Land area: 384,344 sq mi (995,451 sq km); total area: 386,662 sq mi (1,001,450 sq km)

Population (2006): 78,887,007 (growth rate: 1.8%); birth rate: 22.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 31.3/1000; life expectancy: 71.3; density per sq mi: 205

Capital City: Cairo (Al-Qahirah)

Monetary unit: Pound

Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes

Ethnicity/race: Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers) 99%, Greek, Nubian, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1%

Religions: Islam (mostly Sunni) 94%, Coptic Christian and other 6%

Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most stunning ancient monuments, including the Giza Pyramids, the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings and the Great Sphinx of Giza; the southern city of Luxor contains a particularly large number of ancient artifacts.

Egypt includes parts of the Sahara Desert and of the Libyan Desert. These deserts were referred to as the "red land" in ancient Egypt, and they protected the Kingdom of the Pharaohs from western threats.

Today, Egypt is widely regarded as the main political and cultural centre of the Arab and Middle Eastern regions.

Egypt's capital city, Cairo, is Africa's largest city and has been renowned for centuries as a center of learning, culture and commerce. The Egyptian Academy of the Arabic Language is responsible for regulating the Arabic Language throughout the world.

Egypt also hosts two major religious institutions. Al-Azhar University is the oldest Islamic institution for higher studies (founded around 970 A.D). Egypt also has a strong Christian heritage as evidenced by the existence of the Coptic Orthodox Church headed by the Patriarch of Alexandria, which has a following of approximately 50 million Christians worldwide.

Though considered a low-income country, Egypt has a thriving media and arts industry, with more than 30 satellite channels and over 100 motion pictures produced each year. To bolster its media industry, especially with the keen competition from the Arabian Gulf states and Lebanon, a large media city was built and has been since promoted as the "Hollywood of the East." Egypt is also the only Arab country with an opera house.

Due to the richness of history in Egypt there are vast numbers of landmarks that tourists can visit. Pharaonic sites can be discovered in Cairo and Luxor, desert safaris can be taken on the Sahara desert, and north through Jordan you can visit Wadi Rum, Petra, the Dead Sea, and Jerash.

The Nile River is the most famous river in Egypt and the world. It was by its banks that one of the oldest civilizations in the world began. The river flows for 6500 km from near Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean.

However, Egypt is symbolized by the pyramids. The Great Pyramids were built for the Kings, or Pharaoh so that when they died they could be buried inside of them to be worshipped as gods.