Country profile

Egypt’s ancient archaeological wonders (the pyramids, temples, mosques, great monuments of the Nile Valley…) as well as the stunning diving resorts of the Red Sea, attract millions of tourists each year.

Bordered to the north by the Mediterranean, to the south by Sudan, to the west by Libya, to the east by the Red Sea and Israel, and divided unevenly in two by the River Nile – more than 90% of the population live in the lush, green, highly cultivated Nile Valley and Delta. The Aswan Dam, as well as producing electricity, now controls the annual floods that once put much of the Nile Valley under water.

Narrow strips are inhabited on the Mediterranean coast and on the African Red Sea coast. The coast south of Suez has fine beaches and the coral reefs just offshore attract many divers to sea and around the residential satellites of Cairo.

Egypt is a surprisingly large country, ranked 30th in the world, twice the size of France and four times the size of the UK, yet because of the arid nature of the landscape, only about 5.5% of the surface area is populated and concentrated along the Nile Valley and Delta – Egypt’s lifeblood - in cities such as Cairo and Alexandria.

Egypt could be labelled as the oldest tourism destination in the world. The inventor of the package tour, Mr Thomas Cook, was taking parties up and down the Nile from as early as the 1860s and today millions of people every year follow in their footsteps and take themselves and their cameras to marvel at the pyramids and the monuments of ancient Luxor. However, alongside these amazing man-made structures are the natural wonders of the eastern and western deserts, Sinai and the Red Sea which protects fantastic coral reefs in its warm waters.

Hurghada provides the perfect blend of ingredients for a beach holiday plus the added value of golf and diving, two of the world’s fastest growing sports, ideal onditions for property speculation. The crystal clear waters of the Red Sea with spectacular coral reefs teem with marine life all underneath warm sunny skies. Famously, the Red Sea was Jacques Cousteau’s favourite underwater playground. A stay in ‘modern’ Egypt does not however mean that ‘ancient’ Egypt has to be forgotten. From Red Sea resorts such as Hurghada and Sahl Hasheesh it is possible to sample Luxor or indeed Cairo, by way of an organised coach trip returning within a day.

Competing with Eilat (Israel) and Dubai (UAE), the Red Sea resorts often win out as they are affordable, hospitable and medium-haul as opposed to long-haul, for northern European travellers. As a result, homes within purpose-built resorts such as Sahl Hasheesh are springing up alongside luxurious hotels at an impressive rate; the stage is set for ‘the next big thing’

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