Research Paper: The Geography of Egypt 1

Rebecca Moore
Research Paper: The Geography of Egypt
World Regional Geography
HPS 10153
Ottawa University
March 7, 2020
Research Paper: The Geography of Egypt 2

Research Paper: The Geography of Egypt

Egypt is a fascinating land boasting unique geographical features with millennia of

human habitation. The people have continuously lived in the area for thousands of years and left

their mark on the natural landscape. From rock-cut tombs in the Valley of the Kings to the Great

Pyramids that dot the Giza Plateau, humans have shaped and changed the geographical world

around them. This land influenced the beliefs and mythology of the people who have lived there

and helped to nurture one of the most advanced cultures of the ancient world. Egypt is a land

which has been fought over many times for its wealth of riches and strategic position on the

Mediterranean Sea. It has witnessed many social and economic challenges. Egypt is a culturally

and geographically rich nation with a long history of human habitation that suffers from political

and religious turmoil.

Environmental Geography

Egypt possesses many interesting geographical features. The nation is largely desert but

thrives with the Nile River as well as access to the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The

geographical features include lakes, mountains, canyons (wadis), desert plains, oasis, marshlands

and rivers. Egypt is comprised of four major geographical regions: The Eastern (Arabian) Desert,

the Western (Libyan) Desert, The Nile Valley and Delta, and the Sinai Peninsula. The Nile River

Valley allows for life to exist in Egypt. Only 13,513 square miles of the 390,100 mi² nation are

inhabited, thanks in large part from the Nile. The Nile Valley and Delta areas account for 98% of

the nation’s population (Geography of Egypt, 2020).

The Nile River’s fertile land drew humans to the area in ancient times. The Nile is a

unique river in that it flows from the south to the north. The Nile is fed by three major sources,

the White Nile, the Blue Nile and the Atbarah. The White Nile flows from Lake Victoria in
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Uganda while the Blue and Atbarah flow from Ethiopia. These three rivers flood during the rainy

season in late summer and bring rich sediment into Egypt from the south. The dark soil left

behind during this event, known as the inundation, spreads for an average of 30 feet in modern

times from the banks of the Nile. In ancient times, the banks of the river was much higher and

archeologists believe that the silt deposits stretched much farther. The bands of fertile soil allow

crops to be planted and life to be sustained in the midst of an arid and deadly desert (Geography

of Egypt, 2020).

Natural desert and dry climate processes, such as desiccation, influenced the Egyptians in

their daily lives. Mummification was developed after observing the desiccation which happened

to bodies in shallow graves. The Egyptians studied and perfected the process, using a rare natural

salt called Natron, which is found naturally in alkaline lakes in the Wadi El Natrun, or Natron

Valley (Natron in Ancient Egypt, 2017). The Egyptians were also influenced by the life around

them as the fertile land around the Nile River allowed plants, animals and insects to thrive.

While Egypt lies in the middle of hostile desert conditions, the rich Nile Valley is home

to a host of different animals and plants. The nation is home to 2,057 different kinds of plants,

150 types of birds, 93 species of mammals, 106 species of reptiles and amphibians, and

thousands of insect species. The seas, lakes and rivers surrounding Egypt are also home to many

fish, mollusks, coral and invertebrates (Image House, 2020). Many plants have appeared in

ancient art, including the lotus flower and papyrus reed. Animals such as jackals, lions, leopards,

crocodiles, hippopotamus, ibis birds and cats played a crucial role in the ancient Egyptian

pantheon of gods, shown as both animalistic representations and anthropomorphic ones (Gilman

and Rawlinson, 2005). The biodiversity of Egypt is rich and varied for a nation nestled into the

sands of the desert.

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Human/Environment or Man/Land Theme

Humans in Egypt have adjusted to life in a harsh and hot desert climate. Due to the flow

of the Nile being from the south, ancient Egyptians used a skewed directional orientation. To

them, what is south on a map was northern or Upper Egypt, and the north was southern or Lower

Egypt. East and west and similarly flipped from their map counterparts. The Nile River was very

important for people living in Egypt. Egyptians shaped the banks and delta of the Nile River to

increase agriculture through irrigation canals. They invented both simple and complex sluice

gates to move the waters of the Nile much farther from its banks. The Nile was the major mode

of transportation through the country, allowing boats and barges access to the middle of the

nation (Gilman and Rawlinson, 2005). 

