Egypt is a country in the north-eastern part of Africa. Its area is about 1 million km2. The most famous minerals of Egypt -hydrocarbons, but this is not the only thing that is rich in land in this country. 96% of the area is occupied by deserts covered only with sand and gravel. 3% of the territory is occupied by the valley and the Nile delta. From the north and east, the country is washed by the Mediterranean and the Red Seas, respectively. South of Egypt is Sudan, and to the west - Libya.
Climate
Egypt has a very ancient history, whichis directly connected with local natural conditions. In many respects, the territory of the state is not homogeneous. Most of the country is characterized by a tropical desert continental climate with large temperature changes throughout the day. In the afternoon it rises to 50ºC, and at night it drops to 0ºC. Upper Egypt annually suffers from sandstorms that cause a dry hot breeze from the Sahara. In the middle of the summer the Nile spreads, increasing the relative humidity of the air.
In Lower Egypt, the climate is Mediterraneansubtropical. Near the sea precipitation often falls out. In October, the cool season begins, which ends only in April. The average annual temperature is 25-35ºC. In most parts of the country, rains are rare. The territory of Upper Egypt can not see them from 7 to 10 years. The average annual rainfall in the country is 100 mm.
Nature
The dry climate has led to the fact that the nature of Egyptis characterized by a small number of plants. The bulk of the territory is completely devoid of them. Deserts only in places after precipitation are covered by ephemeral plants. In semi-deserts and deserts, acacia, xerophilous shrubs and cereals are found. Flora in the Mediterranean Sea is much richer: rose hips, astragalus, camel thorn, etc. In the Nile valley palms, papyrus, oleander and other plants are found, most of which are not wild.
The nature of Egypt is poor and fauna.Among animals, birds are a great species diversity. In addition to nesting, there are wintering individuals arriving from the territory of European states. Among the birds of prey there are vultures, falcons and sarychi. The fauna is rich in representatives of reptiles and insects, but there are also mammals in Egypt. The country has a developed livestock breeding.
Relief
The main part of the country is on the edge of the ancientplatform, so there are many plains on its territory. Most of the state is located at an altitude of 300-1000 m above sea level. In Egypt, there are several relief zones. One of them is the Sinai Peninsula, which belongs to Asia. It is a triangle with an eastern slope. Along the Red Sea is a chain of mountains with the highest point of 2637 m.
The description of Egypt will not be complete without mentioningthe Nile River, which is located on the border of two deserts: the Libyan and Arabian. The delta and the river valley form the second relief zone. The Nile has a length of 1,500 km. In the southern part of the country the river has a width of about 1 km, and at the level of Cairo is already 25 km. In the area of this city, the Nile is divided into sleeves, forming a delta area of 25 thousand km2. During floods, the river covers the shore with a layer of silt, making the soil suitable for processing. These lands are the breadbasket of Egypt. The main part of the population of this country lives along the banks of the river.
Deserts
The Libyan desert is located west of the Nile,It forms the third relief zone and occupies more than 70% of the country's area. For this reason, the description of Egypt can not be complete without mentioning these empty spaces. This place is among the most arid on Earth. The desert has a subtle slope towards the Mediterranean (from 600 to 100 m). The sand on its surface is only a fifth, the rest is rubble and pieces of limestone.
The desert has depressions:
- Kattara with an area of more than 19 thousand km2, its bottom is at 133 m below sea level.
- Fayoum in the size of 700 km2 and a depth of up to 17 m.
- A lot of small ones, in which ground waters come to the surface. They have long formed oases and carried out cultivation of land.
20% of the country is occupied by the Arabian desert(the fourth relief zone), its plateau gradually increases in the direction of the Red Sea. At the water's edge, the precipice reaches 700 m. The surface of the desert has no depressions and is covered with rubble. There are many channels of parched rivers on its territory. Water in them can appear only in winter. The eastern boundary of the desert is designated by a chain of mountains, the largest among which Shaib el Banat has a height of 2,187 m.
The minerals of Egypt
In the land of this country there are large reservesOil and gas, which are located in marine and desert basins. The relief and minerals of Egypt are interrelated. Coal in large quantities is found in the northern part of Sinai and in Fayum. Gas deposits are found in the delta of the Nile. Blue fuel was found in 5 districts. Mount Etbai - the main supplier of valuable ores, incl. iron, gold, uranium and copper. The Sinai Peninsula is rich in manganese.
Oil in Egypt is far from the only usefulfossil, although it was found in 46 deposits. Large deposits of phosphorites are found on the shores of the Red Sea, in the valley of the Nile River and the oasis of Kharga. In the country there are huge reserves of limestones, clays and marls. Aswan granite is known all over the world. A lot of other building materials are produced in Egypt.
The minerals of Egypt include deposits of salts(cookery and stone) and soda. The country's interior is rich in titanium and gypsum. In industrial volumes there is asbestos, fluorspar, barite and talc. In the Arabian desert, raw materials are extracted for the production of aluminum.
Soils
Most of the country has no soil cover.This, above all, concerns the western regions, where there are stony and sandy deserts. Skeletal soils can form only in places where representatives of the flora grow and rain falls:
- Alluvial - the most fertile, formed on the banks of the Nile.
- Swamp and swamp-meadow are in its delta.
- Takyrs, solonchaks, yellow-brown desert.
The minerals of Egypt are one of thekey items of state revenues. Many of them are used in domestic production. Not all of the deposits are developed, and the search for deposits does not stop.
