Egypt’s Three Plains: Coast, Nile, and Desert

Egypt’s habitable land falls into three distinct plains:

1. Mediterranean Coastal Plain

Narrow strip (25–150 km wide) along the north coast. Sand, mud, limestone, marl—deposited by Nile and marine sediments. Includes the Nile Delta’s eastern fringe.

2. Nile Valley & Delta

• Nile Valley: Narrow (5–20 km), fertile corridor from Cairo to Aswan. Bounded by Eastern & Western Deserts. Home to 95% of Egyptians.
• Nile Delta: Fan-shaped, 240 km wide at coast. Rich alluvium—rice, cotton, sugarcane, vegetables. Egypt’s breadbasket.

3. Western Desert Plain

Vast, flat, sandy-rocky expanse from Med coast to Sudan border. Dotted with oases (Siwa, Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla, Kharga) where groundwater allows agriculture and settlement.

Together, these plains concentrate Egypt’s population, agriculture, and history along 5% of its land area.