CHAPTER II. * * * * * =GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SOUTH-EASTERN EGYPT.= * * * * * In this chapter will be given a brief general account of the district, under the heads of:— 1. Extent. 2. Relief. 3. Hydrography. 4. Coast-line. 5. Climate. 6. Scenery. 7. Animal and Plant Life. 8. Water Supplies. 9. Geology. 10. Mineral Products. 11. Antiquities. 12. Inhabitants. 13. Languages. 14. Industries. 15. Communications. 16. Government. The subjects of topography, water supplies, and geology, will be further considered more fully in succeeding chapters. =Extent.= As already mentioned in the introduction, the district treated of in this volume lies between the parallels of 25° and 22° of north latitude, and between the meridian of 34° E. and the Red Sea. It comprises an area of about 56,000 square kilometres (22,000 square miles). =Relief.[33]= The higher mountains of the Eastern Desert generally form the watershed between the Nile and the Red Sea. This watershed is much nearer to the coast than to the Nile, with the result that the eastward drainage is much steeper than to the west. Commencing from the north (_see_ the orographical map, Plate I), the principal mountain masses are:— (i) The Migif — Hafafit — Nugrus — Hangalia — Zabara group (1,505 metres[34]), cut off to the south by the Wadi Gemal (_Fd_). (ii) The Abu Hamamid — Hamata — Abu Gurdi group (1,978 metres), limited on the south by the Wadi Lahami (_Hg_). (iii) The Um Gunud — Dahanib — Batoga group (1,270 metres), lying between Wadi Lahami on the north and Wadi Khoda (_Hj_) on the south. (iv) The Abu Dahr — Orga — Um Tenedba group (1,131 metres), separating the drainage of Wadi Betan (_Fl_) from Wadis Khoda and Rahaba (_Hl_). (v) The Faraid group, the _Mons Pentadactylus_ of Ptolemy, comprising some very remarkable granite peaks (1,366 metres), lying near the coast between Wadi Khoda and Wadi Rahaba. (vi) The Awamtib — Abraq — Dif — Aqab el Negum — Mishbih group (1,353 metres), forming the tripartite watershed between the great Wadi systems of Kharit and Alaqi on the west, and that of Wadi Hodein on the east. (vii) The Gerf — Abu Hodeid group, a mighty mass rising to 1,736 metres, lying between Wadi Hodein (_Jn_) and Wadi Hasium (_Hs_). (viii) The Meisah — Adar Qaqa — Is group, between the Wadis Hasium and Di-ib (_Mr_). (ix) The Elba — Shendib group (1,912 metres[35]), a great mass of spiky mountains lying near the sea between Wadi Di-ib and the coast. Besides these main groups, there are numerous more or less isolated mountains, of which Gebels Abu Khrug (_Bd_, 870 metres), Hamrat Mukbud (_Cf_, 890 metres), Zergat Naam (_Ej_, 845 metres), and the two Niqrubs (_Fn_ and _Fo_, 829 metres and 1,078 metres) are examples.