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Updates: 

Two new governorates have been created: Helwan and Sixth of October. Al-Ahram Weekly On-line  has a story about it. Thanks to Andrew Leonard for writing me about it.

ISO 3166-2 has come out in a second edition, dated 2007-12-15. This contains the ISO code for Luxor, as shown below.

Jose Gavinha brought it to my attention that Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) has released census figures  for 2006. I have used them to replace the 2004 estimates. This site has figures for the 1996 population which differ slightly from those shown in the table below; the total population of Egypt differs by 4,290, less than 0.1%.

There is a new Luxor (Al Uqsur) governorate. Some evidence indicates that it was created before 1998. Alan Pritchard provided a key to Egypt's postal codes.

Country overview: 

Short name	EGYPT
ISO code	EG
FIPS code	EG
Language	Arabic (ar)
Time zone	+2 ~
Capital	Cairo

 

Egypt had been part of the Ottoman Empire before 1879. The British military occupied it in 1882, setting up a government subservient to British interests, although it remained technically a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire. On 1914-11-18, Great Britain declared Egypt to be its protectorate. After World War I, with Turkey defeated, Egypt was granted a large measure of independence, effective as of 1922-02-28. A constitutional monarchy was established. In 1952, the monarchy fell to a coup led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser's government formed a union with Syria, the United Arab Republic (U.A.R.), on 1958-02-01. Egypt and Syria became regions of the U.A.R. Syria withdrew from the union on 1961-09-29. Egypt continued to call itself the U.A.R. until 1971-09-01. On that date, a loose federation was formed, the Federation of Arab Republics, comprising Egypt, Syria, and Libya. Egypt's official name became the Arab Republic of Egypt. In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula up to the banks of the Suez Canal, later withdrawing to a cease-fire line a few kilometers to the east. The canal remained closed from 1967 to 1975. The Sinai was restored to Egypt in stages by the terms of the peace treaty negotiated at Camp David and signed on 1979-03-26.

Other names of country: 

1. Arabic: Misr, Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiya (formal)
2. Danish: Egypten, Ægypten, Egypten
3. Dutch: Egypte, Arabische Republiek Egypte (formal)
4. English: Arab Republic of Egypt (formal), United Arab Republic (obsolete)
5. Finnish: Egypti
6. French: Égypte f
7. German: Ägypten n
8. Icelandic: Egiptaland
9. Italian: Egitto m
10. Norwegian: Den arabiske republikk Egypt (formal) (Bokmål), Den arabiske republikken Egypt (formal) (Nynorsk), Egypt
11. Portuguese: Egipto, Egito (Brazil), República f Árabe do Egipto m (formal)
12. Spanish: Egipto, República f Árabe de Egipto m (formal)
13. Swedish: Egypten

Origin of name: 

Ancient Greek Aigyptios, from Egyptian hut-ka-ptah: castle of the soul of Ptah

Primary subdivisions: 

Egypt is divided into 29 muhāfazāt (governorates).

