As the geography of Egypt affects culture
The geography of each region exerts great influence not only on the landscape, but also on culture. Egypt, whose ancient civilization is the object of worship and international research, is located on two continents: Africa and Asia.
Located between the northeast end of Africa and the West of Asia, just in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt limits with the Mediterranean Sea to the North and the Red Sea to the East to the East. However, the most significant feature of Egypt’s geography is the Nile River, one of the world’s most famous rivers.
Egypt Geography: Relief
In Egypt, less than 10% of the surface is populated or used for cultivation. The result is a practically desert territory. This is what makes Egypt’s geography so particular.
The population and agricultural exploitation areas are concentrated in the Valley and the Nile River Delta. In the western zone is Libya desert and part of the Sahara desert. In the eastern zone is the Arabic desert.
The libic desert extends throughout what is known as the great sea of sand. It is an area with several depressions that are found up to 100 meters below sea level, as is the case of Al-Qattara, the lowest point of the African continent.
The Arabic desert, on the other hand, is located on a plateau that reaches 610 meters of altitude, with peaks that reach 2000 meters altitudes. In the south there is the Nubia desert, a wide desert extension that reaches the border with Sudan.
To the northeast of the country is the Sinai Peninsula, which has large spikes in its southern zone and with the highest point of Egypt: Mount Santa Catalina, 2637 meters. The Mount Sinai is also here, the place where the Old Testament affirms that Moses received the tables of the ten commandments.
The weather
Egypt offers a dry, but quite varied climate depending on its areas. Except in the winter months, the country does not receive hardly any rains, which are located mainly to the south of Cairo. It has average rainfall between 2 and 5 mm per year.
The country has temperate winters, in which the temperature remains around 15º C during the day. The summers are very hot, up to 50º C are reached in their deserts. The weather is softer in the delta, thanks in part to the winds that blow from the Mediterranean. In the winter the Khamsīn blows, a warm wind of great power that comes from southeast.
In the mountains of the Sinai and some cities of its coastal cities of the North it is sometimes and frosts are not completely unknown. Another of its characteristics is the big temperature difference between its days and nights. In the desert you can register variations of up to 40º C.
Egypt Geography: Hydrography
The Nile River is the only permanent river in Egypt and one of the most characteristic features of Egypt’s geography. This is the second largest river on the planet, with more than 6000 kilometers long. The river covers a 1550 -kilometer route through Egypt.
The area of its Delta, where it flows, is of vital importance by understanding the structure of the country and the region. Here very fertile lands are located thanks to the sediments and nutrients that the great river drags.
The Nile enters the country in the south, advances through the desert to Asuán and there flows through the valley to Cairo. From there, it extends in a Delta where the prosperous and fertile zone that gives color to the surrounding desert is branched and created.
Every year, the floods of the Nile enrich the ground with new nutrients for vegetation, a phenomenon known by many as the ‘Nile gift’. However, the construction of the Asuán dam helped stabilize the river flow, avoiding damage caused by unexpected or too impetuous floods.
The Nile thus played a vital role in the development of Egyptian culture as the largest source of resources in the country. In addition, it constituted the main route of transport of people and goods. At present, the Nile, which crosses more than ten African countries, is one of the most demanded tourist routes by lovers of cultural tourism.
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