28 February: Egypt Independence Day

Egypt became independent from the UK on this date in 1922. Here are some facts about Egypt.

1. Let's start with what Egypt is most famous for - Pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Giza is estimated to consist of 2,300,000 stone blocks that weigh anywhere between 2 to 30 tons (as much as two and a half elephants) and took 20 years to build. It is about 460 feet (149 m) high and was the tallest man made structure for 3871 years until Lincoln Cathedral was built in England in 1311. The Pyramids are the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still standing. A possible reason they've lasted so long is that they were built with mortar that is stronger than the actual stone - and no-one knows what it is made from (the truth is out there). There are no hieroglyphics in the Great Pyramid. When first built, the Pyramids were covered in dazzling white limestone casing stones meaning you could see them from as far away as Israel and possibly even from space.
2. The capital and largest city in Egypt is Cairo. However, in 2015 it was announced that it may not be for much longer, as a new city is to be built 45km/25 miles south of it and this as yet unnamed city will be the new administrative and financial capital of Egypt, housing the main government departments and ministries, as well as foreign embassies and a population of 5-7 million people. The reason - to ease congestion in Cairo, one of the world's most crowded cities.
3. Egypt is home to the world's longest river, the Nile, which is 4,135 miles (6,670 km) long. The name derives from the Semitic word for "river". Ancient Egyptians called the river iteru, meaning “great river.”
4. Mummies are also widely associated with ancient Egypt. Just 150 years ago, Americans and Europeans believed mummies had healing powers. They'd ground mummies into powder and use it as a cure for all kinds of diseases. British monarch, Charles II (1630-1685) would rub mummy dust on his skin, believing “Greatness” would rub off.
5. On average, only an inch of rain falls in Egypt per year. Apart from the Nile Valley, the majority of Egypt's landscape is desert, with a few oases. There are sand dunes that are over 100 feet (30 m) high.
6. The Egyptian Flag is similar to the flags of Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. It consists of three bands of colours from the Arab Liberation flag—red, white, and Black. The white band includes the golden eagle of Saladin. Black represents oppression, red represents the bloody struggle against oppression, and white is symbolic of a bright future. Abusing the Egyptian flag in any way is a criminal offence in Egypt.
7. The second largest city is Alexandria, which was once home to the world's largest library. It was founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt after his father had built part of the library complex, the temple of the Muses—the Museion, from which the English word museum is derived.
8. Egypt has been known by many different names. During the Old Kingdom (2650-2134 B.C.), Egypt was called Kemet or Black Land, because of the dark, rich soil of the Nile Valley. It was also called Deshret, or Red Land, because of the deserts. Later, it was known as Hwt-ka-Ptah or “House of the Ka of Ptah,” Ptah being one of Egypt’s earliest gods. The Greeks changed the name to Aegyptus, meaning "below the Aegean".
9. The first pharaoh of Egypt was King Menes, who united the Upper and Lower Kingdoms in 3150 B.C. He named the capital of the united lands Memphis, meaning “Balance of Two Lands.” Legend says he ruled for 60 years until he was killed by a Hippopotamus. That may sound a little silly, but hippos were bad omens associated with the evil god Seth. They were actually more dangerous than crocodiles and they often capsized boats travelling along the Nile.
10. The ancient Egyptians gave the world many inventions. They were the first people to have a year consisting of 365 days divided into 12 months. They also invented clocks. The Egyptian polymath Imhotep (“the one who comes in peace”) was the first physician, the first engineer, and the first architect. The oldest death sentence recorded was in ancient Egypt. A teenage boy in 1500 B.C. was sentenced to kill himself by either poison or stabbing, for practising magic. The oldest surviving work about mathematics was written by the ancient Egyptian scribe Ahmes around 1650 B.C.