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 3400 BC   3400 bc Earliest hieroglyphics in Egypt 3150 BC   3150 bc Unification of Egypt under King Menes 2630 BC   2630 bc c. 2630; First pyramid constructed in Egypt; Imhotep is first known architect 2600 BC   2600 bc Preservation of fish and poultry (Egypt) 2575 BC   2575 bc c. 2575-2134; Old Kingdom of Egypt 2528 BC   2528 bc c. 2528; Cheops buried in First Great Pyramid at Giza 2134 BC   2134 bc Collapse of central authority in Egypt; End of Old Kingdom 2040 BC   2040 bc c. 2040-1650; Mentuhotep restores centralized government in Egypt marking the beginning of the Middle Kingdom 1700 BC   1700 bc c. 1700-1650; Chariot-equipped Hyksos begin invasions and conquer Middle Kingdom Egypt   1700 bc First evidence of leavened bread (Egypt) 1550 BC   1550 bc Ahmose reunites Egypt; c. 1550-1070; New Kingdom in Egypt 1500 BC   1500 bc c. 1504-1492; Thutmose I expands Egypt into Palestine, Syria, and Nubia   1500 bc Geometry developed in Egypt 1458 BC   1458 bc Thutmose III ascends to Egyptian throne; First usage of the term Pharaoh 1353 BC   1353 bc Amenhotep IV introduces monotheism to Egypt 1333 BC   1333 bc Tutankhaman (King Tut) reestablishes polytheism as official religion in Egypt 1150 BC   1150 bc Aristocrats in Egypt use chairs 1070 BC   1070 bc End of New Kingdom in Egypt 671 BC   671 bc Assyrians conquer Egypt 520 BC   520 bc Canal completed between the Nile River and Red Sea 323 BC   323 bc Alexander's general Ptolemy establishes control of Egypt 283 BC   283 bc Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria 51 BC   51 bc Cleopatra assumes Egyptian throne 639   639 Islamic armies conquer Egypt 1260 3 September 1260 Mamluks defeat Mongol army at Ain Jalut; Egypt avoids conquest 1291   1291 Mamluks destroy Acre and end the existence of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem 1859   1859 Construction begins on Suez Canal 1869   1869 Suez Canal opens 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 1 January 1956 Sudan granted independence by Great Britain 1978 27 October 1978 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. Go here for timeline sources.