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| Egypt | Plants and Animal | Back to Top |
In 1960 Egypt was self-sufficient in almost all basic food commodities, with the exception of wheat, of which the nation had a self-sufficiency ratio of 70 %. The self-sufficiency ratio declined dramatically for most products during the 1970s and 1980s, and economists began to speak of a serious food gap in Egypt. Food security, in the sense of sufficient production and provision of food to consumers at comparatively low prices, also became a linchpin of agricultural and development policies.
The silver lining of this cloudy picture was the marked improvement in the average Egyptian diet. Daily food consumption increased from 2,307 calories per capita in the time 1961 to 1963, to 3,313 calories per capita from 1984 to 1986, and from 62.5 grams per capita of protein to 81.1 grams per capita over the same time. These averages put the Egyptian diet directly below that of developed countries. But not all portions of the population benefited to the same extent. For example, a sample survey of 6,300 urban and rural families in FY 1981 found that the daily per capita caloric intake was 1,500 for the lowest 17 % and more than 3,500 for the highest 18 %; the distribution of protein intake was even more skewed. A 1986 study done for the United Nations International Labour Organisation recommended that, to avoid further deterioration of the diet of the poor, the prices of basic staples should not be raised.
| Egypt | Communications | Back to Top |
Large system; underwent considerable upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access and cellular service are available.
domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay.
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel and a signatory to Project Oxygen (a global submarine fiber-optic cable system).
| Egypt | Culture | Back to Top |
Egyptian society in 1990 reflected both ancient roots and the profound changes that have occurred since Napoleon Bonaparte invaded the nation in 1798. Land tenure, crops, and cultivation patterns had all been transformed during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the nation had become increasingly urbanized and industrialized. Nevertheless, around half the population still lived in rural areas where settlement patterns remained defined, as they had been since pharaonic times, by the Nile River and irrigated agriculture. Villages were clustered along both banks of the Nile and along myriad irrigation canals in the Delta.
The rise of commercial agriculture in the 19th century set in motion a transformation of rural society. Land that was previously held in common by a village and granted in usufruct to individual families was transferred to private ownership. The transfers created a small class of wealthy absentee landowners, a somewhat larger class of comparatively prosperous farmers who owned medium-sized parcels of land, and an enormous class of small farmers, sharecroppers, and landless casual laborers.
Religion, mainly Islam, is an integral aspect of social life. Although most Egyptian Muslims respect and agree on the basic tenets of Islam, their religious perspectives differ. Trained theologians, for example, practice orthodox Islam while villagers practice a simple form of the religion. Since the 1970s, there has been a resurgence of Islamic political groups. Activists ranged from persons fervent in religious practice to individuals who favor the adoption of the Muslim legal code as the basis of Egyptian law to others who espouse the violent overthrow of the government to achieve an Islamic social order. Some leaders of the Islamic political groups are former university students or recent graduates whose families migrated from rural areas. Many Muslims have responded favorably to these leaders, who are likely to remain a potent political force in the 1990s.
| Egypt | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 18,562,994 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 12,020,059 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 712,983 (2001 est.)
| Egypt | International Disputes | Back to Top |
Egypt asserts its claim to the "Hala'ib Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 sq km under partial Sudanese administration that is defined by an administrative boundary which supersedes the treaty boundary of 1899
| Egypt | Economy | Back to Top |
For most of Egypt’s history, its economy was based almost entirely on farming, contempt the fact that more than 95 % of the nation’s land area is infertile desert. Long an exporter of cereals, in the 19th century Egypt began to specialize in growing cotton, which is still an valuable cash crop. The first remarkable industries were set up only in the 1930s. Industrialization increased in the 1960s after much of the industrial area was brought under state control. In the late 20th century other valuable sources of revenue included tourism, oil production, and remittances from the 3 million Egyptians working in the Persian Gulf states. contempt its economic and social development in the 20th century, Egypt was a comparatively poor nation in world terms, with a gross domestic product (GDP) in 1999 of $89.1 billion, or $1,420 per capita.
Major nationalization steps were taken in an attempt to curb the private area and destroy the political power of Egyptian capitalists. Until the early 1970s almost all valuable sectors of the economy either were public or were strictly controlled by the government. This included large-scale industry, communications, banking and finance, the cotton trade, foreign trade as a whole, and many other sectors. Private enterprise came gradually to find its scope limited, but some room for maneuver was still left in real estate and in agriculture and, later, in the export trade. Personal income, as well as land ownership, was strictly limited by the government. Some of these restrictions have been relaxed, permitting greater private area participation in various economic areas.
A series of IMF arrangements - along with massive external debt relief resulting from Egypt's participation in the Gulf war coalition - helped Egypt improve its macroeconomic performance during the 1990s. Sound fiscal and monetary policies through the mid-1990s helped to tame inflation, slash budget deficits, and build up foreign reserves, while structural reforms such as privatization and new business legislation prompted increased foreign investment. By mid-1998, the pace of structural reform sdeficiencyened, and lower combined hard currency earnings resulted in pressure on the Egyptian pound and sporadic US dollar shortages. External payments were not in crisis, but Cairo's attempts to curb demand for foreign exchange convinced some investors and currency traders that government financial operations deficiencyed transparency and coordination. Monetary pressures have since eased, with the 1999-2000 higher oil prices, a rebound in tourism, and a series of mini-devaluations of the pound. The development of a gas export market is a major plus factor in future growth.
