Documents for "Egyptian Political Geography":

• Abu-Simbel or Ipsambul , village, S Egypt, on the Nile River. Its two temples were hewn (c.1250 BC) out of rock cliffs during the reign of Ramses II. To avoid the rising waters caused by the construction of the Aswan High...

• Akhmim city (1986 pop. 70,602), E central Egypt, on the Nile. Textiles and handicrafts are manufactured; grain, dates, and cotton are processed. The ancient Chemmis and Panopolis, the city was long noted...

• Alexandria Arabic Al Iskandariyah, city (1996 pop. 3,328,196), N Egypt, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is at the western extremity of the Nile River delta, situated on a narrow isthmus between the sea and Lake Mareotis (Maryut). The...

• Arish, Al town (1986 pop. 67,337), NE Egypt, in the Sinai peninsula, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is a fishing port and a military and administrative center; since the 1980s it has also developed a tourist...

• Ashmunayn Egypt: see Hermopolis Magna.

• Assuan see Aswan , Egypt.

• Aswan or Assuan , city (1986 pop. 190,579), capital of Aswan governorate, S Egypt, on the Nile River at the First Cataract. It is one of the driest cities in the world. Long famous as a winter resort and commercial...

• Asyut city (1986 pop. 272,986), E central Egypt, on the Nile. An industrial and trading center and also the seat of a university, it is famed for pottery, carved bone and wood, leatherwork, and silk...

• Bahariya or Baharia , oasis (1996 est. pop. 25,000), in the Libyan Desert, central Egypt, c.200 mi (322 km) south-southwest of Alexandria. Connected by numerous caravan routes with the Mediterranean coast, the Nile...

• Banha see Benha , Egypt.

• Bani Hasan village, E central Egypt, on the Nile near Al Minya. There are 39 tombs, carved out of solid rock in the XII dynasty of ancient Egypt. The name is also spelled Beni Hasan.

• Bani Suwayf see Beni Suef , Egypt.

• Benha or Banha , city (1986 pop. 115,701), capital of Qalyubiyah governate, N Egypt, in the Nile River delta. A rail junction and trade center, Benha has cotton-ginning, rug-weaving, and food-processing...

• Beni Hasan see Bani Hasan , village, Egypt.

• Beni Suef or Bani Suwayf , city (1986 pop. 152,476), capital of Beni Suef governorate, N central Egypt, on the Nile River. Situated in an intensely cultivated farming region, Beni Suef has cotton mills and sugar refineries...

• Birket Qarun lake, Egypt: see Moeris.

• Cairo Arab. Al Qahirah, city (1996 pop. 6,789,479), capital of Egypt and the Cairo governorate, NE Egypt, a port on the Nile River near the head of its delta, at the boundary of ancient Upper and Lower Egypt. The city...

• Damanhur city (1986 pop. 188,939), capital of Beheira governorate, N Egypt, in the Nile River delta. It is a communications center and a market for cotton and rice. Industries include cotton ginning,...

• Damietta see Dumyat , Egypt.

• Dendara or Dendera , town, N Egypt, on the Nile River. Nearby is the site of the ancient Greek city of Tentyra. There is a large, well-preserved temple of Hathor (1st cent. BC), which contained a zodiacal...

• Dumyat or Damietta , city (1986 pop. 89,069), capital of Dumyat governorate, N Egypt, on Lake Manzala near the Mediterranean Sea. It is a manufacturing and trade center. Its products include glassware; cotton, silk,...

• Edfu see Idfu , Egypt.

• Egypt Arab. Misr, biblical Mizraim, officially Arab Republic of Egypt, republic (2005 est. pop. 77,506,000), 386,659 sq mi (1,001,449 sq km), NE Africa and SW Asia. It borders on the Mediterranean Sea in the north, Israel and the Red...

• El Alamein see Alamein, El , Egypt.

• Elephantine island, SE Egypt, in the Nile below the First Cataract, near Aswan. In ancient times it was a military post guarding the southern frontier of Egypt. The Elephantine papyruses, which date from the...

• Esna see Isna , Egypt.

• Faiyum, El or Al Fayyum , region, coextensive with El Faiyum governorate, N Egypt, W of the Nile River, a depression (entirely below sea level) in the Libyan (or Western) Desert. It is an irrigated agricultural area made...

• Fayyum, Al see Faiyum, El , Egypt.

• Girga or Jirja , town (1986 pop. 71,564), central Egypt, on the Nile. It is noted for its pottery; a sugar refining industry was established in the 1980s. The town is the seat of a Coptic bishop and derives its...

• Giza   Gizeh , or Al Jizah , city (1990 est. pop. 2,680,500), capital of Giza governorate, N Egypt, surburb of Cairo. It is a manufacturing and agricultural trade center. Products include textiles, cigarettes, and apparel...

• Gizeh Egypt: see Giza.

• Helwan Hilwan , or Hulwan , town (1989 est. pop. 230,000), N Egypt, on the Nile River, opposite the ruins of Memphis ; a suburb of Cairo. Manufactures include iron and steel, cement, and textiles; there is a food-processing and automobile industry. Helwan has a metallurgical research center and an astronomical...

• Hilwan see Helwan , Egypt.

• Hulwan see Helwan , Egypt.

• Idfu or Edfu , town (1986 pop. 45,737), S central Egypt, on the Nile River. It is an agricultural trade center and has paper mills and a sugar refinery. Idfu was the capital of a predynastic upper Egyptian...

• Ipsambul see Abu-Simbel.

• Iskandariyah, Al Egypt: see Alexandria.

• Ismailia or Al Ismailiyah , city (1986 est. pop. 212,759), capital of Ismailia governorate, NE Egypt. It is the seat of the Suez Canal administration. Extensive irrigation is used for growing fruits and vegetables; livestock...