Governorate	HASC	ISO	FIPS	Reg	PC	Population	Area(km.²)	Area(mi.²)	Capital
Ad Daqahlīyah	EG.DQ	DK	EG01	L	44	4,985,187	3,471	1,340	Al Mansūrah
Al Bahr al Ahmar	EG.BA	BA	EG02	D	84	288,233	203,685	78,643	Al Ghurdaqah
Al Buhayrah	EG.BH	BH	EG03	L	22	4,737,129	10,129	3,911	Damanhūr
Al Fayyūm	EG.FY	FYM	EG04	U	63	2,512,792	1,827	705	Al Fayyūm
Al Gharbīyah	EG.GH	GH	EG05	L	31	4,010,298	1,942	750	Tantā
Al Iskandarīyah	EG.IK	ALX	EG06	C	21,23	4,110,015	2,679	1,035	Al Iskandarīyah
Al Ismā`īlīyah	EG.IS	IS	EG07	L	41	942,832	1,442	557	Al Ismā`īlīyah
Al Jīzah	EG.GZ	GZ	EG08	U	12	6,272,571	85,105	32,859	Al Jīzah
Al Minūfīyah	EG.MF	MNF	EG09	L	32	3,270,404	1,532	592	Shibīn al Kawm
Al Minyā	EG.MN	MN	EG10	U	61	4,179,309	2,262	873	Al Minyā
Al Qāhirah	EG.CR	C	EG11	C	11	7,786,640	214	83	Al Qāhirah
Al Qalyūbīyah	EG.QL	KB	EG12	L	13	4,237,003	1,001	387	Banhā
Al Uqsur	EG.UQ	LX		C	83	451,318	55	21	Al Uqsur
Al Wādī al Jadīd	EG.WJ	WAD	EG13	D	72	187,256	376,505	145,369	Al Khārijah
Ash Sharqīyah	EG.SQ	SHR	EG14	L	35	5,340,058	4,180	1,614	Az Zaqāzīq
As Suways	EG.SW	SUZ	EG15	C	43	510,935	17,840	6,888	As Suways
Aswān	EG.AN	ASN	EG16	U	81	1,184,432	679	262	Aswān
Asyūt	EG.AT	AST	EG17	U	71	3,441,597	1,553	600	Asyūt
Banī Suwayf	EG.BN	BNS	EG18	U	62	2,290,527	1,322	510	Banī Suwayf
Būr Sa`īd	EG.BS	PTS	EG19	C	42	570,768	72	28	Būr Sa`īd
Dumyāt	EG.DT	DT	EG20	L	34	1,092,316	589	227	Dumyāt
Helwan	EG.HW				12				Helwan
Janūb Sīnā'	EG.JS	JS	EG26	D	46	149,335	33,140	12,795	At Tur
Kafr ash Shaykh	EG.KS	KFS	EG21	L	33	2,618,111	3,437	1,327	Kafr ash Shaykh
Matrūh	EG.MT	MT	EG22	D	51	322,341	212,112	81,897	Marsa Matrūh
Qinā	EG.QN	KN	EG23	U	83	3,001,494	1,796	693	Qina
Shamal Sīnā'	EG.SS	SIN	EG27	D	45	339,752	27,574	10,646	Al `Arish
Sixth of October	EG.SO				11				Sixth of October City
Sūhāj	EG.SJ	SHG	EG24	U	82	3,746,377	1,547	597	Suhaj
29 governorates						72,579,030	997,690	385,210
HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes. ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2. FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4. Reg: These have been called regions, but they are actually classes of governorate. C: (City) urban governorates D: (Desert) frontier governorates L: Governorates of Lower (downstream) Egypt U: Governorates of Upper Egypt PC: Egypt uses five-digit postal codes. The first two digits indicate the governorate. Population: 2006-11-11 census.

Territorial extent: 

Egypt ceded two sparsely inhabited areas to Libya in 1919 and 1926. These cessions left the border in its modern position, following the meridian of 25° East quite closely.

The legal boundary between Egypt and Sudan follows the parallel of 22° North, except for a small jog where the Nile crosses it. At the Nile, Sudan owns territory north of that parallel, mostly inundated by Lake Nasser. However, near the Red Sea, the administrative boundary deviates from the legal boundary. There is a small region in Sudan, south of 22°, administered by Egypt, and a larger area in Egypt, north of the parallel, administered by Sudan.

Egypt owns some islands in the Red Sea. They belong to Al Bahr al Ahmar governorate. The largest of them include Jazīrat Shākir and Jazīrat Zabarjad.

Origins of names: 

1. Al Fayyūm: from Coptic Fiom: the lake
2. Al Gharbīyah: Arabic for Western
3. Al Iskandarīyah: founded by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.
4. Al Ismā`īlīyah: named for Ismail Pasha (1830-1895), viceroy of Egypt during the building of the Suez Canal
5. Al Jīzah: Egyptian er-ges-her: beside the great pyramid
6. Al Qāhirah: Arabic for the victorious one, an epithet of the planet Mars, which was in the ascendant when construction began on 969-07-06
7. Ash Sharqīyah: Arabic for Eastern
8. As Suways: after a nearby spring, Bīr Suweis
9. Aswān: Ancient Egyptian suanit: market
10. Asyūt: Ancient Egyptian syawt: guardian
11. Būr Sa`īd: Arabic for Port Said, which was named for Mohammed Said Pasha, viceroy of Egypt when work began on the Suez Canal

Change history: 

There have been numerous border adjustments. Typically, one of the smaller governorates annexes adjacent territory from a frontier governorate.

