Egypt vs. Libya
Geography
| Egypt | Libya | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria |
| Geographic coordinates | 27 00 N, 30 00 E | 25 00 N, 17 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 1,001,450 sq km land: 995,450 sq km water: 6,000 sq km | total: 1,759,540 sq km land: 1,759,540 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico | about 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly larger than Alaska |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,612 km border countries (4): Gaza Strip 13 km, Israel 208 km, Libya 1115 km, Sudan 1276 km | total: 4,339 km border countries (6): Algeria 989 km, Chad 1050 km, Egypt 1115 km, Niger 342 km, Sudan 382 km, Tunisia 461 km |
| Coastline | 2,450 km | 1,770 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 | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 62 nm note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north |
| Climate | desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters | Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior |
| Terrain | vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta | mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m mean elevation: 321 m | highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m mean elevation: 423 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc | petroleum, natural gas, gypsum |
| 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.) | agricultural land: 8.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 7.6% (2018 est.) forest: 0.1% (2018 est.) other: 91.1% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 36,500 sq km (2012) | 4,700 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes; flash floods; landslides; hot, driving windstorms called khamsin occur in spring; dust storms; sandstorms | hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms |
| Environment - current issues | agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; limited natural freshwater resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources | desertification; limited natural freshwater resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, brings water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities; water pollution is a significant problem; the combined impact of sewage, oil byproducts, and industrial waste threatens Libya's coast and the Mediterranean Sea |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Law of the Sea |
| 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. | note 1: more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert note 2: the volcano Waw an Namus lies in south central Libya in the middle of the Sahara; the caldera is an oasis - the name means "oasis of mosquitoes" - containing several small lakes surrounded by vegetation and hosting various insects and a large diversity of birds |
| Total renewable water resources | 57.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 700 million cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | approximately 95% of the population lives within 20 km of the Nile River and its delta; vast areas of the country remain sparsely populated or uninhabited as shown in this population distribution map | well over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and lack of surface water as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
