Size: Egypt covers about 1,001,450 square kilometers (about three times as big as the state of New Mexico). Egypt is the 30th largest country in the world.

Population: The population of Egypt is about 80,471,869 (as of July, 2010). Egypt has the 16th largest population of any country in the world.

Egypt is divided into 26 governorates.

Official Language: Arabic

Education: Girls and boys in Egypt go to school for an average of 11 years.

Literacy Rate: About 71% (over two-thirds) of the adults in Egypt can read and write. About 83% of the men and 59% of the women are literate.

Official Religion: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%.

Flag: Egypt's flag is a red, white and black tricolor with horizontal stripes; a yellow Eagle of Saladin is in the center. The flag has a ratio of 2:3. Egypt's flag was adopted on October 4, 1984.

Climate: Egypt is mostly a hot, sandy desert. Most of the population lives along the fertile Nile Valley and the Nile Delta.

Major Rivers and Waterways: The major rivers and waterways in Egypt are the Nile River, Lake Nasser, the Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and the Suez Canal (a 193.5 km long man-made waterway which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, allowing a quick water route between Europe and Asia; it opened in 1869).

Highest Point: The highest point in Egypt is Mount Catherine (2,629 m tall), located in the Sinai Peninsula (in northeastern Egypt).

Lowest Point: The lowest point in Egypt is the Qattara Depression (133 m below sea level), located in northwestern Egypt.

Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc.

Major Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures.