World Factbook
Egypt
Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
995,450 sq km
water
6,000 sq km
total
1,001,450 sq km
Climate
desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Land use
other
95.9% (2023 est.)
forest
0% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
4.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 3.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
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
Coastline
2,450 km
Elevation
lowest point
Qattara Depression -133 m
highest point
Mount Catherine 2,629 m
mean elevation
321 m
Irrigated land
36,500 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Nubian Aquifer System
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
2,612 km
border countries
Gaza Strip 13 km; Israel 208 km; Libya 1,115 km; Sudan 1,276 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm or the equidistant median line with Cyprus
Natural hazards
periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes; flash floods; landslides; hot, driving windstorms called khamsin occur in spring; dust storms; sandstorms
Geography - note
controls Sinai Peninsula, the only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc
Area - comparative
more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Geographic coordinates
27 00 N, 30 00 E
Population distribution
approximately 95% of the population lives within 20 km (12 mi) of the Nile River and its delta; vast areas of the country remain sparsely populated or uninhabited, as shown in this population distribution map
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s)
Lake Manzala - 1,360 sq km note - largest of Nile Delta lakes
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
(Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
An Nīl (Nile) river mouth (shared with Rwanda [s], Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, and Sudan) - 6,650 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth