MANY might know of Egypt as the land of the pyramids but what else do we really recognise about this country. Well, no worries. This week, we will just focus on some small and interesting facts about Egypt.

1 Egypt (officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt) is a country situated in North Africa, with a small land bridge to Western Asia.

2 A large number of household objects were invented or used by the ancient Egyptians, including lock and keys, combs, scissors, wigs, makeup, deodorants, toothbrush and toothpaste.

3 In ancient Egypt, women could participate in business ventures, own land, represent themselves in court and even become doctors.

4 Egyptians have been known to have invented the ‘365 days’ calendar and the 24-hour division of the day.

5 Most of the Egyptian population live near the Nile River, as this is the only ground where food can be grown.

6 Apart from the Nile River, most of the land in Egypt is desert.

7 Egypt and Israel are considered the leading military powers of the Middle East.

8 Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Egypt. The national Egyptian team has won the Africa Cup of Nations a record six times.

9 Eighty to 90 per cent of the population are Muslim and most of the remaining population are Christians.

10 There are about 200 Jews in Egypt.

— Melaine Warren