Egypt

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Egypt

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Jumhuriyyat Misr al-'Arabiyya/Arab Republic of Egypt Area 1,001,450 sq km/386,659 sq mi Capital Cairo Language Arabic (official), Coptic (derived from ancient Egyptian), English, French Religion Sunni Muslim 90%, Coptic Christian and other Christian 6% Time difference GMT +2 Major holidays 7 January, 25 April, 1 May, 18 June, 1, 23 July, 6 October; variable: Eid-ul-Adha (2 days), Arafa, end of Ramadan (2 days), New Year (Muslim), Prophet's Birthday, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday (Eastern Orthodox), Sham-el-Nessim (April/May)


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities El Gíza, Shubra Al Khayma, Alexandria, Port Said, El-Mahalla el-Koubra, Tanta, El Mansûra, Suez Major ports Alexandria, Port Said, Suez, Damietta, Shubra Al Khayma Physical features mostly desert; hills in east; fertile land along Nile valley and delta; cultivated and settled area is about 35,500 sq km/13,700 sq mi; Aswan High Dam and Lake Nasser; Sinai Airports five international airports and several domestic airports; total passengers carried: 4.2 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 5,150 km/3,200 mi; total passenger journeys: 1.18 billion (2002) Roads total road network: 64,000 km/39,770 mi, of which 78.1% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 32.6 per 1,000 people (1999)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Hosni Mubarak from 1981 Head of government Ahmed Nazif from 2004 Political system liberal democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 26 governorates Political parties National Democratic Party (NDP), moderate, left of centre; Socialist Labour Party (SLP), right of centre; Liberal Socialist Party, free enterprise; New Wafd Party, nationalist; National Progressive Unionist Party, left wing Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 468,500; plus 479,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 330,00 (2006 est) Conscription selective conscription for 12 months–3 years Defence spend (% GDP) 2.9 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4.5 (1999) Health spend (% GDP) 2.2 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Egyptian pound GDP (US$) 89.3 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 5.6 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 92.9 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 4,440 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 4.1% (2006 est) Unemployment 9.5% (2005 est) Labour force 27.5% agriculture, 22% industry, 50.5% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 32.3 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners USA, Italy, UK, Spain, Germany, India, Switzerland Resources petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, manganese, uranium, coal, iron ore, gold Industries petroleum and petroleum products, food processing, petroleum refining, textiles, metals, cement, tobacco, sugar crystal and refined sugar, electrical appliances, fertilizers Exports petroleum and petroleum products, aluminium, iron and steel, cotton, textiles, clothing, pharmaceuticals, agricultural products. Principal market: USA 30.6% (2005) Imports wheat, maize, dairy products, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, wood and wood products, consumer goods. Principal source: USA 18.9% (2005) Arable land 2.9% (2006 est) Agricultural products wheat, cotton, rice, corn, beans, fruit and vegetables; dairy products


POPULATION

Population 75,437,200 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1.8% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 75 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 42 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 34%, 15–59 59%, 60+ 7% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 99% Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers) Life expectancy 69 (men); 74 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 36 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 8 Literacy rate 67% (men); 44% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 21.2 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 2.2 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) <0.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <500 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 100 (urban); 97 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 14 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 18.4 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 349 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 250 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 3.8 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 6.8 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1st century BC–7th century AD Conquered by Augustus in AD 30, Egypt passed under rule of Roman, and later Byzantine, governors. AD 639–42 Arabs conquered Egypt, introducing Islam and Arabic; succession of Arab dynasties followed. 1250 Mamelukes seized power. 1517 Became part of Turkish Ottoman Empire. 1798–1801 Invasion by Napoleon followed by period of French occupation. 1801 Control regained by Turks. 1869 Opening of Suez Canal made Egypt strategically important. 1881–82 Nationalist revolt resulted in British occupation. 1914 Egypt became British protectorate. 1922 Achieved nominal independence under King Fuad I. 1936 Full independence from Britain achieved. King Fuad succeeded by his son Farouk. 1946 Withdrawal of British troops except from Suez Canal zone. 1952 Farouk overthrown by army in bloodless coup. 1953 Egypt declared a republic, with Gen Neguib as president. 1956 Neguib replaced by Col Gamal Nasser. Nasser announced nationalization of Suez Canal; Egypt attacked by Britain, France, and Israel; ceasefire agreed following US intervention. 1958 Short-lived merger of Egypt and Syria as United Arab Republic (UAR). 1967 Six-Day War with Israel ended in Egypt's defeat and Israeli occupation of Sinai and Gaza Strip. 1970 Nasser died suddenly; succeeded by Anwar Sadat. 1973 Attempt to regain territory lost to Israel led to Yom Kippur War; ceasefire arranged by US secretary of state Henry Kissinger. 1978–79 Camp David talks in USA resulted in peace treaty between Egypt and Israel; Egypt expelled from Arab League. 1981 Sadat assassinated by Muslim fundamentalists; succeeded by Hosni Mubarak. 1983 Relations between Egypt and the Arab world improved, but Libya and Syria maintained trade boycott. 1987 Egypt readmitted to the Arab League. 1989 Relations with Libya improved; diplomatic relations with Syria restored. 1991 Egypt participated in Gulf War against Iraq on the US-led coalition side. 1994 Government cracked down on Islamic militants. 1997 Islamic extremists killed and injured tourists at Luxor. 2000 Clashes between Christians and Muslims in southern Egypt. In elections, Muslim Brotherhood re-established their presence in parliament for first time in a decade. 2004–06 Terrorist attacks against targets in Sinai Peninsula, Sharm al-Sheikh and Dahab; Mubarak extended controversial emergency legislation in 2006. 2005 Constitutional amendment provided for first multicandidate presidential election; Mubarak re-elected for fifth term and ruling National Democtatic party retained large parliamentary majority. 2006 Egyptian ferry sank in Red Sea with loss of nearly 1,000 lives. 2007 Controversial constitutional amendments, including ban on political parties based on religion and extension of security powers, approved in referendum.


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