|
Egypt
Physical. Egypt is located in Northern Africa, bordering the
Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea and the Gaza Strip to the east,
Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. It covers an area about three times
the size of New Mexico. Egypt is a vast desert plateau interrupted by the Nile
valley and delta. The climate is reflective of a desert with hot, dry summers
and moderate winters. Some natural resources include petroleum, iron ore,
gypsum, phosphates, lead, limestone, and manganese.
People. More than 70,700,000 people live in Egypt. They recognize Arabic
as the official language while French and English remain widely understood by
the educated classes. Ethnically, the people are composed of Eastern Hamitic
stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers 99%). The religious make-up of the
country is as follows: Muslim (mostly Sunni 94%) and Coptic Christian (6%).
Government. President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak came to power when Islamic
fundamentalists killed Anwar Sadat in 1981. He was the Air Force commander and
designer of Egypt’s 1973 success against Israel. Mubarak has taken severe steps
to control Islamic fundamentalists and their attacks by extending the state of
emergency. His repressive measures have resulted in 1200 deaths by police and
militants in the 1990's and 16,000 jailed without charges. Following Sadat’s
death Mubarak moved the country back toward the Arab states, which had been
alienated by its peace treaty with Israel.
Economy. Egypt’s economy is unstable due to rapid demographic growth and
limited arable land (96% of all the land is desert). Its high level of education
has resulted in a net export of its skilled labor to other Arab countries, but
has also contributed to an inefficient government bureaucracy. Agriculture
accounts for almost one-third of national income. However, as a result of rapid
population growth, rural to urban migration, and Sadat’s open door policy for
imports, Egypt imports 60% of its food. Important oil and natural gas deposits
strengthen the industrial sector of the economy.
Egypt’s GDP growth rate, which had held steady at 4-5 percent a year, has been
hard hit by the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US and the invasion of Iraq. The
tourist industry, which normally provides 12% of revenues, has been especially
affected. In March 2004, the government banned imports of all but essential
goods for a period of three months to conserve dwindling foreign exchange.
One example of how globalization has affected the poor in Egypt is that in
January 2003, the government stopped renewing the license of the Zabbaleen, a
60,000-member Coptic community that traditionally collected one third of the
10,000 daily tons of garbage in Cairo. Foreign companies will make future
collection, leaving these people without employment.
In March 2004, the government made an agreement to set up Qualifying Industrial
Zones where manufacturers, principally of textiles, may export goods duty-free
to the US, provided that 35% of the goods are locally produced and a portion is
reserved for Israeli products. This should increase the percentage of exports to
the US significantly.
Areas of Concern. Environmental concerns as they affect agriculture are
important. Stabilizing the economy, particularly in the face of reduced tourism
income, is critical. Maintaining control of Islamic fundamentalism is another
concern.
Egypt statistics
Geography
Area: 386,258 square miles
Capital: Cairo (pop 6,800,000)
Environmental concerns: loss of agricultural land; increasing soil salinization;
desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs and marine habitats;
other water pollution; rapid population growth
Geographical features: a vast desert plateau interrupted by the Nile Valley and
Delta
Climate: desert with dry, hot summers and moderate winters
People
70,712,345 people; Eastern Hamitic including Egyptian, Bedouin, Arab, Nubian
(99%)
Annual growth rate: 1.66%
Major languages are Arabic and English
Religions: Muslim, mostly Sunni (94%); Coptic Christian (6%)
Health and social issues
Life expectancy: Men, 62 years; women, 66 years
Infant mortality: 58.6 deaths per 1000 live births
16.7% of the population lives in poverty
1 physician per 472 people
HIV/AIDS rate in adults: 0.1%
51.4% of adults are literate
Compulsory education for 5 years between ages 6-13
Communication and transportation
3,972,000 main telephone lines
600,000 Internet users
39,744 miles of highway (much barely usable)
2,973 miles of railroad
92 airfields
1,703,000 motor vehicles
Government
Egypt became a republic on July 23, 1952; it gained independence from British
rule on February 28, 1922
President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak is the head of state
5 major political parties
Universal and compulsory suffrage at 18
Military
Military expenditures are 4.1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Current disputes include a territorial dispute with Sudan over the Hala’ib
Triangle
Economy
Currency: Egyptian pounds
Per capita GDP: $3,700
GDP: $ 258 billion
GDP growth rate: 2.5%
Inflation rate: 2.3%
Labor force: 32% agriculture; 17% industry; 51% services
Resources and industry
Natural resources: petroleum; natural gas; iron ore; phosphates; manganese;
limestone; gypsum; talc; asbestos; lead; zinc
Agriculture: cotton; sugarcane; rice; corn; wheat; beans; fruits; vegetables;
livestock; fish
Industry: textiles; food processing; tourism; chemicals; petroleum;
construction; cement; metals
Exports: $7.3 billion
Imports: $16.4 billion
Suggested web sites
www.sis.gov.eg
|
