World  > Africa  > Egypt
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General Information Area: 1,002,000 sq km (386,874 sq miles). Population: 68,359,979 (2000). Population Density: 61.9 per sq km. Capital: Cairo (El Qahira). Population: 6,789,479 (1996). 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: Islam is the predominant religion. All types of Christianity are also 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. Communications:   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 Missrfone Telecommunications (website: www.clickgsm.com). Fax Several of the major hotels in Cairo have introduced fax facilities; check with the hotel concerned before travelling. Telegram International telegram services are available from the Central Post Offices in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor 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 to western Europe takes about five days. 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 0900-1400 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 d’Alexandrie and Le Progrès 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. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 15.49 12.10 9.410 6.195 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 15.21 11.82 9.760 1.197 From www.columbusguides.com, Copyright © 2004 Highbury Columbus Travel Publishing Terms and Conditions apply.