Facts About Egypt

Egypt appears many times in Scripture. Examples of such occurrences are Abraham’s sojourn in Egypt (Genesis 12); the ten plagues occurring throughout the land for the release of the Israelites (Exodus 7-12), Joseph, Mary, and young Jesus’ passage into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-21), and even in the book of Revelation (Revelation 11:6), amongst many others.

Located on the northeast corner of Africa, Egypt is home to one of the world’s earliest and greatest civilizations, with a unified kingdom first surfacing around 3,200 B.C. With a population estimated at more than 99 million, it’s the most populous country in the Arab world, and the third-most populous nation in Africa.

Most of its economic activity takes place along the Nile River Valley, where the nation’s arable land resides along the banks of the Nile, the world’s longest river.

Here are some interesting facts about Egypt:
1. The country is ethnically homogeneous, with Egyptians comprising more than 99% of the population.

2. Egypt is home to the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Officially about 10% of the population are Christian, although many believe the figure is significantly higher.

3. Cairo has served as Egypt’s capital for more than 1,000 years, but the government is building a new capital some 45 kilometres (28 miles) to the east to help ease congestion in Cairo.

4. One of the most famous figures tied to Egypt, Cleopatra VII, was Greek.

5. Social media accounts with more than 5,000 followers are subject to the country’s media laws and can be monitored by authorities and must be licensed by the government.

6. Ancient Egypt produced the world’s first prosthetic limb, a toe composed of leather, wood and thread and dated between 950 and 710 B.C.

7. The 365-day calendar that is divided into 12 months was invented in Egypt.