Northern coast of Egypt

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Sunset view seen from Marabella, a tourist village to the west of Alexandria

The Northern coast of Egypt extends for about 1050 km (652 miles) from Rafa'h to the east, on the Egyptian-Palestinian border, to Sallum in the west, on the Egyptian-Libyan border. The coastline borders both the Arabian desert and the Sahara, including the Suez Canal and the Nile delta as the northern gateway to Africa.

Before the advent of commercial airliners flying directly through Cairo, the Nile and the Gulf of Suez were the main transportation areas for travel further into the African continent, from Europe and Asia. The city of Alexandria, in the center of the coastline, as chosen by Alexander the Great, has been the hub of sea travel between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile delta for over 2300 years.

[edit] Main cities

The main cities on the north Egyptian coast (west to east) are:

• Sallum - border town at Libyan border;
• Sidi Barrani - Sahara entry point;
• Marsa Matruh - main west coast seaport;
• Sidi Abdel Rahman - seaport town;
• El Alamein - southern most coastal town;
• Alexandria - main seaport, center of coastline;
• Rosetta - western Nile delta (aka Rashid);
• Damietta - eastern Nile delta;
• Port Said - entrance to Suez Canal;
• Arish - east seaport on Aris river.

Each town has developed depending on its location along the coastline.