Last Updated 23/10/2021.
Egypt is located in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, making its geography very interesting indeed. It is a transcontinental country and there aren’t very many of those. Likewise, the Middle East is a transcontinental region. Egypt borders Africa, the Mediterranian Sea, Asia, and the Red Sea, which opens onto The Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. This incredible location has given Egypt its notable history and importance as a crossroads of the world, with Egyptian culture being influenced down the centuries by different peoples. Egypt is really interesting. But this post is discussing the question above, where is Egypt located? We’ll also include some photos and facts from Egypt, it’s one of our favourite places.
Where is Egypt?
Egypt is on the northern edge of Africa, to the east it extends into Asia, its west is firmly in Africa. The country is in the Middle East, which is a transcontinental region. People are right to ask about the location of Egypt, it is a little complicated!
Egypt is in the Northern Hemisphere, with the centre of Egypt being roughly 30 degrees north of the equator putting the southern part in a dry tropical region. Cairo is about 2,200 air miles from London, over 3,000 miles by road. That would be a road trip I’d love to do, with Syria being maybe an issue. There are no ferries I can find between Europe and Egypt.
The bulk of the well-known historic sites lie along the Nile. This river bought life and prosperity to Ancient Egypt and you’ll find Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan along its banks. These are the main tourist hot spots of Egypt along with the beaches to the southeast.
The popular beaches of Egypt are mostly on the Red Sea. This lies on the eastern coast of Egypt.
You can read more about Egyptian geography and history here. It’s a long read, and complicated, this post just pulls key facts. If your children are learning about Egypt I can send you to our post on Egypt for kids, which even includes a few free printable worksheets and colouring sheets.
Of course, do further research for yourself, this post just reflects our findings and interest in this question. It was prompted by another travel blogger who told me Egypt was not in Asia. I knew he was wrong!
Is Egypt a Country?
Yes, Egypt is a country. It’s officially the Arab Republic of Egypt. Egypt has one of the longest histories of any country in the world.
Is Egypt in Africa?
Yes, Egypt is a country in Northeastern Africa, where Africa borders with Asia. Egypt has borders with other African countries, including Libya to the west and Sudan to the south. Lake Nasser stretches from Aswan, past Abu Simbel, into Sudan.
Is Egypt in Asia?
Yes, part of Egypt is also in Asia. Egypt is a transcontinental country. The Sinai Peninsula in the east of Egypt is usually considered to be geographically in Asia. It has borders with Israel and The Gaza Strip to the east. The Sinai Peninsula is surrounded with water to a large extent, the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Suez, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea.
Is Egypt in the Middle East?
Yes, Egypt is in the Middle East. The Middle East is a transcontinental region. The definition of which countries make up the Middle East has altered slightly over the years, but by some definitions, Turkey is also in the Middle East, which means even parts of Europe are in the Middle East. The western (more populated) part of Turkey is in Europe, the eastern (larger) part in Asia. It is another transcontinental country. These lands around the eastern Mediterranean were formerly known as the Levant.
Is Egypt in Africa?
Yes, Egypt is in Africa. It is on the Mediterranian coast of Northeast Africa. But Egypt is also in Asia. The country of Egypt lies on the border between north Africa and Western Asia. Egypt is a transcontinental country. It is in the region of the Middle East, this region is also transcontinental.
Further Egypt Information
A video playlist of places, destinations, attractions and historic sites in Egypt. Just let them play.
Classifying Egypt on Our Travel Blog
I have Egypt in my Africa category. I can’t put it in both Asia and Africa, in Africa it must stay. Sorry. We also have Egypt tagged with the Middle East and Asia. It’s quite difficult to classify these transcontinental destinations on a travel site.
I hope our post helped you somewhat with that question, “Where is Egypt?” So many people aren’t clear on its location and kids love to learn about ancient Egypt and its history. It’s not straightforward. We hope we will all be able to travel to Egypt again soon, it’s one of our favourite countries. Visit our post of family vacations in Egypt or our full Egypt travel information page.