Sinai Peninsula

Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula is a triangular peninsula connecting Africa and Asia, covering an area of 61 000 square kilometers. The Sinai Desert, as the arid expanse of the peninsula is known, is separated from the Egyptian Eastern Desert by the Gulf of Suez and the Suez Canal, but continues eastward into the Negev Desert without any marked change in topography. The Sinai Peninsula, generally considered geographically part of Asia, is the northeastern terminus of Egypt, and is connected to Israel and the Gaza Strip to the east. The appeal of Sinai is legendary. Its spectacular landscapes, flourishing flora and fauna and unique history, a treasure trove of centuries, have long captured the imagination of millions. The southern part of the peninsula's high mountains and wadis provide fertile soil that supports Egypt's flora, while foxes, vipers, lizards and tortoises are only some of the animals that find a home in the north, characterized by lagoons and vast, soft sand dunes. In the Sinai Desert, most vegetation does not survive long, but desert scrub remains in most places. Animals are rare, but include ibex, gazelles, sand foxes, leopards and jackals. Sahara Sand Viper is a species of the family Viperidae, which lives exclusively in the deserts of North Africa and the Sinai Peninsula. The average length of the snake is about 20-35 cm. The Sinai Baton Blue, one of the world's smallest butterflies, lives only in the hillside patches of Sinai thyme in a dry corner of the Sinai Peninsula, in the St Katherine Protectorate of Egypt.