Climate of Egypt

Climate of Egypt

Cairo, Egypt, located in Northern Africa between Libya and the Gaza Strip, is on the eastern bank of the Nile River. Egypt, which is comprised of 97% desert, experiences mild winters and hot summers, with an average temperature of 71.1 degrees Fahrenheit (21.7 degrees Celsius), and receives only 1inch of rainfall a year.

With only 5% of the land occupied, Egypt has a population of approximately 69,536,644 inhabitants. Cairo, the largest city in Africa, as well as the capital of Egypt, is home to over 15 million people. Its overpopulation has led to many changes within the country which have had a great effect on the society and environment of Egypt.

The desert climate region has experienced many changes throughout history, and there is a drying trend in the climate. Because the Egyptians were among the first to record data, Cairo has a well documented history of its society, and in particular, of the Nile River.

Historically, Nile River played a large role in Egypt. The Nile has served, both historically and still at the present time, as a method of transportation and has dictated the agriculture and water supply. However, with global warming, the drying trend of the climate, and a boom of industrialization, the nature of the Nile and the Nile Valley has changed dramatically. Using Chad as an example, Lamb notes the drying changes in the Sahara Desert, and the evidence of there once being a population of animals:

This assemblage of artistic evidence clearly implies that there were enough moist places in the Sahara in those times to sustain life, so that animals and men could roam about, and cross, what is now the world’s largest desert. This conclusion is supported by evidence of the dated forme...

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...a history of environmental legislation, the past few years has brought a wave of new policies. In 1994, Law 4, for the preservation of the environment, was passed. Most importantly, from Law 4 two new programs dedicated to improving Egyptian environment were created: the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) works to institute plans for environmental management and regulate environmental standards; and the Environmental Protection Fund, which grants funs to solve solid waste management issues. The greatest environmental concerns facing Egypt today are air pollution, carbon emissions, energy consumption, and the preservation of the coastal regions. In order to combat these problems, Egypt is working, in conjunction with legislation, to educate its inhabitants on the environmental concerns, and the individuals’ responsibility to preserving natural resources.