• Isna or Esna , town (1986 pop. 43,055), central Egypt, on the Nile River. It is the center for an agricultural area that is irrigated by the Nile. Isna's manufactures include cotton fabrics and ceramics. The...

• Jirja see Girga , Egypt.

• Jizah, Al Egypt: see Giza.

• Kantara, El Egypt: see Qantarah esh Sharqiya.

• Karnak village (1986 pop. 20,842), central Egypt, on the Nile. It is 1 mi (1.6 km) NE of Luxor and occupies part of the site of Thebes. Remains of the pharaohs abound at Karnak. Most notable is the Great Temple of Amon. Although there was an older foundation, the temple was largely conceived and accomplished in the XVIII dynasty,...

• Karun, Lake Egypt: see Moeris.

• Keneh see Qina , Egypt.

• Kharga or Al Kharijah , large oasis (1986 pop. 38,544), S central Egypt, in the Libyan (Western) Desert. Populated chiefly by Arab Bedouins and Arab-speaking Berbers, the irrigated oasis produces cereals, vegetables,...

• Kharijah, Al Egypt: see Kharga.

• Kosseir see Qusayr, Al , Egypt.

• Luxor city (1996 pop. 360,503), central Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile. It is 1 mi (1.6 km) SW of Karnak and occupies part of the site of Thebes. The temple of Luxor, the greatest monument of antiquity in the city, was built in the reign of Amenhotep III (1414 BC-1397 BC) as a temple to Amon. The temple, 780 ft (230 m) long, was much...

• Lycopolis see Asyut , city, Egypt.

• Mallawi town, E central Egypt, on the Nile. Situated in a farm area, the town produces textiles and handicrafts.

• Mansurah, Al city (1986 pop. 317,508), N Egypt, a port in the Nile River delta. It is an agricultural market and industrial center. Manufactures include ginned cotton, cottonseed oil, and textiles. Al Mansurah...

• Matruh town (1986 pop. 43,157), NW Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea. Built at the site of the Roman town of Paraetonium, it is located on the coast road and is on a railway that links small ports. There...

• Minuf town (1986 pop. 69,673), N Egypt, between the Rashid (Rosetta) and Dumyat (Damietta) branches of the Nile River. It is the trade center for an irrigated agricultural region that produces corn,...

• Minya, Al city (1986 pop. 179,060), capital of Al Minya governorate, N central Egypt, on the Nile River. About half the city's population is Coptic Christian. It is a tourist spot and an agricultural trade...

• Misr see Egypt.

• Moeris ancient name of Lake Karun (Arab. Birket Qarun ), c.90 sq mi (230 sq km), NE Egypt, in El Faiyum. The size of the lake is much reduced from that described by ancient travelers, such as Herodotus. Crocodilopolis (later Arsinoë) was the chief town...

• Port Said or Bur Said , city (1986 pop. 469,533), NE Egypt, a port on the Mediterranean Sea at the entrance to the Suez Canal. It is a fueling point for ships using the canal and is the site of the main workshops of the...

• Qalyub town (1986 pop. 84,413), N Egypt, on the Nile River, part of metropolitan Cairo. It is the trade center for a densely populated agricultural region.

• Qantarah esh Sharqiya town, NE Egypt, on the east bank of the Suez Canal. It is on the ancient military road between Egypt and Syria. Qantarah esh Sharqiya is the terminus of a railroad to Palestine constructed during...

• Qarun lake, Egypt: see Moeris.

• Qina or Keneh , town (1986 pop. 119,917), capital of Qina governorate, E central Egypt, on the Nile River. Sugarcane and grains are grown nearby, and pottery is made in the town. Qina was built on the site of...

• Qusayr, Al town (1986 pop. 19,997), E Egypt, on the Red Sea. The ancient Leucus Limen, it was once a major Egyptian port and the focus of several trade routes. It was formerly known as Kosseir.

• Rashid see Rosetta , city, Egypt.

• Rosetta former name of Rashid , city (1986 pop. 51,789), N Egypt, in the Nile River delta. The city once dominated the region's rice market; rice milling and fish processing are the main industries of modern Rashid. Founded in...

• Sawhaj Egypt: see Sohag.

• Seveneh biblical name: see Aswan , Egypt.

• Shibin el Kom city (1986 pop. 132,209), capital of Munufiyah governorate, N Egypt, in the Nile River delta. It is an agricultural market and a cotton-processing center.

• Siwah or Siwa , oasis, c.35 sq mi (90 sq km), NW Egypt, in the Libyan (Western) Desert. Dates and tea are grown in the oasis, parts of which are c.200 ft (60 m) below sea level. Embroidery is also economically...

• Sohag or Sawhaj , town (1986 pop. 132,649), capital of Sohag governorate, central Egypt, on the Nile River. It is located in a densely populated agricultural region. Local industries include ginned cotton and silk...

• Suez city (1996 pop. 417,610), NE Egypt, at the northern end of the Gulf of Suez and at the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. An important port with extensive facilities, it is also a refueling...

• Suez Canal Arab. Qanat as Suways, waterway of Egypt extending from Port Said to Port Tawfiq (near Suez) and connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez and thence with the Red Sea. The canal is somewhat more than 100 mi...

• Syene see Aswan , Egypt.

• Tanta city (1986 pop. 336,517), capital of Gharbiyah governorate, N Egypt, in the Nile River delta. It is a cotton-ginning center and the main railroad hub of the delta. Three annual festivals are held...

• Zagazig, Az or Az Zaqaziq , city (1986 pop. 244,354), capital of Sharqiyah governorate, N Egypt, in the Nile River delta. It is a leading cotton market, as well as a trade center for grain and a rail and canal junction. Az...

• Zaqaziq, Az Egypt: see Zagazig, Az.