Man Of The Year: The Gift of the River Nile

Arab by definition, its people have a history that makes them proud

Looked at on a map, Egypt is a big country: 386,900 sq. mi., or about the size of France and Spain put together. A satellite photo, which can distinguish between desert and arable land, tells a different story. Viewed from space, the real Egypt—the land that man can live on—is small and lotus-shaped. A thin, two-to ten-mile-wide strip of green, the flower's stem, follows the Nile north from the Sudan border; then, near Cairo, comes the blossom, the Nile Delta. In that narrow space of 13,800 sq. mi., no...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!