40 Amazing Facts About Egypt

Egypt is a country in Northeast Africa, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the east. It is one of the world’s oldest civilizations, with a rich history that dates back to ancient times. Known for its monumental achievements, Egypt is home to the iconic pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and the ancient city of Luxor, where the Valley of the Kings lies. The Nile River, the lifeblood of Egypt, has played a crucial role in the country’s development, providing fertile land that supported agriculture and helped sustain its people. Modern Egypt is a blend of its ancient heritage and contemporary culture, with bustling cities like Cairo, which houses the famous Egyptian Museum and the bustling Khan El Khalili market. Egypt continues to be a major cultural and historical hub, attracting millions of tourists each year.

1. The official name of Egypt is the Arab Republic of Egypt.
2. Egypt is a Mediterranean country located in the northeastern corner of Africa. The Gaza Strip and Israel border it to the northeast, the red sea and gulf of Aqaba to the east, Libya to the west, and Sudan to the south.
3. The historical records of Egypt as a unified state started somewhere in 3150 BC when the king of that time, Menes, started to unite the upper and the lower kingdoms.
4. There are six billionaires in the country. The top three billionaires are naseef sawaris with 6.4 billion, Naguib Sawiris with 2.9 billion, and Mohomed Mansour with a net worth of 2.3 billion.
5. Ancient Egypt invented many things which are even used in the modern world. Some of them are irrigation, the police, clocks, surgical instruments, toothpaste, and mummification.

   

6. There is a location called Bir Tawil, which is around 800 sq miles(2071.99 sq km). The location lies between the northern border of Sudan and the Southern border of Egypt but is not claimed by any of the countries.
7. Exchanging rings in a wedding dates back to 6000 years and was an Egyptian ritual. It was believed that it is a sign of love that runs directly from the heart to the fourth finger on the left hand.
8. The Cairo-Alexandria desert road is the biggest highway in the county. It connects two major cities of the country and is 220 km long.
9. The early Egyptians invented the sailing boat back in 3000 BCE. These boats were made up of papyrus plants and were mainly used for fishing.
10. The country has one of the world’s biggest artificial lakes known as Lake Nasser. The lake is built on the Aswan high dam across the Nile River and is about 550 km(340 miles) long.

    

11. The country has 70,000 hectares of planted forest land.
12. The statue of liberty of New York was intended for the port said city of Egypt.
13. There are about 2000 deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Some of these deities are Horus, Isis, Osiris, Ra, Amun, thoth, Anubis, and ptah. Ra is the god of the sun and is considered to be the strongest god among all.
14. According to the 2006 census, 94.9 percent of people are Muslims, 5.1% are Christians, and less than 1% are Jewish, Buddhist, or other religions.
15. The steppe eagle is the national animal of the country.

    

16. The oldest dress on the planet is found in the country and dates back to the dawn of the kingdom of Egypt. The dress is called a tarkhan dress and is about 5100 to 5500 years old.
17. In 2000 a lost city was found under the sea, which is known to be the lost city of heracleion and is about 1500 years old. It sunk because of a high-intensity earthquake and tidal waves, which liquified the foundation and collapsed.
18. In ancient Egypt, the pillows were made up of wood or were carved from stones.
19. Egypt is the most populated country in the middle east and is also considered the largest Arab country on the planet.
20. It’s a myth that slaves made the great pyramids of Giza. The pyramids were made by laborers and were actually paid for their precious work.

    

21. King Tutankhamun ruled Egypt as a pharaoh for ten years and died when he was only 19 years old.
22. Cats were worshipped as gods in ancient Egypt, and if a person killed a cat even accidentally, he/she might face the death penalty.
23. The country is the 71st most complex economy on the planet.
24. The Sumerian archaic language is one of the most ancient and earliest true writing systems, which was developed back in 3400-3100 BC. These pyramids were built about 4500 years ago.

    

25. The top imports of Egypt are Wheat ($4.54 Billion), Refined Petroleum ($4.44 Billion), Crude Petroleum ($3.28 Billion), Semi-Finished Iron ($2.68 Billion), and Cars ($2.35 Billion).
26. The top exports of Egypt are Crude Petroleum ($4.93 Billion), Refined Petroleum ($1.99 Billion), Gold ($1.86 Billion), Nitrogenous Fertilizers ($1.39 Billion), and Petroleum Gas ($1.17 Billion).
27. Football is the national sport of the country is most popular and widely played. Other popular sports in the country are squash, swimming, and tennis.
28. The country’s agricultural land amounts to about 3.3 million hectares, which consists of 3.0 million hectares that lie in the Nile basin and delta and about 80 000 hectares of land rain-fed.
29. It is estimated that about 24 million Egyptians work in the fishing and farming industry. While about 12 percent of the population is indulged in the tourism industry.
30. Egyptians were the first to document the procedure of brewing beer back in 5000 BC.

    

31. The country is among the lowest average rainfall countries on the planet. It receives an average rainfall of 200 mm on the coastline and only 2mm in the country’s main regions.
32. The country has about thirty national parks in which there is a variety of flora and fauna.
33. Mount Catherine is the highest mountain peak in the country and has an elevation of 8,625 ft (2,629 meters).
34. The Nile is the biggest river in the world and is often associated with Egypt. But in reality, only 22 percent of the river flows through the country. Some other countries through which the Nile River flows are Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, and ethanoic.

    

35. Faiyum is considered to be the oldest city in Egypt as well as in Africa. The city was founded around 4,0000 B.C and is located 62 miles southwest of Cairo. In ancient Egypt, the city was called a sheet.
36. The highest temperature ever recorded in the country was in Cairo on June 7, 1961, and was 48° Celcius. Whereas the lowest temperature recorded was in the month of January, which was 0° Celcius.
37. About 9 million tourists visited Egypt in the year 2018, which was an increase from 5.4 million in that of 2016.
38. Egypt has a high unemployment rate of 11.59%, which was in the year 2018.
39. More than 90 percent of the total land in Egypt is covered in desert. There are two main deserts in the region: the Libyan desert in the west (it is a part of Sahara the desert) and the Arabian desert in the east (also called the eastern desert).
40. Toilets were found in many old Egyptian tombs. The rich use to have toilets made up of limestone, while the poor toilets were made up of wood.