Country name

Formal name: Arab Republic of Egypt
Short name: Egypt
Local formal name: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
Local short name: Misr 

Location

North-eastern corner of Africa and south-western Asia, It is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by Palestine and Israel, on the south by Sudan, and on the west by Libya. Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula.

View Egypt Map

Flag

The flag consists of three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white (middle), and black (bottom). The red refers to the period before the 1952 Revolution which brought a group of army officers to power after deposing King Farouk, the King of Egypt. This was a period characterized by the struggle against the British occupation of the country. The white color refers to the advent of the 1952 Revolution which ended the monarchy without bloodshed. Centered in the white band is the golden eagle of Saladdin, the Ayubbid Sultan who ruled Egypt in the 12th century and the same Saladdin of the Crusades. The color black refers to the end of the oppression of the people of Egypt at the hands of the monarchy and British colonialism.

Capital

Cairo, the city of the 1,000 minarets, was founded on July 16, 969 AD. Cairo is Africa's most populous city and the Arab world's cultural center. The city provides its visitors with great cultural destinations including a vast amount of art galleries, music halls, and cultural centers in addition to fine restaurants, various leisure activities, and shopping.

Population

According to the 2007 census figures, the population, including those living abroad, is estimated to have reached 76.5 million at a growth rate of 1.721% (2007 EST.).

Languages

The official language of Egypt is Standard Arabic and is used in most written media. English and French are also widely spoken by most educated Egyptians and by shopkeepers and others.

Egypt time zone

Egypt Standard Time is 2 hours ahead Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2).Egypt operates Daylight-Saving Time between the last Friday in April and the last Thursday in September when the clocks are 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+3).

Egypt Climate and Weather

Throughout Egypt, days are commonly warm or hot, and nights are cool. Egypt has only two seasons: a mild winter from November to April and a hot summer from May to October. The only differences between the seasons are variations in daytime temperatures and changes in prevailing winds.

TRANSPORTATION

Railways: There are 28 railway lines in Egypt extending 9,435 km (5,863 miles) with 796 stations and 1,800 trains operating over 135 thousand km (83,885 miles).

Underground Metro: Egypt is the first country in Africa and the Middle East to have an Underground Metro. This service links the three governorates of Greater Cairo (Cairo, Giza & Qalyubiyah). The metro operates from 6:00 am until 1:00am daily.

View underground Metro Map

Highways and Bridges: Egypt has a network of highways covering the country and extending around 48.1 thousand km (29,888 miles).

View Cairo ring road map

Air Transport: Egypt has 30 airports with flights accessing 72 capital cities internationally and 12 cities locally. EGYPTAIR, the national carrier, is one of the best in the middle East and the Arab countries. It operates more than 555 weekly flights departing from Cairo and many other Egyptian cities to 69 international and domestic destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

CURRENCY AND BANKING

The unit of currency is the Egyptian Pound (EGP), which is divided into 100 piastres. Traveler’s checks and most credit cards including MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa are accepted in major hotels and restaurants. Banking hours are Sunday to Thursday from 8:30 am until 2:00 pm and are generally closed on Friday and Saturday. Private exchange bureaus are open daily and banks in major hotels and are open 24 hours. ATMs are quite common in the main tourist areas and most of the Egyptian cities. Banking hours are Sunday to Thursday , 8:30 am to 2:00 pm.

View Egyptian Banknotes

Hours of banking: Bank branches at Cairo International Airport are open 24 hours a day.

Electricity

Electrical current is 220V, 50 Hz. European style two-pin plugs are standard.

Communication

The international access code for Egypt is +20. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for UK). The city code for Cairo is (0)2. Telephone and Telegraph (PTT) offices are available in all Egyptian cities. For international directory phone enquiries dial 120. The local mobile phone operators use GSM 900 networks and have roaming agreements with all major operators. Internet service is available in the main tourist areas, Hotels, café and internet cafes.

National holidays

Fixed
Title	Date
Christmas (Eastern Coptic)	7th of January
Sinai Libration Day	25th of April
Labor day	1st of May
Revolution day	23rd of July
Egyptian Armed Forces Day	6th of October
Movable
Eid El Fitr (Lesser Bairam)	10st of September 2010
Eid El Adha (Greater Bairam)	17st of November 2010
New Islamic year	7th of December 2010
Prophet Mohamed Birthday	27th of February 2010
Shem El Nessem	20th of April 2010

(official occasions)