Northern coast of Egypt
Mediterranean coast of Egypt
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Through Egyptians, Seabed and Egyptian revolution of 1952
The city of Alexandria lies at the center of Egypt's Mediterranean coastline in Lower Egypt (northern Egypt), founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE. The North Coast has been the hub of sea travel between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile Delta for over 2,300 years. During the summer, Egyptians usually travel to the North Coast to flee the heat in other towns and cities in Egypt. They stay in villages and resorts located in Sidi Abdel Rahman, El Alamein, and Ras El Hekma, amongst other areas.
History
During the Eocene, the area of what is part of modern-day Egypt was an ancient sea, but for the next few millions of years, sea shells such as nummulites accumulated above the seabed. They were then formed into limestone, which would later be used to build the ancient Egyptian monuments.
The idea of travelling outside one's city to go to the beach of another city during the summer became widespread after the 23 July revolution of 1952.
In 1986, an ancient Roman town was discovered when the construction of the Marina Town in El-Alamein started, the Egyptian government decided to convert it into an open-air museum.
In February 2024, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates signed an investment deal worth 35 billion dollars to develop Ras El Hekma, a bedouin village east of Marsa Matruh, into a mega city. The Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company will take part in the development of the town.
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Geography and nature
In contrast to Egypt's Red Sea Riviera, its Mediterranean coastline is totally plain with low altitude shrubland along the region, except for the westernmost portion which is formed by the 400m-high Marmarika Plateau. It is also characterised by the occurrence of Egypt's five northernmost lakes.
The region has typical Mediterranean flora and fauna on land and in marine life with the weather being between pleasant and hot during summer and mild in winter. The region receives the most rain in Egypt, hail and sleet fall rarely in winter. Snowfalls occur in some inland towns and locations.
Climate
Even though most of Egypt lies within a hot desert climate (BWh) according to Köppen climate classification with little precipitation, prevailing winds from the Mediterranean Sea greatly moderate the temperatures of the northern coastal line, making the summers moderately hot and humid, while the winters moderately wet and mild, when sleet and hail are also common, in and around the wettest places, such as Alexandria, having a hot semi-desert climate (BSh).
Temperatures range between a minimum monthly average of 9.5 °C (49.1 °F) in winter and 23 °C (73 °F) in summer, while a maximum monthly average of 17 °C (63 °F) in winter and 31 °C (88 °F) in summer.
Cities, towns and villages
Egypt's Mediterranean coast can be differentiated into 4 subregions:
- Western North Coast: Which has higher rain precipitation. Higher altitude witnesses higher snowfalls and it is colder than the other 3 portions. It also has more shrubbed and forested terrain, but no lakes. This subregion faces Greece and Crete. A number of summer resorts span between Marsa Matruh and Alexandria with those West of El Alamein becoming more popular in recent years. It has cities, towns and villages such as:
- Sallum, a border town near the Egypt–Libya border.
- Baqiqi, a fishing local village.
- Sidi Barrani, a snowy town, and Egypt's closest inhabited settlement towards Europe and Greece.
- Shammas, a local fishing village.
- Zawyet Umm El Rakham, a village with archeological sites.
- Marsa Matruh, the main seaport on Egypt's Western Mediterranean coast.
- Fuka, a village famous for excellent Mediterranean fruits and touristic beaches.
- El Dabaa is a main town that includes various high-end resorts including Hacienda Blue by Palm Hills, and SeaZen by Al Qamzi.
- Sidi Abdel Rahman, a new touristic seaport town.
- Ras El Hekma, a destination with sandy beaches. The area includes resorts such as Jefaira, LVLS Mountain View and Cali Coast.
- Central North Coast: The southernmost Mediterranean shoreline in Egypt, forming a big gulf. It has no lakes. This subregion faces the West of Turkey. It has cities, towns and villages such as:
- El Alamein the southernmost Mediterranean coastal city
- Marina, Egypt a leading Egyptian major resorts town, and host site of Ancient Egyptian and Roman monuments.
- Sidi Kreir a major town and municipality
- Hacienda Blue by Palm Hills, a new destination in the North Coast causing a stir in the market.
- New Borg El Arab a major city
- Alexandria the main Mediterranean city and seaport. At the center of the entire Mediterranean coastline and the second largest city in Egypt.
- Delta's North Coast: Which is settled by larger populations and hosts larger cities, with the exception of Alexandria. It has the Nile Delta which features hail and sleet in winters. Sometime frost and frozen ground during winter nights destroy the crops and agriculture plants. Three of Egypt's Northern Lakes are located there: Lake Mariout, Edko Lake and Lake Burullus. This subregion faces Central Turkey. Its cities, towns and villages are:
- Rosetta a historic western Nile Delta city where Rashid's Nile branch and Mediterranean meet (aka Rashid)
- Baltim at the northern tip of the Nile Delta. One of North Africa's northernmost towns
- Gamasa a local touristic city
- Ras El Bar a touristic city for locals where the Damietta Nile branch and the Mediterranean meet
- Ezbet El Borg is a fishing city at the other bank of the Damietta branch of the Nile
- Damietta a major eastern Nile Delta city and seaport in Egypt
- Eastern North Coast: It has the least precipitation, yet its cities and towns are of great geopolitical and economic importance. It is colder on its eastern part than its other part. 2 Northern lakes of Egypt are found in this subregion as well: Lake Manzala and Lake Bardawil, a subregion that faces Cyprus and Turkey. It has cities, towns and villages like:
- Port Said, a European-style city, entrance to Suez Canal and Egypt's major eastern seaport
- Arish, a major east seaport on Arish river and Arish valley
- Rafah, Egypt's easternmost Mediterranean city on the border with the Gaza Strip.