Egypt People

The Nile Valley, the Nile Delta, the Suez Canal region, and the northern coastal region of the Sinai Peninsula are the areas which are mainly inhabited. Besides this, small groups of people also live in the oases of the Libyan Desert and in the oil-drilling and mining towns of the Arabian Desert. Most Egyptians are descendants of the ancient Egyptians, a race who had originated in northeastern Africa. Besides this, a small group of nomadic Bedouins also exist in Egypt. The ancestors of the Egyptians were made up of many races and ethnic groups, but today, the population is relatively uniform in terms of language and religion.

Egypt is heavily into music and dance. The country's belly- dance has gained recognition across the world. Apart from this, specific dance troupes specialize in modern adaptations of folk dances. As far as music is concerned, many eminent singers have made a name for themselves...for instance, Sayyid Darwish who composed operas, and popular songs, was the leading figure in Egyptian music in the early 20th century. Other singers include Umm Kulthum and Layla Murad, Muhammad Abd 'al-Wahhab, and Abd al-Halim Hafiz.

The flag of Egypt has three equal horizontal bands of red, white, and black. In the center of the white band, the national emblem (a shield superimposed on a golden eagle facing the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) is present.
Please click here to view the Egypt Flag

Despite the fact that Egypt had only 5 percent of fertile soil, the economy was mainly based on farming. The country was an exporter of cereals for a long time and it is in the 19th century that it started concentrating on the growth of cotton. Even today, cotton is considered to be an important cash crop. In the 1930s, the country began to set up industries and in the 1960s, many of the industries were brought under the control of the government. In the late 20th century, revenue-generating sources included tourism, oil production, and remittances from the 3 million Egyptians working in the Persian
Gulf states. In 2001, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Egypt was recorded at $98.5 billion.

Information on Egypt, Its Geography & History