The minerals of Egypt: oil, natural gas, iron ore, limestone

Egypt is a country in the north-eastern part of Africa. Its area is about 1 million km ² . Egypt's most famous minerals are hydrocarbons, but this is not the only thing that is rich in land in this country. 96% of the area is occupied by deserts covered only with sand and gravel. 3% of the territory is occupied by the valley and the Nile delta. From the north and east, the country is washed by the Mediterranean and the Red Seas, respectively. South of Egypt is Sudan, and to the west - Libya.

Climate

Egypt has a very ancient history, which is directly related to local natural conditions. In many respects the territory of the state is not homogeneous. Most of the country is characterized by a tropical desert continental climate with large temperature changes during the day. In the afternoon it rises to 50ºC, and at night it drops to 0ºC. Upper Egypt annually suffers from sandstorms that cause a dry hot wind from the Sahara. In the middle of the summer the Nile is poured, increasing the relative humidity of the air.

In Lower Egypt, the climate is Mediterranean subtropical. Near the sea precipitation often falls out. In October, the cool season begins, which ends only in April. The average annual temperature is 25-35ºC. In most parts of the country, rains are rare. The territory of Upper Egypt can not see them from 7 to 10 years. The average annual rainfall in the country is 100 mm.

Nature

The dry climate has led to the fact that the nature of Egypt is characterized by a small number of plants. The bulk of the territory is completely devoid of them. Deserts only in places after precipitation are covered by ephemeral plants. In semi-deserts and deserts, acacia, xerophilous shrubs and cereals are found. Flora in the Mediterranean Sea is much richer: rose hips, astragalus, camel thorn , etc. In the Nile valley palms, papyrus, oleander and other plants are found, most of which are not wild.

The nature of Egypt is poor and fauna. Among animals, birds are a great species diversity. In addition to nesting, there are wintering individuals arriving from the territory of European states. Among the birds of prey there are vultures, falcons and sarychi. Fauna is rich in representatives of reptiles and insects, but there are also mammals in Egypt. The country has developed livestock breeding.

Relief

The main part of the country is on the edge of an ancient platform, so there are many plains on its territory. Most of the state is located at an altitude of 300-1000 m above sea level. In Egypt, there are several relief zones. One of them is the Sinai Peninsula, which belongs to Asia. It is a triangle with an eastern slope. Along the Red Sea is a chain of mountains with the highest point of 2637 m.

The description of Egypt will not be complete without mentioning the Nile River, which is on the border of two deserts: the Libyan and Arabian. The delta and the river valley form the second relief zone. The Nile has a length of 1,500 km. In the southern part of the country, the river has a width of about 1 km, and at the level of Cairo is already 25 km. In the area of this city, the Nile is divided into sleeves, forming a delta area of 25 thousand km ² . During floods, the river covers the shore with a layer of silt, making the soil suitable for processing. These lands are the granary of Egypt. The main part of the population of this country lives along the banks of the river.

Deserts

The Libyan desert is located west of the Nile River, forms the third relief zone and occupies more than 70% of the country's area. For this reason, the description of Egypt can not be complete without mentioning these empty spaces. This place is among the most arid on Earth. The desert has a subtle slope towards the Mediterranean (from 600 to 100 m). The sand on its surface is only a fifth, the rest is rubble and pieces of limestone.

The desert has hollows:

• Kattara area of more than 19 thousand km ² , its bottom is at 133 m below sea level.
• Fayoum, 700 km ² in size and 17 m deep.
• A lot of small ones, in which ground waters come to the surface. They have long formed oases and cultivated land.

20% of the country's area is occupied by the Arabian desert (the fourth relief zone), its plateau gradually increases in the direction of the Red Sea. At the water's edge, the precipice reaches 700 m. The surface of the desert has no depressions and is covered with rubble. There are many channels of parched rivers on its territory. Water in them can appear only in winter. The eastern boundary of the desert is designated by a chain of mountains, the largest of which Shaib el Banat has a height of 2,187 m.

The minerals of Egypt

In the land of this country there are large reserves of oil and gas, which are located in marine and desert depressions. The relief and minerals of Egypt are interrelated. Coal in large quantities is found in the northern part of Sinai and in Fayum. Deposits of gas are found in the Nile delta. Blue fuel was found in 5 districts. Mount Etbai - the main supplier of valuable ores, incl. Iron, gold, uranium and copper. The Sinai Peninsula is rich in manganese.

Oil in Egypt is by no means the only useful mineral, although it was discovered in 46 deposits. Large deposits of phosphorites are found on the shores of the Red Sea, in the valley of the Nile River and the oasis of Kharga. In the country there are huge reserves of limestones, clays and marls. Aswan granite is known all over the world. A lot of other building materials are produced in Egypt.

The minerals of Egypt include deposits of salt (cookery and stone) and soda. The interior of the country is rich in titanium and gypsum. In industrial volumes there is asbestos, fluorspar, barite and talc. In the Arabian desert, raw materials are extracted for the production of aluminum.

Soils

Most of the country has no soil cover. This, above all, concerns the western regions, where there are stony and sandy deserts. Skeletal soils can form only in places where representatives of the flora grow and rain falls:

• Alluvial - the most fertile, formed on the banks of the Nile.
• Swamp and swamp-meadow are in its delta.
• Takyrs, solonchaks, yellow-brown desert.

The minerals of Egypt are one of the key items of state revenue. Many of them are used in domestic production. Not all of the deposits are developed, and the search for deposits does not stop.