The Nile, which traverses over 1,000 miles within Egypt, from Wadi Halfa in the South to the Mediterranean in the north, divides the country into four broad region:

• The Nile Valley and the Delta, which occupy about 33,000 km2 accounting for less than 4% of the total area of the country.
• The Western Desert occupying two thirds of the total area of Egypt, ( 671,000 km2).
• The Eastern Desert occupying about a quarter of the total area of Egypt, ( 225,000 km2).
• The Sinai Peninsula occupying about 61,000 km2.

• Cultivated Land: 7.4 million feddans out of a total land area of 238 million feddans.
• Water Resources: The River Nile is the main source of water. Rain and underground water are also used, although to a lesser extent.
• Mineral Resources: Egypt is rich in mineral resources such as phosphate, iron and petroleum.

DEMOGRAPHY

The Nile Valley and the Delta are the most densely-populated parts of Egypt. 

The inhabited area constitutes 6.0% of the total area of the country. The vast majority 

of the remaining land is made up of sparsely inhabited, arid desert. Although average 

population density in Egypt is around 60 inhabitants/sq. km, actual population density 

in inhabited areas averages 1000 inhabitants/sq. km.

Extensive land reclamation efforts since 1947 have aimed at increasing the area of cultivable land. 

One of the fundamental goals of Egypt's policy is to redistribute the population and to make full use 

of the so far unexploited areas and natural resources available. Great attention is presently directed 

to the new cities with special emphasis given to the master development plans for Sinai and the 

"New Valley" in southern Egypt; two areas with huge economic and strategic potential.

CLIMATE

Egypt has mainly two seasons: a mild winter from November to April and a hot summer from May to October. In the coastal regions, temperatures range between an average minimum of 14 C in winter and an average maximum of 30 C in summer. Temperatures vary widely in the inland desert areas, especially in summer, when they may range from 7 C at night to 43 C during the day. During winter, temperatures in the desert fluctuate less dramatically, but they can be as low as 0 C at night and as high as 23 C during the day. The average annual temperature increases moving southward from the Delta to the Sudanese border, where temperatures are similar to those of the open deserts to the east and west. At Aswan, in the south, June temperatures can be as low as 10 C at night and as high as 41 C during the day when the sky is clear.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IN CAIRO

Egypt receives fewer than eighty millimeters of precipitation annually in most areas. Most rain falls along the coast, but even the wettest area, around Alexandria, receives only about 200 millimeters of precipitation per year. Cairo receives a little more than one centimeter of precipitation each year. The city, however, reports humidity as high as 77 percent during the summer. But during the rest of the year, humidity is low. The areas south of Cairo receive only traces of rainfall.

A phenomenon of Egypt's climate is the hot spring wind carrying sand that blows across the country. The winds, known to Europeans as the sirocco and to Egyptians as the khamsin, usually arrive in April but occasionally occur in March and May.

construction, cement, metals

crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, 

metal products, chemicals

b) Major Import Products

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, 

wood products, fuels