Egyptian peninsula, at the head of the Red
Sea; area 65,000 sq km/25,000 sq mi.
Resources include oil, natural gas,
manganese, and coal; irrigation water from
the river Nile is carried under the Suez
Canal. Sinai was occupied by Israel 1967-82.
After the Battle of Sinai 1973, Israel began
a gradual withdrawal from the area, under the
disengagement agreement 1975, and the Camp
David peace treaty 1979 and restored the
whole of Sinai to Egyptian control by Apr
1982.