Safaga, Egypt

Geography: Eqypt is located in 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.

Currency:  Egyptian Pound

National Symbols: Golden Eagle

National Anthem: " Bilady, Bilady, Bilady"- My Homeland, My Homeland, My Homeland

Language: Arabic

Area Comparison: Egypt is slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

Distance from Pittsburgh: 9912 km or 6160 miles

Terrain: Egypt is a vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta.

Highest Point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m

Weather You Should Expect: Egypt is a desert and therefore has hot, dry summers with moderate winters.

Historical Fact: A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty with the overthrow of the British-backed monarchy in 1952.

Interesting Fact: Egypt is the only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere and Egypt controls the Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

Everything You Need to Know About the Flag:

The flag has three equal horizontal bands of red, white, and black. The national emblem a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic is centered in the white band. The band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white). The flag is similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, the flag of Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band.