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Ancient Egyptians - The Land of Egypt |
The Land of Egypt The Ancient Egyptians - Land of Egypt Fact Sheet Fact 1 on Land of Egypt: The country is located in Northern Africa, bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated between Libya and the Gaza Strip, the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Sinai Peninsula. Fact 2 on Land of Egypt: Description: The country is shaped like a lily with a crooked stem (see picture below of the map of Egypt). Fact 3 on Land of Egypt: A broad blossom shape terminates at its upper end at the Mediterranean Sea which is called the Nile Delta. Fact 4 on Land of Egypt: The 'crooked stem' ends at the First Cataract that borders on the Sudan (once called Nubia or Ethiopia) Fact 5 on Land of Egypt: The long stalk of the lily is called the Nile valley which can be described as a ravine scooped in the rocky soil for 700 miles from the First Cataract to the apex of the Delta. It is sometimes not more than a mile wide, and not more than 8 or 10 miles. Fact 6 on Land of Egypt: No other country in the world has such a strange shape, with its length so different from its small width. Fact 7 on Land of Egypt: The 'blossom' shaped Nile Delta and the 'stalk' shaped Nile Valley were called the 'Two Lands'. The Pharaohswere called the "Kings of the Two Lands," and wore a combination of two crowns, as being kings of two countries. Fact 8 on Land of Egypt: The 'blossom' shaped Nile Delta to the Mediterranean was known as "Lower Egypt" or simply the "Delta" Fact 9 on Land of Egypt: The long narrow valley lies like 'crooked stem' or a green snake, to the south of the country and bears the name of "Upper Egypt" or the "Said". Fact 10 on Land of Egypt: Nothing is more striking than the contrast between these two regions of the Upper and Lower parts of the country. The Ancient Egyptians - Land of Egypt Fact Sheet The Land of Egypt Land of Egypt The Ancient Egyptians - Land of Egypt Fact Sheet Fact 11 on Land of Egypt: The Egyptian Land Size measures 995,450 sq km, approximately 384 miles. Fact 12 on Land of Egypt: The River Nile flows throughout the length of Egypt and is the longest river in the world, flowing a total of 6695km (4184 miles) through nine different African countries Fact 13 on Land of Egypt: The length of the River Nile within Egypt totals 994 miles (1,600 km.) Fact 14 on Land of Egypt: The blossom-like Nile Delta consists of a endless plain with a flat horizon, wholly unbroken by natural elevations and is generally green with crops or with marshy plants. Fact 15 on Land of Egypt: The is no alternation of plain and highland, meadow and forest. There are no slopes of hills, or woods, or gorges, or cascades, or rushing streams in the Nile Delta region. Fact 16 on Land of Egypt: About 100 miles from the Mediterranean coast, on an entirely new scene opens with the start of the Nile Valley. Fact 17 on Land of Egypt: The scenes changes from the endless plain with a flat horizon to a a comparatively narrow valley. Both sides of the river are blocked at the distance of a few miles by rocky ranges of hills. Fact 18 on Land of Egypt: The forbidding, rocky ranges of the Nile Valley have craggy sides reaching steep heights without plants or trees. They enclose the valley within narrow limits, and act as a natural barrier to the barren lands of the Eastern and Western Deserts. Fact 19 on Land of Egypt: Although the country is referred to as having a twofold division of the country there is the section between the two halves is a sort of debatable region which is half plain and half valley. Fact 20 on Land of Egypt: This middle tract of the country is the open space of the Faiyum. The Faiyum region measures nearly 50 miles across and containing an area of 400 square miles. The Faiyum region was no part of the natural bed of the Nile, but Irrigationmade farming possible. The Ancient Egyptians - Land of Egypt Fact Sheet The Ancient Land of Egypt The Ancient Egyptians - Land of Egypt Fact Sheet Fact 21 on Land of Egypt: The Nile River broke its banks each year, saturating the surrounding countryside with a rich, fertile silt that was ideal for crop growing. The flooding enabled farming possible surrounding the banks of the river Nile, an otherwise desert region. Fact 22 on Land of Egypt: The