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Egypt,
officially the Arab
Republic of Egypt,
(ˈiː.dʒɪpt (help·info),
Egyptian: Kemet;
Coptic: Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ Kīmi;
Arabic: مصر Miṣr;
Egyptian Arabic:
Máṣr) is a country
in North Africa. The
Sinai Peninsula is
part of northeastern
Egypt, which also
forms a land bridge
to Asia. Covering an
area of about
1,001,450 square
kilometers
(386,660 sq mi),
Egypt borders Libya
to the west, Sudan
to the south and the
Gaza Strip and
Israel to the east.
The northern coast
borders the
Mediterranean Sea;
the eastern coast
borders the Red Sea.
Egypt is one of the
most populous
countries in Africa
and the Middle East.
The great majority
of its estimated 75
million[1] live near
the banks of the
Nile River, in an
area of about
40,000 square
kilometers
(15,000 sq mi),
where the only
arable agricultural
land is found. The
large areas of the
Sahara Desert are
sparsely inhabited.
About half of
Egypt's residents
live in urban areas,
with the majority
spread across the
densely-populated
centres of greater
Cairo, Alexandria
and other major
cities in the Nile
Delta.
Egypt is famous for
its ancient
civilization and
some of the world's
most famous
monuments, including
the Giza pyramid
complex and its
Great Sphinx. The
southern city of
Luxor contains
numerous ancient
artifacts, such as
the Karnak Temple
and the Valley of
the Kings. Egypt is
widely regarded as
an important
political and
cultural nation of
the Middle East.