The

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

– Sudan border ( ar, الحدود السودانية المصرية) is 1,276 km (793 mi) in length and runs from the

tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...

with

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

in the west to the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

in the east. The eastern section of the border is subject to a

territorial dispute A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of land between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the possession of natural resources s ...

between the two states.

Description

The border starts in the west at the tripoint with Libya on Gabal El Uweinat and then proceeds eastwards along the

22nd parallel north The 22nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 22 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, North America, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. The majority of the ...

to Lake Nasser. The border then briefly veers northwards, creating an area known as the ' Wadi Halfa Salient', before resuming its course along the 22nd parallel out to the Red Sea just south of Cape Elba (Ras Hadarba). Sudan maintains that the border diverges about 183 km (114 m) east of the salient, shifting south so as to leave

Bir Tawil ( arz, بير طويل, translit=Bīr Ṭawīl, lit=tall water well, ) is a area of land along the border between Egypt and Sudan, which is uninhabited and claimed by neither country. When spoken of in association with the neighbouring Halaib ...

in Egypt, and then north-east so as to include the

Halaib Triangle The Halaib Triangle ( ar, مُثَلَّث حَلَايِب, Muthallath Ḥalāyib; Egyptian and Sudanese ' ), is an area of land measuring located on the Northeast African coast of the Red Sea. The area, which takes its name from the town o ...

within Sudan. The boundary traverses a thinly populated region of the

Sahara desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

and

Libyan desert The Libyan Desert (not to be confused with the Libyan Sahara) is a geographical region filling the north-eastern Sahara Desert, from eastern Libya to the Western Desert of Egypt and far northwestern Sudan. On medieval maps, its use predates t ...

known traditionally as

Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...

, with the main population centres being around the

river Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...

in the vicinity of Wadi Halfa.

History

Egypt, though nominally part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, had acquired a large degree of autonomy under Muhammad Ali following the Second Egyptian-Ottoman War of 1839–41. In 1882 the British occupied Egypt, effectively establishing a protectorate (formally declared only in 1914). Egypt's traditional claim to Sudan was maintained, and following a war against Mahdist forces in 1890s, the British conquered Sudan and created

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ar, السودان الإنجليزي المصري ') was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt in the Sudans region of northern Africa between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day ...

in January 1899 as a condominium state, divided from Egypt along the 22nd parallel.Henderson, K.D.D. "Survey of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 1898–1944", Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd., London, 1946 The Wadi Halfa salient was added to Sudan on 26 March 1899 in order place a rail terminus from

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

under Sudanese control. A further agreement of 1902 created an 'administrative boundary' in the east in order to facilitate the administration of various nomadic peoples, thereby creating the Bir Tawil region (to Egypt) and the Halayib triangle (to Anglo-Egyptian Sudan). Egypt gained full independence in 1922, and in 1956 the Anglo-Egyptian condominium was terminated with Sudan becoming independent. At that point the 1902 agreement remained in force, however in 1958 Egypt re-asserted the 1899 boundary, a move protested by Sudan. After a brief show of force Egyptian forces withdrew from the region, and the dispute thereafter lay dormant. In 1959 Egypt and Sudan signed a treaty which paved the way for Egypt to create the Aswan Dam, which had the knock-on effect of flooding much of the Wadi Halfa salient under Lake Nasser. The Halayib dispute flared up again in 1992 when it looked as if oil might be discovered off its coast. Egypt moved troops into the area, effectively establishing Egyptian control, despite the protestations of Sudan. Thereafter, then Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir reiterated the Sudanese claim of sovereignty over Halayib in a 2010 speech in

Port Sudan Port Sudan ( ar, بور سودان, Būr Sūdān) is a port city in eastern Sudan, and the capital of the state of Red Sea. , it has 489,725 residents. Located on the Red Sea, Port Sudan is recognized as Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% ...

, saying "Halayeb is Sudanese and will always be Sudanese.""Egypt bars Sudanese official from entering disputed border region: report"
''Sudan Tribune'' (10 December 2009) At present the 1899 border is ''de facto'' in effect, leaving

in the unique position of being the only non-polar piece of land not claimed by any country on earth.

Settlements near the border

Egypt

* Shalateen (''disputed'')

Sudan

Faras Faras (formerly grc, Παχώρας, ''Pakhôras''; la, Pachoras; Old Nubian: Ⲡⲁⲭⲱⲣⲁⲥ, ''Pakhoras'') was a major city in Lower Nubia. The site of the city, on the border between modern Egypt and Sudan at Wadi Halfa Salient, was fl ...

(''historic'') * Wadi Halfa *

Selima Oasis Selima Oasis is an oasis in the Sudan located west of the Third Cataract of the Nile and the ancient site of Amara West. It lies along the Darb al-Arbaʿīn (Forty Days' Road), a desert track linking Kordofan with Egypt. Just to the north of ...

References