Page:1902 Encyclopædia Britannica - Volume 27 - CHI-ELD.pdf/743

 GEOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS.]

EGYPT 689 October. In the month of June the water is clear and Sinai and the Red Sea Hills it is not uncommon, and a temperacarries practically no suspended matter, but by August it ture of 18° F. at an altitude of 2000 feet has been recorded in is full of dark red-brown sediment brought down by the January. The atmospheric pressure varies between a maximum in January Blue Nile and the Atbara from the plateaux of Abyssinia, and and a minimum in July, the mean difference being about 0 '29 is estimated to be then carrying 8 cubic yards per second inch. The following are the mean values for Cairo for the vears by September this has been reduced to half the amount, 1885-1898^ and then diminishes rapidly. On the island of Elephantine at Assuan is the well-known Nilometer, dating from ancient Atmospheric Atmospheric 0 Temp. Year. 0Temp. Pressure. Year. Pressure. Egyptian times, and altered and extended in Roman times, Fahr. Fahr. Inches. Inches. while the remains of other ancient Mlometers exist at Philae, Edfu, and Esna, together with inscriptions recording about 1885 70-3 29-84 1892 70-3 29-89 forty high Niles in the XXVth Dynasty, recently discovered 1886 6929-86 1893 6829-89 on a quay wall of the temple of Karnak. The data furnished 1887 7029-87 1894 6929-87 by these give about 4|- inches per century as the rate at 1888 7129-87 1895 69-5 29-87 1889 72which the Nile is silting up its bed north of the First 29-88 1896 69-5 29-87 1890 71-5 29-84 1897 68-5 29-90 Cataract. 1891 71-4 29-88 1898 68-7 29-88 Climate. —Except a narrow belt on the north along the Mediterranean shore, Egypt lies in an almost rainless area, where the . The most striking meteorological factor in Egypt is the pertemperature is high by day and sinks quickly at night in sistence of the north wind throughout the year, without which the consequence of the rapid radiation under the cloudless sky. The climate be very trying. In December, January, and mean temperature at Alexandria and Port Said varies between F ebruary,would the north wind slightly predominates, though 57° F. in January and 81° F. in July ; while at Cairo, where the those from attheCairo, south and west often nearly equal it, but after this proximity of the desert begins to be felt, it is 53° F. in January, the north blows almost continuously throughout the year. In rising to 84 F. in July. January is the coldest month, when occa- May and June the prevailing direction is north and north-northsionally in the Nile Valley, and more frequently in the open desert, east, and for July, August, September, and October north and norththe temperature sinks to 32° F., or even a degree or two below. west. From few observations that exist, it seems that farther Tim mean maximum temperatures are 99° F. for Alexandria and south these the winter winds decrease rapidly, becomino110 F. for Cairo. Farther south the range of temperature be- westerly, untilsouthern at Assuan and Wadi Haifa the northerly winds are comes greater as pure desert conditions are reached. almost invariable throughout the year. The Khamsin, or hot sand-laden winds of the spring months, come invariably from the Mean Temperature. south. They are preceded by a rapid fall of the barometer for a day, until a gradient from south to north is formed, then the wind commences to blow, at first gently, from the southAnnual Annual Place. January. July. Year. Maximum. east ; rapidly increasing in violence, it shifts through south to Minimum. south-west, finally dropping about sunset. The same thing is repeated on _ the second and sometimes the third day, by which Assuan 62 95 80 time the wind has worked round to the north again. During 118 42 Wadi Haifa 61 93 79 a Khamsin the temperature is high and the air extremely dry^ 117 41 Khartum. 71 93 84 114 while the dust and sand carried by the wind form a thick yellow fog obscuring the sun. The southern winds of the summer months which occur in the low latitudes north of the equator are not felt The relative humidity varies greatly. At Assuan the mean much north of Khartum. value for the year is only 38 per cent., that for the summer being Minerals. The minerals of Egypt which are worked at present 29 per cent, and for the winter 51 per cent.; while for Wadi Haifa are very few. The salines at Meks, near Alexandria, supply all the the mean is 32 per cent., and 20 per cent, and 42 per cent, are the salt needed for the country, except a small quantity used for curing mean values for summer and winter respectively. In Alexandria fish at Lake Menzaleh ; while the lakes in the Wadi Natron, 45 miles and on all the Mediterranean coast of Egypt rain falls abundantly north-west of the pyramids of Gizeh, furnish carbonate of soda in m the winter months, amounting to 8 inches in the year ; but large quantities. The alum of the Western Oases is no longer southwards it rapidly decreases, and south of latitude 31° N. but W,°I. ed.’ ?n acc0lint of the cost of transport. The turquoise mines little falls. of Sinai, in the Wadi Moghara, are worked regularly by the Arabs of the peninsula, who sell the stones in Suez ; while the emerald mines Rainfall. of Jebel Zubara, south of Kosseir, have been recently examined, to see if they could be profitably worked. Petroleum occurs at Jebel Inches per Place. Zeit, on the west, shore of the Gulf of Suez, but up to the present Annum. attempts to obtain it in any quantity have not proved successful. Considerable veins of haematite of good quality occur both in the Red Sea Hills and in Sinai, but difficulty of transport and want of Alexandria 8-1 fuel render them unimportant. Port Said. 3-4 Flora.—Since practically the whole of the country which will Ismailia. 2-1 support vegetable life is under cultivation, the flora of Egypt is Suez. IT limited. Besides the industrial crops cultivated throughout the country, the most important tree is the date palm, which grows all Recent records at Cairo show that the rainfall is very irregular, over Egypt and in the Oases. The dom palm is first seen a little and 1S furnished by occasional storms rather than by any regular north of latitude 26° N., and extends southwards. The vine grows rainy season ; still, most falls in the winter months, especially well, and in ancient times was largely cultivated for wine ; oranges, lemons, and pomegranates also abound. The sunt tree {Acacia while 011 the other hand reeorrwf1m '^ > ™ne has been Nuotica) grows everywhere, as well as the tamarisk and the sycarecorded June and July. ’ more. In the deserts several kinds of thorn bushes grow; and wherever rain or springs have moistened the ground, numerous wild Rainfall in Cairo in Inches. flowers thrive. This is especially the case where there is also shade to protect them from the midday sun, as in some of the narrow 1889. 1890. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. ravines in. the eastern desert and in the palm groves of the oases, where various ferns and flowers grow luxuriantly round the springs. Inches 1-73 0-61 2-15 1-60 0-27 1-30 0-66 | 1-70 1-43 0-3 16-1 Of late years. new avenues and gardens have been extensively planted, especially near the towns ; and among many trees which In the open desert rain falls even more rarely, but it is by no have been imported, the “ lebbek ” (Albizzia Lclbek) thrives especially, and has been very largely employed. U fr0m tlme t0 time Fauna.—Besides the ordinary domestic animals, the camel, horse, 3den fi'ld narrow burst,both causing sudden fl™d°7f’ floods in the ravines, andheavy oftenstorms drowning men donkey, goat, sheep, cow, water buffalo, &c., there are few wild T S6 011 in the of the Sinai wfp Peninsula, - l ^where r^™ they are much dreaded mountainous by the Arabs region animals.. The principal are the hysena, jackal, and fox ; numerous Snow is unknown in the Nile Valley, but on the mountains of gazelles in the deserts ; the ibex in Sinai and the Red Sea Hills ; and rarely the moufflon, or maned sheep, is met. The crocodile is never S. III.— 87