great desert wastes on either side of the Nile were not considered part of the ancient lands of the Egyptians. Fact 23 on Land of Egypt: To the west was a hot, rolling sandy desert. To the east was a rocky highland that rises in terrace after terrace to a height, in some places, of 6000 feet. Fact 24 on Land of Egypt: Both of these areas are sparsely inhabited, and by tribes of a different race from the ancient Egyptians who had no allegiance to the rulers of Egypt. Fact 25 on Land of Egypt: The annual inundation of the Nile River was the key to the civilization and wealth of the ancient Egyptians. Fact 26 on Land of Egypt: The possession of the River Nile was of extraordinary advantage to the ancient Egyptians, not merely as the source of fertility, but as a means of rapid communication. Fact 27 on Land of Egypt: The ancient Egyptians were experts in the use of boats for travel, communication and transportation purposes. Fact 28 on Land of Egypt: The River Nile provided all of the advantages of an ancient road. Their 'road' measured nearly 1000 miles in length. Fact 29 on Land of Egypt: Northerly winds blow during the whole of the summer and autumn, and by hoisting a sail it was almost always possible to ascend the stream at a good pace. Even vessels of a large size passed up and down the Nile with equal ease. Fact 30 on Land of Egypt: There were no natural barriers to hinder commerce. There were no mountains to cross, no forests or jungles and no torrents to navigate. Fact 31 on Land of Egypt: The country also benefited from in an equable climate and an equable temperature, leading to an equable productiveness. Fact 32 on Land of Egypt: The summers are hot, especially in the south but the cool Etesian wind, blowing from the north through nearly all the summer, moderated the heat even in the hottest season of the year. Fact 33 on Land of Egypt: Snow and frost were wholly unknown and storms, fogs, clouds, mists and even rain were rare. The entire flat country is alluvial. Fact 34 on Land of Egypt: The geology of the hills on either side are, in the north are limestone. In the central region they are sandstone. In the south there is syenite and granite. Refer to Raw Materials of the ancient Egyptians. Fact 35 on Land of Egypt: Above the rocks there are deposits of gravel and sand. A portion of the eastern desert have deposits of minerals containing or producing metal such as copper, iron, and lead. Fact 36 on Land of Egypt: Precious and semi-precious stones such as emeralds, jaspers, carnelians, agates, chalcedonies, and rock-crystal can be found. Fact 37 on Land of Egypt: The trees and plants native to the country included dom and date palms, the sycamore, acacia, the persea, the papyrus and the lotus. Fact 38 on Land of Egypt: The animals native to the country included the crocodile, the hippopotamus, gazelles, pelicans, geese, ducks, ibises, cranes, storks, herons, kingfishers and quails. Animals such as the lion, hyena, lynx and deer were not native to the country but may occasionally have appeared, driven by hunger. Fact 39 on Land of Egypt: The Egyptians were the only nation of the ancient world which had ready access to two seas: the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. This provided them with massive opportunities for trade. Fact 40 on Land of Egypt: Via the Mediterranean Sea they had access to the lands of Europe, of Greece and Rome Fact 41 on Land of Egypt: Via the Red Sea they had access to the riches of the East. Fact 42 on Land of Egypt: Their partners in trade included Anatolia (Turkey), Afghanistan with access to goods from India and China, Lebanon, Canaan (Israel or Palestine), Rome, Crete, Greece, Cyprus, Phoenicia, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Kush (Nubia) and the Land of Punt (believed to be on the border of Sudan and Ethiopia. Fact 43 on Land of Egypt: The ancient Egyptians primarily exported grain but also perfumes and unguent oils Fact 44 on Land of Egypt: The ancient Egyptians imported gold, incense, ebony, ivory, timber, bronze, pottery, olive oil, lapis lazuli, slaves and the skins of wild animals. Fact 45 on Land of Egypt: It is of little wonder that this country boasted one of the oldest civilizations that spanned for over 3000 years. The Ancient Egyptians - Land of Egypt Fact Sheet Land of Egypt Land of Egypt |
