Line #5 UsefulNotes/ModernEgypt


1	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Egypt-map_8980.jpg]]
2
3	Egypt (Arabic: ''مصر‎ Miṣr''), officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt (Arabic: ''جمهورية مصر العربية Ǧumhūriyyat Miṣr al-ʿArabiyyah'') is a republic in North UsefulNotes/{{Africa}} and West UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}[=/=]UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast . The country is mostly desert, except for a thin strip along the Nile, plus a triangular bit (the Delta) where the Nile meets the sea. The Nile Valley/Delta is among the most densely-populated regions on the planet, and they light up like a Christmas tree--or perhaps [[UsefulNotes/IslamicHolidaysAndFestivals Ramadan lamps]]--at night, so they are very, very visible from space. Egypt is traditionally divided into Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, with Lower Egypt being the northern part of the country (i.e. the Delta), and Upper Egypt being the parts south. Where Upper Egypt meets Lower is UsefulNotes/{{Cairo}}, the nation's capital, and at 20 million-some inhabitants Africa's largest metropolitan area. The famous Pyramids are also there, and Memphis--the capital of the Old Kingdom--is not too far away, as is the old fort that served as the main [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Roman]] and [[UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire Byzantine]] garrison for the province of Aegyptus/Aigyptos, proving that some places are just more strategic than others. Arabic is the official language and the language of the people, but the issue is kind of... complex. For that matter, its history and culture are also rather complex; see UsefulNotes/HistoryOfModernEgypt for details.
4
5	Although Arabic is the major language of Egypt, the majority of Egyptians are not ethnically Arab according to the traditional definition; rather, your average Egyptian descends chiefly from the actual Ancient Egyptians, with at most a small number of ancestors hailing from the Arabian Peninsula. Whether or not Egyptians ought to be considered Arabs anyway [[PatrioticFervor is a point of contention]]. The [[UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity Coptic Christian]] minority tends to identify more with Egypt's native ethnic group — Copts — seeing Arabization and UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} as hand-in-hand representations of foreign invaders (they still speak Arabic as a first language, of course, and Coptic only as a liturgical language). It should be noted though that the term "Copt" was first coined by the Arab invaders who didn't really have their own word for Egypt at that time. What they did was to take the Greek word ''Αἴγυπτος'' (''Aigyptos'') and then remove "Ai" which they wrongly assumed to be a redundant definite article, as well as what they correctly identified as an obligatory noun suffix "os", thus giving rise to the term "Gypt", which, due to the peculiarities of the Arabic script and pronunciation would overtime be corrupted to the present-day "Copt". Thus, when we talk about "Coptic", what we actually mean is "Egyptian", and there are plenty of Coptic-DNA Muslims whose ancestors just never happened to intermarry with ethnic Arabs, yet in the eyes of society they're just as "Arab-Egyptian" as 90% of the population. All in all, while most modern Egyptians aren't exactly as closely related to their pyramid-building ancestors as, say, modern Greeks are related to the likes of Homer and Aristotle, a parallel with present-day Italians and ancient Romans would probably be quite fitting.
6
7	The Muslim majority is more divided. Some emphasize a common Arab identity, others prefer an Egyptian one, and still others prefer to identify with the Muslim ''Ummah'' (community of believers) as a whole. Many more, perhaps most, see no contradiction between the three. Anyhow, as in the rest of the predominantly Muslim world, religion is the most crucial aspect determining societal divisions, even if a sense of nationalism is rather deeply rooted in Egypt. Due to its commendable past, sheer size and the dominance of the Egypt-based media and entertainment (explaining the fact why Egyptian Arabic is widely understood all throughout the Middle East and Maghreb), Egypt has always been looked up to with respect and attention by its fellow Arab countries, even those much wealthier.[[note]]When President Sadat signed a peace treaty in Israel, it sent a shockwave throughout the Arab world, with many considering Egypt to have backstabbed the entirety of the Arab world, whereas others interpreted it as proof that since even the great Egypt admitted that Israel was apparently undefeatable, there was no point in prolonging hostilities.[[/note]]
8
9	In fact, [[RealityIsUnrealistic the above situation is not unique to Egypt]]. The vast majority of what are currently called "Arab countries" are populated by descendants of the same people who lived in that land centuries ago. The rest of North Africa -- Algerians, Libyans, Mauritanians, Moroccans, Sudanese, and Tunisians -- are of the same basket as or even more dissociated than Egypt when it comes to Arab identity. In many cases, calling Algerians, Moroccans, and Tunisians "Arab" will result in [[BerserkButton a swift uppercut to the head]]. They have a history that is separate from the eastern Arab world since the Middle Ages, are proud of their Berber heritage and French colonial history, and ''won't'' take kindly to being lumped with other Arabs. The fact that their Arabic dialects are nigh-incomprehensible to eastern Arabs doesn't help matters. The eastern population of the Arab world sans the Arabian heartland -- Iraqis, Jordanians, Lebanese, Palestinians, and Syrians -- are more receptive to the term "Arab", but the same case still applies to them. It's arguable than the concept of nationalism is slowly creeping to them as well; some Lebanese have begun to emphasize their Phoenician heritage more following their horrible 15-year long civil war. Remember, the Arabian peninsula is mostly a huge tract of desert with the odd oases scattered about. The peninsula was and is much less populated than other regions of the Arab world, including the Nile Delta. Although some Arab tribes migrated and settled in the conquered lands of the Caliphate, they certainly didn't ''completely'' replace the indigenous inhabitants of the area.
