Why did british occupy Egypt in 1882?

The British had three main reasons: (1) they wanted to control the Swez canal which was claimed by the French. That would give them free and guaranteed commercial passage between England and India were a great deal of natural resourses existe; (2) to put down a military coup by the Egyptian Army headed by General Orabi who wanted to remove the Khdeive Said (the king of Egypt at the time) from power. The Khedeive war a tyrant against Egypts' poor and his own soldiers while being a true friend of the French--the perrenial enemies of the British. (3) the British wanted to occupy the vast land of the Sudan with its huge natural resourses but the only way to accomplish that ws to occupy Egypt first.

The British occupation of Egypt existe until Nasser in 1956 forced them to leave.