| 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
- comparative: |
slightly more than three
times the size of New Mexico |
|
|
total: 2,665 km
border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel
266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km |
| Coastline: |
2,450 km |
| Maritime claims: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the
depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
| Climate: |
desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters |
| Terrain: |
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley
and delta |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Qattara Depression -133
m
highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m |
| Natural resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead,
zinc |
| Land use: |
arable land: 2.85%
permanent crops: 0.47%
other: 96.68% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated land: |
33,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: |
periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash
floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called
khamsin occurs in spring; 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; very limited
natural fresh water resources away from the Nile
which is the only perennial water source; rapid
growth in population overstraining the Nile and
natural resources |
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| Environment - international
agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber
94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol |
| Geography - note: |
controls Sinai Peninsula, 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 neighbours; dominance of
Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees |
|
