The Egyptians invented the 365-days a year calendar. Egypt economy is one of the largest and most diversified in the Middle East, and is projected to become one of the largest in the world in the 21st century. Egypt is a country in northeast Africa. Its capital city is Cairo. Egypt is famous for its ancient monuments, such as the Pyramids and the Sphinx. One of the most ambitious construction projects in history, Egypt is currently building a new capital city that more than five million people will be able to call home. Envisioned as a smart 21st century city with 663 hospitals and clinics, 1,250 mosques and churches, Africa’s tallest building, and an amusement park four times larger than Disneyland, the yet unnamed capital is being designed to help decongest Cairo, a desperately overcrowded metropolis which competes with Lagos for the title of Africa’s most populous city. Arable land and living space are scarce commodities in Egypt. The arid country consists almost entirely of desert-97 percent of the population live in the Nile Valley and Delta, which make up only 5 percent of Egypt’s territory. The Arab Republic of Egypt-the country’s official name is the most populous country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with 98.2 million people, some 90 percent of whom are Sunni Muslims.
World famous for its ancient civilization and sights like the pyramids, the country has historically been highly influential in the Arab world. After promoting Arab nationalism and socialism under President Gamal Abdel Nasser in the decades after World War II, Egypt subsequently aligned with the West, particularly the United States. Egypt’s control of the Suez Canal and its significance in the Arab-Israeli conflict make the country strategically important, so much so that Egypt continues to receive the second-largest amount of U.S. foreign aid after Israel.
Egypt’s economy is now growing again, but economic expansion is largely non-inclusive and of limited benefit to the larger populace. Social stagnation, poverty, and high unemployment rates caused much of the widespread discontent behind the popular revolution of 2011, notably among educated urban youths.