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Egypt Important General Information for Travelers
Egypt is officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt and is located in northeastern Africa and southwestern
Asia.
Cairo, the capital and largest city, is the most modern in the Middle East and
Africa. It is bound on the north by the Mediterranean
Sea, on the east by
Israel and the Red Sea, on the south by
Sudan, and on the west by
Libya. The country has a maximum length from north to south of about 1086 km (about 675 mile) and a maximum width, near the southern border, of about 1255 km (about 780 m). It has a total area of about 1,001,450 sq km (about 386,662 sq m). Less than one tenth of the land area of
Egypt is settled or under cultivation, this consists of the valley and delta of the Nile, a number of desert oases, and land along the
Suez Canal.
More than 90 percent of the country consists of desert areas: In the west, the Libyan Desert, a part of the
Sahara
Desert which is also known as the
Western
Desert.
The Libyan Desert includes a vast sandy expanse called the
Great
Sand
Sea. Located here are several depressions with elevations below sea level, including the Qattara Depression, which has an area of about 18,000 sq km (about 7000 sq m) and reaches a depth of 133 m (436 ft) below sea level, the lowest point in Africa. Also found here are the oasis of Siwa, Kharga, Baharia and Dakhla.
In the east the Arabian Desert, also called the
Eastern
Desert (which borders the Red Sea and the
Gulf of Suez). Much of the Arabian Desert occupies a plateau that rises gradually east from the Nile Valley to elevations of about 600 m (about 2000 ft) in the east and is broken along the Red Sea coast by jagged peaks as high as about 2100 m (about 7000 ft) above sea level. In the extreme south, along the border with
Sudan, is the
Nubian Desert, an extensive region of dunes and sandy plains.
The Sinai Peninsula consists of sandy desert in the north and rugged mountains in the south, with summits looming more than about 2100 m (about 7000 ft) above the
Red Sea. Mount Catherine (Jabal Katrìnah - 2637 m/8652 ft), the highest elevation in Egypt, is in the Sinai Peninsula, as is Mount Sinai (Jabal Mosa), where, according to the Old Testament, Moses received the Ten Commandments.
The Nile enters
Egypt from the
Sudan and flows north for about 1545 km (about 960 m) to the
Mediterranean Sea. For its entire length, from the southern border to
Cairo, the
Nile flows through a narrow valley lined by cliffs.
Lake
Nasser, the world's largest man-made reservoir and formed by the
Aswan high dam, extends south across the
Sudan border. The lake is about 480 km (about 300 m) long and is about 16 km (10 m) across at its widest point. About two-thirds of the lake lies in
Egypt. South of a point near the town of
Edfu, the
Nile
Valley is rarely more than 3 km (2 m) wide. From Edfu to
Cairo, the valley is about 23 km (about 14 m) in width, with most of the arable portion on the western side. In the vicinity of
Cairo the valley merges with the delta, a fan-shaped plain, the perimeter of which occupies about 250 km (about 155 m) of the Mediterranean coastline. Silt deposited by the Rosetta (Rashid),
Damietta (
Dumyat), and other distributaries has made the delta the most fertile region in the country. However, the Aswan High Dam has reduced the flow of the Nile, causing the salty waters of the Mediterranean to erode land along the coast near the
Nile.
A series of four shallow, brackish lakes extends along the seaward extremity of the delta. Another larger lake, Birkat Qarun, is situated inland in the desert north of the town of
Al Fayoum. Geographically and traditionally, the
Nile
Valley is divided into two regions, Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt, the former consisting of the delta area and the latter comprising the valley south of
Cairo.
