Sharm el Sheikh
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Sharm El Sheikh شرم الشيخ |
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| Nickname(s): The City of Peace | |
 Sharm El Sheikh
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| Coordinates: 27°54′44″N 34°19′47″E / 27.91222°N 34.32972°ECoordinates: 27°54′44″N 34°19′47″E / 27.91222°N 34.32972°E | |
| Country |
 Egypt
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| Governorate | South Sinai |
| Population (2015) | |
| • Total | 73,000 |
Sharm El Sheikh (Arabic: شرم الشيخ, IPA: [ˈʃɑɾm eʃˈʃeːx]) is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 73,000 as of 2015. Sharm El Sheikh is the administrative hub of Egypt's South Sinai Governorate, which includes the smaller coastal towns of Dahab and Nuweiba as well as the mountainous interior, St. Catherine and Mount Sinai. Today the city is a holiday resort and significant centre for tourism in Egypt.
Sharm El Sheikh ("Bay of the Sheikh" in Arabic) is sometimes called the "City of Peace", referring to the large number of international peace conferences that have been held there. It was known as Şarm-üş Şeyh during Ottoman rule, and as Ofira during Israeli occupation between 1967 and 1982. Among Egyptians and Israelis, the name of the city is commonly shortened to "Sharm" (Egyptian Arabic: [ʃɑɾm]; Hebrew: [ʃaʁm]). The name is also sometimes written as Sharm al-Sheikh, Sharm el-Sheik or Sharm al-Sheik in English.
Sharm El Sheikh is on a promontory overlooking the Straits of Tiran at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. Its strategic importance led to its transformation from a fishing village into a major port and naval base for the Egyptian Navy. It was captured by Israel during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and restored to Egypt in 1957. A United Nations peacekeeping force was subsequently stationed there until the 1967 Six-Day War when it was recaptured by Israel. Sharm El Sheikh remained under Israeli control until the Sinai peninsula was restored again to Egypt in 1982 after the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979.
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