Egypt is a transcontinental nation spanning the northeast corner of Africa and the southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. The vast majority of its land area is part of the Sahara Desert, which is mostly uninhabited. Consequently, about 95% of Egypt's population lives along the banks of the Nile River and in the Nile Delta, which accounts for only about 5% of the total land area. The Nile is the lifeblood of the country, providing water for drinking and irrigation in an otherwise arid environment. Cairo, the capital, is situated near where the river fans out into the delta. Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the east, connected by the Suez Canal. This canal is a critical global trade artery. The country is world-renowned for its ancient monuments, including the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza, which were built along the Nile's western bank—the side associated with the setting sun and the afterlife.