The ancient Egyptians built on a monumental scale, creating pyramids, statues, tombs

and temples from quarries of mined stone. They dug deep into the earth to build lavish tombs in

the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, where the royalty of the 18th, 19th and 20th

dynasties were laid to rest. One of the most famous and enlightening tombs discovered in the

Valley of the Kings is that of Tutankhamun. Found by Howard Carter in 1922, the small tomb

was packed to the brim with grave goods. The find was the only intact royal burial ever

discovered in Egypt and greatly increased archeologists’ knowledge of the people (Handwerk,

2020).

The massive stone monuments Egypt is known for, such as the Great Pyramid, the

Sphinx and temples like Karnak at Luxor, were made possible thanks to the geology of Egypt.

Under the shifting sands lay a wealth of strong stone for the people of the region to find. Rocks
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such as sandstone, limestone, granite and basalt allowed the craftsmen of Egypt to carve and

construct lasting creations. Semi-precious stones were mined to adorn jewelry and funerary

goods, such as the death masks of the pharaohs. The Egyptians also used minerals for cosmetics

and dyes, including the kohl famously used to line the eyes which the ancient culture is known

for (Fletcher-Jones, 2016).

Areal Studies/Regional Theme

Modern Egypt is a diverse and culturally rich society but suffers from religious

persecution. Egypt today is composed of an estimated 90% Sunni Muslims and 10% Coptic

Orthodox Christians (but this number ranges from 5 to 15% depending on the source), with 2%

or less of the population being other Christian denominations such as Catholics (U.S. Mission

Egypt, 2019). The main language is Arabic, but many people with higher education speak

English and French. Egypt is a republic, called the Arab Republic of Egypt today. The head of

state is the President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the head of the government is the Prime minister,

Mostafa Madbouly. Egypt’s economy relies on media, agriculture, natural gas, petroleum

imports, and tourism (Global Edge, 2020). 

Egypt enforces Islamic principles as the basis for laws and legislation. The constitution of

Egypt states, “Islam is the religion of the state…and the principles of Islamic sharia are the main

sources of legislation” (U.S. Mission Egypt, 2019). The country tends to favor its Muslim

citizens over all others and has been known to use propaganda and administration to control the

minority religions. Anti-sematic and anti-Christian remarks have been broadcasted and published

in state-owned media sources (U.S. Mission Egypt, 2019). 

Christians and minority religions suffer from frequent attacks and violence. Christians

have been attacked in their churches by mobs as well as by bombings. Christians have also been
Research Paper: The Geography of Egypt 6

attacked and shot at while traveling together by buses. These people have been wounded and

killed by the conflicts at the hands of Muslim extremists (U.S. Mission Egypt, 2019). An

estimated 500 attacks against Copts and other Christians have happened between 2014 and 2019.

While the Copts are descendants of ancient Egyptian Christians, they are treated as inferiors and

second-class by the majority of the Egyptian Muslims around them. Their history has been

erased from Egyptian history books. Violence against Copts happens often but the perpetrators of

these acts are rarely prosecuted or brought to justice (Safi, M, 2019).

Egypt has experienced a lot of political unrest in recent years, beginning primarily in

2011 after the “Day of Revolution” happened on January 25, 2011. The event was organized on

Facebook and supported by many young Egyptians seeking to better their government, elections

and society. The public protested to call for president Hosni Mubarak to resign his office. Tens

of thousands of citizens took to the streets to demand change. The Egyptian government

responded by locking the nation down, denying internet access, blocking cellular use, silencing

media and other news outlets. Protestors were killed by the police over the next month before the

situation was stabilized mid-February, when Mubarak stepped down (Egypt Timeline: Since the

Arab Uprising, 2019).

The Day of Revolution and the changes it brought to Egypt allowed a once banned

political group, known as the Muslim Brotherhood, to become involved in the government again.

