The Great Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza

Egypt is a country near and dear to my heart even though I have never been there.  It just so happens that my BFF Dina, whom I met the very first day of kindergarten, is Egyptian.  Kindergarten for me happened 33 years ago.  And although we don’t live in the same state anymore, nor share lockers like we did high school nor even pass notes back and forth to each other with code words for people who were too risky too mention by their real names, Dina and I are still great friends.

Thanks to The Cheesecake Factory, where Dina and I meet up when I am back in my hometown, we still get to keep track of what’s going on in each other’s lives and have the added bonus of sharing some great appetizers.  I really love the tamale cakes.  So raise a glass if you have one handy, because I’d like to make a toast in honor of my friend Dina:  To Egypt – the home of ancient ruins and wonderful friends!

The Egyptian Flag

 Egypt Country Facts

1.  Size:  Officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, its size is 1,010,000 square kilometers.  That is about the size of Texas and New Mexico combined.  Most Egyptians live near the Nile River where there is arable land.  FYI:  this means agricultural land where crops are both sown and harvested during the same agricultural year.  The Sahara Desert makes up most of Egypt’s land, and it is sparsely populated. In other words, not many people live in the desert.

2.  Population:  84.55 million people (worldpopulationstatistics.com 2013)

3.  Capital City:  Cairo (also most populated) other major cities include Alexandria and Giza

4.  Religion:  About 90% Islam, 10% Coptic Orthodox

5.  Currency:  The Egyptian Pound

6.  Official Language:  Arabic, but English and French are widely understood.  Take a look at these expressions in Egyptian Arabic and learn the Arabic Alphabet with this kid’s youtube video.

7.  The longest river in the world called the Nile is in Egypt.  It looks like a long blue ribbon in the map above.

8.  The Great Pyramid of Giza is in Egypt.  I would love to see it someday!  It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

9.  Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization which includes the fascinating topics of pharaohs, hieroglyphics and pyramids.  The Ancient Egyptians date back to around 3150 B.C.

10.  The most popular sport in Egypt is soccer, better known as football.