Travel Tips For
Egypt
Currency & Payment:
Unit of Currency = Egyptian Pounds (EGP) (LE - Livre Egyptienne) and it is divided into 100 piaster. In Arabic it is called Genaeh. Here you will find 25 and 50 piaster notes and various sized coins down to the 5 piaster. At present $1 dollar is equivalent to 5.5 Egyptian pounds. For up-to-the minute exchange rates, you can consult a major newspaper or bank. Also, you can check on the web at www.xe.net/ucc or www.bloomberg.com
Banks generally will NOT accept $100 notes issued before 1992. Most major credit/debit cards, such as American Express, Master Card, Visa, all Euro cards and JCB, are widely accepted in various hotels and shops. If you want to use an ATM machine, they accept Visa, MasterCard and Cirrus cards. If you can't find an ATM machine in your vicinity, you can still obtain cash if you go to any of the Misr Bank braches.
In
Egypt, most of the banks are open from Sunday to Thursday; working hours being 08:30 Am to 2 pm, though banks at the airports and the major entry ports are open 24 hours daily. We recommend that you start with changing $200 per person at the airport or at your hotel bank.
Note: Personal checks are generally NOT accepted overseas.
Time Differences:
Country Time Difference + 7 hours
Egypt is 2 hours ahead of GMT Standard time
Note: The above time are based on Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Business hours and Calendars:
Banks are closed on Fridays and Saturdays, and are open during the rest of the days from 8.30 am to 2.00 pm. Most embassies are closed on Fridays and Saturdays except some, on Saturdays and Sundays.
The business and secular community in
Egypt operates under the Western (Gregorian) calendar (B.C/A.D). But other calendars have official status in
Egypt. The Islamic calendar (A.H) is used to fix religious observances and is based on a lunar cycle of 12 months of 29or 30 days. The Muslim year thus 11 days shorter.
Alcohol & Duty Free:
There is a good selection of beer in
Egypt – Stella,
Sakkara, Meister and Heineken. As for spirits, you buy it in Duty Free within 48 hours of your arrival at the Tax Free shops located downtown. Spirits are quite expensive in hotels, bars and on cruise ships, and almost impossible to purchase other than from duty free. There are Spirit Shops to purchase wines, beers and spirits should you wish.
Electricity:
The electricity current is 220 volts, 50 Hz, and uses round-pronged plugs. North American and other non 220-volt users are advised to bring aconverter.
Making a phone call:
To call any country outside
Egypt, dial your country code, then city code then number. For family to call you from the
United States they should dial: 011- 20- number
Language in
Egypt:
Arabic is the common and official language of around 23 countries, but the spoken dialect of each can vary considerably. Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood of the Arab world due to the country’s vast film, television and music industry.However, most educated Egyptians speak at least one or two foreign languages. It is a kind idea though, and useful too, to learn at least a few words, as polite greetings.
Arabic Numbers
0 Sifr 6 Sitta 30 Talateen
1 Wahed 7 Sabbah 40 Arbaein
2 Ittnen 8 Tamaniya 50 Khamseen
3 Talata 9 Tissa 60 Setteen
4 Arbah 10 Ashara 70 Sabein
5 khamsa 20 Aishreen 80 tamanein
Common Expressions and Questions
Yes = aiwa
No = la'
Ok = kwayis
Hello = ahlan
Hello = salam alekum
reply = alekum es salam
Good morning = sabah el khayr
reply = sabah el nur
Good evening =
massa el khayr
Good night = tesbah el khair
Goodbye = maasalaama
Welcome = ahlan wa sahlan
Nice to meet you = tasharrafna
See you ! = netla a badayn
See you later = ashoofak badayn
Thank you = shukran
reply (you're welcome) = afwan
Please = men fadlak/men fadlik (m/f)
God willing = Inshaalha
In the name of God = bismeelah
Thank God = Al kham du leelah
No problem = mafeesh moshkela
Never mind = maalish
Excuse me = low samaht/samahtee (m/f)
Congratulations = mabrook
Too much = kathir
Expensive = ghali
Enough = baas
Fine/ok = mashi
I am from = ana men
I would like = ana ayez
Money = flooz
Stamps = tabeaa
Food = akal
Water = mayia
Tea = shay
Milk = laban
Bier = biera
Sugar = sokkar
Key = moftah
Pillow = makhadda
Soap = saboon
Restroom = hammam
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