revolution, and is held on July 23 (it was established in 1952).

At the end of the 1980s, Egypt came to face problems of low productivity, and pitiful economic management. The natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, pho- sphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, and zinc. The per capita income in this country is $2,850. The unemployment rate is 10%. Agriculture products include cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables, cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, and fish. Exports include crude oil, petroleum products, cotton yarn, raw cotton, textiles, metal products, and chemical. Their export and import partners are Japan, the United States, and Europe. In Egypt, the currency is 1 Egypt pound=100 piasters.