Before you embark on your Egyptian adventure with Young Pioneer Tours, let’s go over some Egypt map basics so you have an idea where you’ll be headed! The current borders of Egypt are based off the British borders during colonial times. Historically, Egyptian civilization was centered on or near the Nile River which pours into the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt has some wonderful deserts, in fact you can read about them here. Egypt also includes the Sinai Peninsula which for the most part is desert.

The Map

Quick Note: Since the Nile River flows north into the Mediterranean Sea, Upper Egypt refers to the southern part of Egypt where the sea level is higher. Lower Egypt refers to northern Egypt where it’s closer to sea level. Just in case you’ve ever wondered why maps of Egypt do this!

We’ll go over five cities. Let’s start from the lesser-known cities to the more famous destinations.

• Aswan: This is one of Egypt’s southernmost cities, located on the bottom of the Egypt map right before Lake Nasser. This is one of Egypt’s calmest cities, as the main thing to do here is sip tea and enjoy the relaxing scenery. You have the Monastery of St. Simeon and many Nubian villages to visit.

• Luxor: This is the all-time famous Valley of the Kings where you can see the Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut and the New Kingdom Pharaohs of ancient Upper Egypt. You can see Karnak temple as well as all of the famous mystery that you think of when you hear about Egypt. If you venture a little further from Luxor, you can find the less touristy Temple of Osiris in Abu Simbel.

• Alexandria: At the mouth of the Nile Delta, right on the Mediterranean Sea is the city of Cleopatra. It’s a beautiful city with a seashore atmosphere, and European style. It’s great for Cafe-hopping and spending money on shopping sprees.

• Cairo: Egypt’s Capital city located at the red square on the map. Here, you can delve into Egypt’s Islamic past by visiting mosques and madrassas. A Madrassa is an Islamic school for learning. There are plenty of monuments, artisan workshops, museums, and Coptic Orthodox Churches you can visit. If you want to know what else you can do in the capital, check out Young Pioneer Tours Alternative Egypt itinerary.

• Giza: Right next to Cairo, Giza is a must see with the famous Giza Pyramids and the Great Sphinx.

Bir Tawil, the unique part of the Map of Egypt

Did you notice that awkward slump on the southern border of Egypt? This piece of land is called Bir Tawil. Bir Tawil is claimed neither by Egypt nor Sudan. Read more about our adventures to Bir Tawil here, a virtual no man’s land. Click here for an FAQ on Bir Tawil. The land is occupied by at least one group: The Ababda tribe, who in turn, claim the Ababda Emirate. It’s hard to find their flag, but this may be it below. It’s an unrecognized emirate and has a complex geographical history between Egypt and Sudan.

And then there is also the Hala’ib Triangle, which is directly linked to the dispute regarding Bir Tawil, this is the “good bit”, that both parties want. Egypt considers this its sovereign territory, so while international maps would show the area as disputed land, it is in fact under the control of Egypt and an Egypt map made in Egypt would show it as such. You can read our book on Bir Tawil here.

And you can check out Egypt and the EDEX Arms fair here.