Knowledge. The Egyptian world was the eastern Mediterranean. The Egyptians knew of areas currently in Africa, Western Asia, and Europe. There is no convincing and scientific evidence that the Egyptians were aware of North or Central America or that the "lost continent" of Atlantis ever existed.

Africa. Egypt itself is an African country. The Egyptians were aware of their neighbors in modern Libya, Sudan, and Ethiopia. There is abundant evidence that the Egyptians explored, traded with, and sometimes conquered Sudan (Nubia). The Egyptians also traded with Ethiopia and Djibouti, which they called Punt. This area was the source of incense used in the cult of the god Amun. Punt was clearly near the end of the Egyptian's known world since they emphasized the difficulty of reaching this place in their inscriptions.

Western Asia. The Egyptians became aware of the Near East at an early...