Egypt is one of the largest countries of North Africa which is actually a bridge between Africa and Asia because it is through the territory of Egypt two continents are united. Such physical position of Egypt predetermined, to a significant extent, its economic and political development. Since ancient epoch, Egypt has played the leading role in the region, though there were periods when the glory of Egypt declined, but its historical heritage can hardly be underestimated. In addition, today, Egypt has preserved its leading role in the region, the borderline between Asia and Africa. The country influences political as well as socioeconomic development of the region and its economic potential is huge, though, the country still stumbles through numerous economic problems which prevent Egypt from accelerated economic growth and prosperity. Nevertheless, it is possible to say that Egypt is the country with a great history and huge potential that allows Egyptians to expect for the renewal of Egypt’s would-be prosperity.
Speaking about contemporary Egypt, it should be said that this is one of the leading countries of North Africa. Its economic advances put the country into the avant-garde of African economy, while other countries to the South from Egypt are consistently less developed and their population lives in poverty. However, it does not necessarily mean that Egypt is a prosperous country. In fact, poverty is still a serious problem Egypt has to overcome. At the same time, it is possible to note a considerable socioeconomic progress in Egypt within the last few decades. The relative stability of the national economy was, to a significant extent, determined by the attractiveness of Egypt for tourists who simply rushed to Egypt, especially after numerous archeological discoveries in the 20th century.
Today, Egypt is a great attraction for tourists due to its artifacts and ancient architecture. For instance, Egyptian pyramids are renowned worldwide and people from all over the world closely associate Egypt with its pyramids, which created by ancient architects and laborers. At the same time, it is not only Egyptian history that attracts millions of tourist annually (Vatikiotis, 217). In this respect, it is necessary to remember about favorable climatic conditions and geographic position of Egypt. It has a huge recreational potential, while the development of leisure and hotel industries stimulated the growing interests of tourists, especially from well-developed countries, to Egypt. In such a way, the modern tourist industry of Egypt, which is one of the main industries of modern Egypt, is based on the historical heritage of the country and its favorable geographic position.
At this point, it should be said that the historical heritage of Egypt is really impressing. Egypt is one of the most ancient civilizations in the world, which origin dates back to the 10th millennium BC. In fact, it was one of the first states in the world. Initially, Egypt started to build up on the banks of the Nile River, which was a true river of life for ancient Egyptians because it allowed to develop agriculture and collect crops which did not only feed the local population but also contributed to the economic prosperity of the country by means of trade with other peoples (Grimal, 310). Gradually, Egypt grew in power to the extent that it became a leading power in the ancient Mediterranean region and the Middle East, by the 1st millennium BC. The economic prosperity of Egypt was based on its agriculture, trade and military power.
The epoch of prosperity of Egypt and its utmost power was marked by the great progress of art. Ancient artifacts, such as the gold funerary mask of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun (Egypt in all its ancient glory, 2008), and ancient Egyptian architecture, especially pyramids, are still great attractions for tourists. However, in the course of its history, Egypt has undergone a considerable decline after which it could have never recovered. Gradually, it was invaded by Greeks, later by Romans and it actually its independence for centuries. In the 20th century, Egypt started to develop a democratic and independent state (Vatikiotis, 124). The basic democratic institutions and principles, such as elections, parliament and others, were introduced in Egypt, though until now democracy remains under-developed in Egypt, but it has already made a considerable progress toward democratization.
Today, Egypt is mainly concerned with its economic development to improve standards of living in the country. On the international level, Egypt has quite tensed relations with Israel, but at the present epoch the active confrontation and military conflicts between these countries have fade away, though certain political tension still persists (Vatikiotis, 154). On the other hand, Egypt traditionally maintains friendly relations with the Arab world.
As a result, today, Egypt, occupying the territory over 1 million square kilometers and having the population over 75 million people, is a leading country of North Africa. At the same time, this country keeps being a bridge between Africa and Asia uniting both continents. In such a way, Egypt is still the country where African and Asian civilizations are mixed, while its geographic position determines its geopolitical importance in the region which has persisted throughout centuries.

Works Cited:
Egypt in all its ancient glory. 2006. Retrieved December 12, 2007 from
Grimal, N. A History of Ancient Egypt, New York: Blackwell Books, 1992.
Vatikiotis, P.J. The History of Modern Egypt. 4th edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 1992.

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