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11	Egypt, by dint of its large population (94 million out of ~300 million Arabic speakers) and other factors, is widely considered to be the center of Arab culture today: a very large proportion of Arab movies, {{Soap Opera}}s, music and literature come out of Egypt. In fact, the joke in Arab high culture is that Egypt writes, UsefulNotes/{{Lebanon}} publishes, and UsefulNotes/{{Iraq}} reads. The cultural impact of Egypt is great enough to deserve a separate articles: EgyptianMedia.
12
13	[[EgyptIsStillAncient Despite what you see in the media]], the numbers of Egyptians still worshiping [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Ra, Osiris and the others]] are not thought to be great. It's largely a Muslim country (80% to 90%) with a Coptic Christian minority. [[UsefulNotes/NeoPaganism Those that do are probably more numerous outside of Egypt than within]]. For a more relevant delve into contemporary Egyptian lore, see Myth/ArabMythology.
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15	Egypt is still famous mostly as the home of the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings, and lots and lots of temples, to say nothing of the Suez Canal.
16	----
17	[[AC:The Egyptian flag]]
18	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_egypt.png]]
19	->Red stands for the revolt of military officers in 1952 against King Farouk, white for the bloodless outcome of their revolt, and black for the centuries of British colonial rule; at the center is the coat of arms.
20	----
21	[[AC:Coat of arms of Egypt]]
22	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/coat_of_arms_of_egypt.png]]
23	->The coat of arms is a golden eagle bearing a shield with the national colors while holding a scroll that contains the country's full name in Arabic.
24	----
25	[[AC:The Egyptian national anthem]]
26	->بلادي بلادي بلادي
27	->لك حبي وفؤادي
28	->بلادي بلادي بلادي
29	->لك حبي وفؤادي
30
31	->مصر يا أم البلاد
32	->أنت غايتي والمراد
33	->وعلى كل العباد
34	->كم لنيلك من أيادي
35
36	->بلادي بلادي بلادي
37	->لك حبي وفؤادي
38
39	->مصر أنت أغلى درة
40	->فوق جبين الدهر غرة
41	->يا بلادي عيشي حرة
42	->واسلمي رغم الأعادي
43
44	->بلادي بلادي بلادي
45	->لك حبي وفؤادي
46
47	->مصر أولادك كرام
48	->أوفياء يرعوا الزمام
49	->نحن حرب وسلام
50	->وفداكي يا بلادي
51
52	->بلادي بلادي بلادي
53	->لك حبي وفؤادي
54	[[note]]
55	->bilādī, bilādī, bilādī
56	->laki ḥubbī wa fuʾādī
57	->bilādī, bilādī, bilādī
58	->laki ḥubbī wa fuʾādī
59
60	->miṣr yā ʾummi l-bilād
61	->ʾanti ḡāyatī wa l-murād
62	->wa-ʿalā kulli l-ʿibād
63	->kam li-nīliki min ʾayādī
64
65	->bilādī, bilādī, bilādī
66	->laki ḥubbī wa fuʾādī
67
68	->miṣr ʾanti ʾaglā durra
69	->fawqa jabīni d-dahri ḡurra
70	->yā bilādī ʿīšī ḥurra
71	->wa slamī raḡma l-ʾaʿādi
72
73	->bilādī, bilādī, bilādī
74	->laki ḥubbī wa fuʾādī
75
76	->miṣr ʾawlāduki kirām
77	->ʾawfiyāʾ yarʿū z-zimām
78	->naḥnu ḥarbun wa salām
79	->wa fidāki yā bilādī.
80
81	->bilādī, bilādī, bilādī
82	->laki ḥubbī wa fuʾādī
83	[[/note]]
84
85	--
86
87	->My homeland, my homeland, my homeland
88	->You have my love and my heart.
89	->My homeland, my homeland, my homeland
90	->You have my love and my heart.
91
92	->Egypt! O mother of all countries,
93	->You are my hope and my ambition,
94	->And above all people,
95	->Your Nile has countless graces!
96
97	->My homeland, my homeland, my homeland
98	->You have my love and my heart.
99
100	->Egypt! Most precious gem,
101	->A blaze on the brow of eternity!
102	->O my homeland, be for ever free,
103	->Safe from every enemy!
104
105	->My homeland, my homeland, my homeland
106	->You have my love and my heart.
107
108	->Egypt, noble are thy children.
109	->Loyal, and guardians of the reins.
110	->Be we at war or peace
111	->We will sacrifice ourselves for you, my homeland.
112
113	->My homeland, my homeland, my homeland
114	->You have my love and my heart.
115	----
116	[[AC:Government]]
117	* Unitary semi-presidential republic
118	** President: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
119	** Prime Minister: Mostafa Madbouly
120	** House Speaker: Hanafy El Gebaly
121	----
122	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
123	* '''Capital and largest city:''' Cairo (''القاهرة al-Qāhirah'')
124	* '''Population:''' 101,576,517
125	* '''Area:''' 1,010,408 km
126	(390,121 sq mi) (29th)
127	* '''Currency''': Egyptian pound (£) (EGP)
128	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' EG
129	* '''Country calling code:''' 20
130	* '''Highest point:''' Mount Catherine (2629 m/8,625 ft) (86th)

Context UsefulNotes / ModernEgypt