Political Overview
Egypt functions under a semi-presidential system whereby executive power is shared between a directly elected president and a prime minister responsible to the parliament; this structure was reaffirmed in constitutional amendments following the 2011 uprising. Since assuming office in 2014, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has prioritized national security and large-scale infrastructure and economic programs, alongside reforms aimed at modernizing religious discourse and educational curricula. However, his administration has faced significant criticism for constraining freedom of expression and assembly, with numerous prosecutions of journalists and activists under anti-terrorism and public order laws.
Cultural Heritage and Identity
Egypt’s cultural heritage extends back to the Old Kingdom, with the Giza pyramid complex home to the Great Pyramid of Khufu (c. 2580–2560 BC), the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, and the Great Sphinx representing the zenith of ancient monumentality. Over millennia, the nation’s identity has woven together Pharaonic traditions with Hellenistic, Coptic Christian, and Islamic threads, leading to ongoing dialogues about the relative influence of each heritage strand in modern Egyptian society Today, Arabic serves as the official language, and Islam is the state religion, with approximately 95% of the population identifying as Sunni Muslim, while a significant Coptic Christian minority (5–10%) preserves its distinct liturgical and linguistic traditions.
Geographical Landscape and Climate
Covering over one million square kilometers, Egypt is dominated by the Sahara Desert, yet life and agriculture concentrate along the 1,600 km course of the Nile River, whose annual inundation historically sustained the Nile Valley and Delta often called the world’s largest oasis. The Nile Delta alone supports nearly half of Egypt’s population, with around 40 million people residing in this densely cultivated region that underpins the country’s food production and economy Climatically, Egypt experiences long, sun-lit summers with average daily sunshine exceeding 12 hours and temperatures that can reach mid-30s °C inland, while coastal areas along the Mediterranean and Red Sea enjoy milder winters (around 12–22 °C) and minimal precipitation.
