Rubbing its western shoulder with Libya, resting its feet against Sudan and occupying just over 1million sq kms of North Africa, the Republic of Egypt is a country that forms a link between two continents, where the Sinai Peninsula to the north-east effectively forms a land bridge to Israel in Asia, the rest of its eastern border being made up of the mighty Red Sea. Dominated by vast swathes of arid desert - chiefly the Sahara - the majority of Egypt's 78.8 million strong population gravitates towards the infinitely more lush and fertile landscapes that line the banks of the river Nile as it cuts a pathway through the entire length of the country, and despite there being ample areas of Egypt where arable agricultural land exists, almost half of the nation's inhabitants prefer to live in urban environments, namely Alexandria and other major towns at the Nile Delta and the capital city of Cairo, the largest metropolis in not only Africa but also the Middle East.
With 99% of the population using only 5.5% of the total land mass of Egypt, it's hardly surprising that the rest of the country remains virtually untouched since the Palaeolithic era when humans first started to inhabit the Egyptian Nile Valley - an area which is home to one of the oldest cultures in the world and still littered with the spectacular evidence of the ancient civilisations of which Egypt is so famous for, including the Pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza near Cairo, and the Valley of the Kings in the southern city of Luxor, and are reason enough for anyone with a passion for history to favour this country over any other when it comes to choosing a holiday destination.
With the Mediterranean Sea forming the northern boundary of Egypt, the Red Sea lying to the south east and rest of the country comprising of an incredible variety of contrasting natural habitats, the climate of Egypt is not surprisingly diverse with predictably high temperatures and low rainfall in the desert interior and snow regularly falling on the mountains of the Sinai Peninsula. A steady north-west wind keeps the heat in check along the Mediterranean coast, but 42°C is a fairly common daytime temperature during a summer along the Red Sea coast, particularly the further south you travel in Egypt where a southerly wind does nothing but swell the heat and shift the sand into dunes that can be over 100ft high in some parts of the desert.
Being one of the hottest and driest countries in the world doesn't seem to deter rafts of tourists from visiting Egypt at all times of the year, many of whom choose to rent one of the holiday apartments on the Red Sea Coast that exist in an ever-growing number of exclusive vacation resorts like Dahab, Sharm el Sheik or El Gouna, all of which are scattered along the coastal stretch that surrounds the Sinai Peninsula and extends right down to where the Red Sea breaches the border with Sudan. Renowned for having some of the most outstanding conditions and facilities for watersports in the world, the Red Sea Riviera is a positive magnet for any dedicated disciple of wind-surfing and sailing, and with marine environments that attract scuba divers from far and wide and the kind of beaches that need to be seen to be believed, this is one area where holiday accommodation in Egypt can only increase in popularity in a part of the country that really does have something to offer everyone.
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