1. ~1952: Kafr ash Shaykh governorate split from Al Gharbīyah.
2. ~1960: Capital of Girga governorate moved from Girga to Sūhāj, and name changed to match.
3. ~1963: Al Ismā`īlīyah governorate split from Būr Sa`īd.
4. 1980s: Several sources show a governorate named At Tahrīr (Liberation), capital Nasr. This governorate was apparently swallowed up by the growth of the governorates of Al Iskandarīyah and Al Buhayrah.
5. ~1984: Sīnā' governorate split into Janūb Sīnā' (South) and Shamal Sīnā' (North).
6. ~1987: Name of Marsā Matrūh governorate, and its capital, changed to Matrūh.
7. ~1995: Luxor governorate split from Qina.
8. 2008-04-17: By decree of President Hosni Mubarak, Helwan governorate split from Al Qāhirah (EG.QH); Sixth of October governorate split from Al Jīzah (former HASC code EG.JZ). There have been protests over the disposition of some territories by the decree. According to Al-Ahram, "The final borders of Helwan, Fayoum, Beni Sweif, Minya, and Sixth of October governorates will be fixed by the beginning of May [2008]...."

Other names of subdivisions: 

Spelling notes:
Place names are officially written in Arabic script. Some names may be translated, but most are transliterated or transcribed into the Roman alphabet. There are many possible methods of transliteration. Some of this variety is shown in the table of variant names.
The initial elements Ad, Al, As, Ash, At, and Az are articles. Sometimes, especially in older sources, they are spelled Ed, El, Es, and so on. Sometimes they are connected to the following word with hyphens. Some sources omit them entirely.
I have not attempted to reproduce the "dot below" diacritical mark that modifies some h's, s's, and t's. The ayn is shown as a back apostrophe (`), and the hamza as an apostrophe (').

1. Ad Daqahlīyah: Dacahlia, Dagahlia, Dakahlieh, Dakahliya, Dakalieh, Daqahlīya (variant); Dakahlia, Dekahlia (Anglicized)
2. Al Bahr al Ahmar: Mar Rojo (Spanish); Mar Rosso (Italian); Mar Vermelho (Portuguese); Mer Rouge (French); Red Sea (Anglicized); Röda havet (Swedish); Rødehavet (Norwegian); Rotes Meer (German)
3. Al Buhayrah: Beheira, Behera (Anglicized); El Buhayra (variant); Béhéra (French)
4. Al Fayyūm: El Faiyum, el Fayoum, Faium, Faiyūm, Fayum (variant); Fayoum, Fayyum (Anglicized)
5. Al Gharbīyah: al-Garbīyah, El Gharbiya, Garbia, Gharbieh, Gharbīya (variant); Gharbia (Anglicized)
6. Al Iskandarīyah: Alejandría (Spanish); Alessandria (Italian); Alexandria (Anglicized); Alexandrie (French); El Iskandariya (variant)
7. Al Ismā`īlīyah: Ismailia (Anglicized); Ismaïlia (French); Isma'iliya (variant)
8. Al Jīzah: El Giza, El Gīzah, Gizeh (variant); Giza (Anglicized); Guizèh (French)
9. Al Minūfīyah: Menoufieh, Menufia, Menūfīya, Minūfīya, Munufia (variant); Menoufia, Minufia (Anglicized)
10. Al Minyā: Minia, Minieh (variant); Menia, Minya (Anglicized)
11. Al Qāhirah: Cairo (Anglicized, Portuguese); El Cairo (Spanish); El Qahira (variant); Il Cairo (Italian); Kairo (Danish, German, Norwegian, Swedish); Le Caire (French)
12. Al Qalyūbīyah: Caliubia, Kalioubieh, Kalioubiya, Qaliyubia, Qalyubiya (variant); Kalyoubia, Kalyubia (Anglicized)
13. Al Uqsur: Al-Qusur, Al-Uqsor (variant); Luxor, Luxur City (Anglicized)
14. Al Wādī al Jadīd: El-Wadi El-Gidid (variant); New Valley (Anglicized); Novo Vale (Portuguese); Ouādi El Guedīd (French); Southern Desert (obsolete)
15. Ash Sharqīyah: Charkieh, Sharqia, Sharqīya, Sharquia (variant); Sharkia (Anglicized)
16. As Suways: El Suweiz, Es Suweis (variant); Suez (Anglicized)
17. Aswān: Assouan (French); Assuã (Portuguese); Assuan (Italian, Norwegian); Assuán (Spanish); Aswan (Anglicized); Syene (ancient)
18. Asyūt: Assiout (French); Assiut, Assyut (variant); Asyout, Asyut (Anglicized)
19. Banī Suwayf: Beni Souef (French); Beni Suef (Anglicized)
20. Būr Sa`īd: Canal (obsolete); Port Said (Anglicized); Port-Saïd (French)
21. Dumyāt: Damietta (Anglicized, Italian); Damiette (French); Dumiāt (variant)
22. Janūb Sīnā': Sina al-Janubiyah, Sina' al-Janūbīyah, Sinai al Janūbīa (variant); South Sinai (Anglicized); Sud Sinaï (French)
23. Kafr ash Shaykh: Kafr ash Shaikh, Kafr ash-Shayk, Kafr el Sheik (variant); Kafr el Sheikh (Anglicized)
24. Matrūh: Marsā Matrūh, Mersa Matruh, Western Desert (obsolete); Matrouh (Anglicized, French)
25. Qinā: Kena, Qena (Anglicized); Quena (variant)
26. Shamal Sīnā': Nord Sinaï (French); North Sinai (Anglicized); Sina ash-Shamālīyah, Sinai ash Shamālīya (variant)
27. Sūhāj: Girga, Girgeh (obsolete); Sawhāj, Sohag (variant); Suhag (Anglicized)

