| Location | 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 |
| Geographic coordinates | 27 00 N, 30 00 E |
| Map references | Africa |
| Area | total: 1,001,450 sq km land: 995,450 sq km water: 6,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative | more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,612 km border countries (4): Gaza Strip 13 km, Israel 208 km, Libya 1115 km, Sudan 1276 km |
| Coastline | 2,450 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or the equidistant median line with Cyprus continental shelf: 200 nm |
| Climate | desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters |
| Terrain | vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m mean elevation: 321 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc |
| Land use | agricultural land: 3.6% (2018 est.) arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.) forest: 0.1% (2018 est.) other: 96.3% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 36,500 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 57.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes; flash floods; landslides; hot, driving windstorms called khamsin occur in spring; dust storms; sandstorms |
| Geography - note | note 1: controls Sinai Peninsula, the only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees from Sudan and the Palestinian territories note 2: the earliest evidence for wild sorghum cultivation occurs in southern Egypt and dates to roughly 7500 B.C. |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