The Brotherhood began for altruistic reasons in the 1920s and once helped the people of Egypt

and other nations. However, by the 1940s the Brotherhood took a dangerous shift, with acts of

violence against non-Muslims rising in frequency. After a number of assassinations and political

rivalries, the Muslim Brotherhood was banned from participating in politics in Egypt in 1948

(Muslim Brotherhood, 2020).

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Some members of the Brotherhood found work arounds to the ban by declaring

themselves independent parties and were still able to win seats in the Egyptian parliament. After

the Day of Revolution and Mubarak’s departure, a portion of the Brotherhood reinvented itself as

the Freedom and Justice Party and gained official recognition from the Egyptian government in

June 2011. Some people have not let go of the Brotherhood’s nefarious past, however. Violence

and terrorism are still a part of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt today as many of the

perpetrators of attacks on non-Muslims and Christians have been attributed to them (Muslim

Brotherhood, 2020).

Spatial Theme

Egypt lies between Libya to the west and Israel to the east in Northeastern Africa. Sudan

lies to the south of Egypt and in ancient times, the nation stretched far south into Sudan. The

Mediterranean Sea is located to the north and the Red Sea to the east. Across the Red Sea from

Egypt lies Saudi Arabia. Egypt has 1,801 miles of coastline divided between the Mediterranean

Sea, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. The nation’s boundaries reflect

straight lines on a map and do not follow the natural flow of geographical features found there

(Geography of Egypt, 2020).

In 2018 the population of Egypt was 98,423,595. The nation today is 390,100 mi² in

size (Knoema, 2020). Egypt stretches 636 miles from north to south and 770 miles from east to

west. It is about the size of Texas and New Mexico combined (Geography of Egypt, 2020). The

Sinai Peninsula, which lies between Egypt and Israel, has been under Egyptian control since

1982 after it had been under Israeli control for almost 20 years. The Sinai Peninsula is often

considered to be part of Asia, not Africa, because of its geographical make up (Sinai Peninsula,

2020).
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Conclusion

Egypt is an ancient land filled with historical beauty but modern upheaval. The people

who settled in the region were drawn to the life-giving waters of the Nile River. They made

many changes to the land, carving out a place for themselves through irrigation, building and

tunneling. The Ancient Egyptians built a culture and complex religion inspired by the harsh but

beautiful land around them. In modern times, Egyptians struggle with a lack of religious and

political freedom. In a nation dominated by Islamic faith and law, Christians, Jews and other

religions struggle for equality and peace. Once a cultural and economic powerhouse, Egypt today

is plagued by political and religious unrest. 

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References

Egypt Timeline: Since the Arab Uprising. (2019). Retrieved from

https://www.usip.org/publications/2019/07/egypt-timeline-arab-uprising

Fletcher-Jones, N. (2016). The Stones of Ancient Egypt: How Geology Shaped Architecture.
Retrieved from https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/3096/The-Stones-of-Ancient-Egypt-How-
Geology-Shaped-Architecture

Geography of Egypt. (2020). Retrieved from http://worldfacts.us/Egypt-geography.htm

Gilman, A. and Rawlingson, G. (2005). Ancient Egypt. Pinnacle Press. Canton, OH. Retrieved
from http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15663

Global Edge. (2020). Egypt: Introduction. Retrieved from

https://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/egypt

Handwerk, B. (2020). Valley of the Kings. Retrieved from

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/archaeology/valley-of-the-kings/

Image House. (2020). Wildlife in Egypt. Retrieved from

http://www.egyptheritage.com/BiodiversitySite/WildLife/index.html

Knoema. (2020). Egypt: Data and Statistics. Retrieved from https://knoema.com/atlas/Egypt

Muslin Brotherhood. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sayyid-

Qutb

Natron in Ancient Egypt. (2017). Retrieved from https://sciencing.com/natron-ancient-egypt-

7918.html

Safi, M. (2019). Egyptian Christians Celebrate Another Christmas in Fear. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/egyptian-christians-celebrate-another-christmas-in-fear/

Sinai Peninsula. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Sinai-Peninsula

U.S. Mission Egypt. (2019). 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: Egypt. Retrieved
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