Name: Egypt Continent: Africa Population: 70,700,000 Religion: Muslim 89%; Christian 11%

Nominally independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty following World War II. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile river in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to ready the economy for the new millennium through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure. Information from the CIA World Fact Book

Timeline of Events Date Event 641   641 Founding of Fostat (Cairo) in Egypt 872   872 Ahmad ibn Talun establishes first hospital in Cairo; Hospitals now common throughout Arab world 969   969 Fatimids conquer Egypt and move capital to Cairo 1175   1175 Saladin recognized as sultan of Egypt and Syria 1822 27 September 1822 Jean-François Champollion announces the deciphering of the Rosetta stone 1881   1881 British forces defeat rebel Egyptian army at the Battle of Tel el-Kebir, marking the beginning of British military occupation of Egypt 1884 12 March 1884 Mahdist Sudanese army besieges and defeats British-led Egyptian garrison at the Siege of Khartoum 1956   1956 Gamal Abdel-Nasser Becomes President of Egypt 1 January 1956 Sudan granted independence by Great Britain 26 July 1956 Egypt Nationalizes Suez Canal 1970 28 September 1970 President Gamal Abdel-Nasser Dies, Anwar Sadat becomes president of Egypt 1978 27 October 1978 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. 1981 6 October 1981 Anwar Sadat assassinated; Mohamed Hosni Mubarak becomes president of Egypt Go here for timeline sources.