A Tour of Egypt 15Regions of Egypt
For planning purposes, the Egyptian government divided
the country into seven major regions: Upper Egypt, Middle
Egypt (Assiut); North of Upper Egypt; Greater Cairo; the
Canal; Alexandria and Matrouh; and the Delta. Local tradition
generally recognises slightly different regional classifications,
so I will stick with local tradition, while recognising planning
needs may require different categories.
Lower Egypt and the Delta
The terms Lower and Upper Egypt, which are used today,
have their roots in ancient tradition before the first unification
of the two regions of Egypt around 3200 BCE. Based on
contemporary maps and global logic, one would expect
Upper Egypt to be in the north. However, to ancient Egyptians
reality revolved around the perceptions of the life-giving Nile
whose source lies deep in the heart of the African continent
(the Nile flows south to north). Since their world revolved
around the flow of the Nile, quite logically, Upper Egypt
was in the south and Lower Egypt was in the north. These
designations are still in use today.
Lower Egypt begins at Cairo and ends at the boundaries of
the Mediterranean Sea. Just north of Cairo, the Nile divides
into its two tributaries, the Damietta and the Rosetta, forming
the huge Delta alluvial flood plain. Extensive networks of
canals and channel irrigation provide the Delta area with
needed water resources for cultivation. The area provided
such high crop yields that in Roman times, Egypt became
known as the “bread basket of the world”. Now, Egypt is
no longer able to be self-sufficient in its food production.
Throughout the country, maintenance of high agricultural
yields depends heavily on the use of agrochemical products.
The larger, more modern farms tend to be located in Lower
Egypt. Most of the cotton, for which Egypt is famous, grows
in this region.
The moment you leave the Delta proper, you are back
in the desert again. Desert extends west from the Delta
and eastward, turning into salt marshes along the eastern
sea coasts. Desert reclamation farms in Upper Egypt have