Population history:

Governorate	1937	1947	1957	1966	1976	1986	1996	2006
Ad Daqahlīyah	1,218,502	1,413,905	1,849,000	2,285,000	2,732,756	3,500,470	4,223,655	4,985,187
Al Bahr al Ahmar	9,914	15,929	N/A	38,000	56,191	90,491	155,695	288,233
Al Buhayrah	1,061,596	1,244,495	1,484,000	1,979,000	2,517,292	3,257,168	3,981,209	4,737,129
Al Fayyūm	602,122	669,696	765,000	935,000	1,140,245	1,544,047	1,989,881	2,512,792
Al Gharbīyah	1,967,894	2,327,031	1,567,000	1,901,000	2,294,303	2,870,960	3,404,827	4,010,298
Al Iskandarīyah	685,736	919,024	1,290,000	1,801,000	2,318,655	2,917,327	3,328,196	4,110,015
Al Ismā`īlīyah				345,000	351,889	544,427	715,009	942,832
Al Jīzah	685,331	818,168	1,117,000	1,650,000	2,419,247	3,700,054	4,779,865	6,272,571
Al Minūfīyah	1,159,701	1,165,015	1,260,000	1,458,000	1,710,982	2,227,087	2,758,499	3,270,404
Al Minyā	928,259	1,044,201	1,476,000	1,706,000	2,055,739	2,648,043	3,308,875	4,179,309
Al Qāhirah	1,312,096	2,090,654	1,726,000	4,220,000	5,084,463	6,052,836	6,789,479	7,786,640
Al Qalyūbīyah	610,157	693,908	758,000	1,212,000	1,674,006	2,514,244	3,302,860	4,237,003
Al Uqsur							360,503	451,318
Al Wādī al Jadīd	29,109	32,503	N/A	59,000	84,645	113,838	141,737	187,256
Ash Sharqīyah	1,120,826	1,345,829	1,635,000	2,108,000	2,621,208	3,420,119	4,287,848	5,340,058
As Suways	49,686	107,244	163,000	264,000	194,001	326,820	417,610	510,935
Aswān	305,096	290,842	340,000	521,000	619,932	801,408	973,671	1,184,432
Asyūt	1,205,321	1,374,454	1,203,000	1,418,000	1,695,378	2,223,034	2,802,185	3,441,597
Banī Suwayf	561,312	612,027	793,000	928,000	1,108,615	1,442,981	1,860,180	2,290,527
Būr Sa`īd	161,146	245,932	416,000	283,000	262,620	399,793	469,533	570,768
Dumyāt	40,332	53,631	333,000	432,000	557,115	741,264	914,614	1,092,316
Janūb Sīnā'						28,988	54,495	149,335
Kafr ash Shaykh			832,000	1,118,000	1,403,468	1,800,129	2,222,920	2,618,111
Matrūh	52,576	74,839	N/A	124,000	112,772	160,567	211,866	322,341
Qinā	1,017,569	1,106,302	1,219,000	1,471,000	1,705,594	2,252,315	2,441,420	3,001,494
Shamal Sīnā'	18,011	37,670	N/A	131,000	10,104	171,505	252,750	339,752
Sūhāj	1,118,402	1,283,468	1,449,000	1,689,000	1,924,960	2,455,134	3,123,000	3,746,377
Totals	15,920,694	18,966,767	21,675,000	30,076,000	36,656,180	48,205,049	59,272,382	72,579,030

Sources:

1. [1] Recensements Africains, 1^ere partie, Monographes Méthodologiques, suite. Groupe de Travail de Démographie Africaine, Paris, 1981.
2. [2] Statistical Year Book, Arab Republic of Egypt 1952-1993. 1994.