Egypt is largely a desert, an extension of the great Sahara that bands North Africa. Save for the thin strip of watered land along the Nile River broadening into the Nile delta, very little could survive here. As the ancient Greek historian Herodotus stated: 'Egypt is the gift of the Nile'. Egypt is perhaps best known as the home of the ancient Egyptian civilization, with its temples, hieroglyphs, mummies, and - visible above all - its pyramids. No other people in the world say 'Welcome' so frequently - and meant it every time. Egypt is the most traveller-friendly country in the Middle East. This means you'll enjoy decent places to sleep and English spoken to some degree everywhere. Egypt brings out the explorer in all of us.