Egyptians (Arabic: المصريون, romanized: Al-Masriyun, IPA: [almisˤɾejˈjuːn]; Egyptian Arabic: المصريين, romanized: El-Masreyeen, IPA: [elmɑsˤɾejˈjiːn]; Coptic: ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, romanized: remenkhēmi) are an ethnic group native to the Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population is concentrated in the Nile Valley, a small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to the Mediterranean and enclosed by desert both to the east and to the west. This unique geography has been the basis of the development of Egyptian society since antiquity.