| Egypt | Education | Back to Top |
Prior to the nineteenth century, the ulama and Coptic clergy controlled Egypt's orthodox education. The nation's most valuable institutes were theological seminaries, but most mosques and churches--even in villages--operated basic schools where boys could learn to read and write Arabic, to do simple arithmetic, and to memorize passages from the Quran or Bible. Muhammad Ali accomplished the system of modern secular education in the early nineteenth century to offer technically trained cadres for his civil administration and military. His grandson, Ismail, greatly expanded the system by creating a network of public schools at the primary, secondary, and higher levels. Ismail's wife set up the first school for girls in 1873. Between 1882 and 1922, when the nation was under British administration, state education did not expand. numerous private schools, including Egypt's first secular university, were accomplished. After direct British rule ended, Egypt adopted a new constitution that proclaimed the state's responsibility to ensure sufficient primary schools for all Egyptians. Nevertheless, education generally remained accessible only to the elite. At the time of the 1952 Revolution, fewer than 50 % of all primary-school-age children attended school, and the majority of the children who were listed were boys. Nearly 75 % of the population over ten years of age was illiterate. More than 90 % of the females in this age group were illiterate.
Historically, religious authorities provided basic education in local mosque schools. Higher Islamic studies became available at Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo. In 988 Al-Azhar University was accomplished. This is the oldest university in the world and the leading institution of Islamic higher education in the world today. Al-Azhar University operates a network of religious schools parallel to the state system.In the first half of the 19th century Egyptian viceroy Muhammad Ali accomplished state-run professional, technical, and foreign-language schools for boys. A network of state-run schools for boys was accomplished in 1867. The first state school for girls opened in 1873. Since 1923, primary and intermediate education has been free, and it is now compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 14. Public secondary and university education is also free but is not compulsory.
| Egypt | Government | Back to Top |
Government: Constitution of 1971 delegates majority of power to president, who dominates two-chamber legislature--lower People's Assembly and upper Consultative Council, created in 1978 from the old Central Committee of the Arab Socialist Union--and judiciary, although each constitutionally independent. President possesses virtually unlimited power to appoint and dismiss officials, including vice president or vice-presidents, prime minister and members of Council of Ministers, military officers, and governors of the twenty-six administrative subdivisions known as governorates.
Politics: President Husni Mubarak (1981- ), former military officer, as were his predecessors: Gamal Abdul Nasser (1954-70) and Anwar as Sadat (1970-81). Nasser was leader and Sadat member of Free Officers' group that overthrew monarchy in 1952 Revolution. President controlled National Democratic Party formed in 1977. Opposition composed of number of secular and religious parties in legislature, of which Muslim Brotherhood was the chief, and some nonparliamentary Islamic extremist groups.
| Egypt | History | Back to Top |
The roots of Egyptian civilization go back more than 6,000 years to the beginning of settled life along the banks of the Nile River. The nation has an unusual geographical and cultural unity that has given the Egyptian people a strong sense of identity and a pride in their heritage as descendants of humankind's earliest civilized community.
No history of Egypt would be complete without mentioning the Arab-Israeli conflict, which has cost Egypt so much in lives, territory, and property. Armed conflict between Egypt and Israel ended in 1979 when the two countries signed the Camp David Accords. The accords, constituted a separate peace between Egypt and Israel and did not lead to a comprehensive settlement that would have satisfied Palestinian demands for a homeland or brought about peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Thus, Egypt remained embroiled in the conflict on the diplomatic level and continued to press for an international conference to achieve a comprehensive agreement.
| Egypt | Introduction | Back to Top |
Egypt, officially Arab Republic of Egypt (from 1958 to 1971, United Arab Republic), republic located in north-eastern Africa and the Sinai Peninsula, in the Middle East. It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by Israel and the Red Sea, on the south by Sudan, and on the west by Libya. The nation has a maximum length from north to south of about 1,085 km (675 mi) and a maximum width, near the southern border, of about 1,255 km (780 mi). It has a total area of about 997,738 sq km (385,229 sq mi). Cairo is the capital and largest city.
Population 63,575,100 (1996 estimate) Population Density 64 people/sq km (165 people/sq mi) Urban/Rural Breakdown 49% Urban 51% Rural Largest Cities Cairo6,955,000 (1995 estimate) Alexandria3,380,000 Giza2,144,000 (1992 estimates) Ethnic Groups 99.8% Egyptian 0.2% Other Languages Official Language Arabic Other Languages Berber, English, French Religions 90% Sunni Islam 10% Christianity including Coptic Christianity and other denominations
| Egypt | Land | Back to Top |
N/A
| Egypt | Languages | Back to Top |
Nearly the entire population of Egypt speaks Arabic. only well-educated people easily understand standard Arabic. Colloquial Egyptian Arabic is the language of daily conversation. Many Nubians also speak their ancestral language. Berber is spoken in a few settlements in the oases of the Western Desert. Coptic Christians use the Coptic language, descended from ancient Egyptian, for liturgical purposes, but it is not a language in daily use. English and French are common second languages among educated Egyptians.
| South Africa | Legal | Back to Top |
Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations vote: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory administrator branch: chief of state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October 1981) head of government: Prime Minister Atef OBEID (since 5 October 1999) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president nominated by the People's Assembly for a six-year term, the nomination must then be validated by a national, popular vote; national vote last held 26 September 1999 (next to be held NA October 2005); prime minister appointed by the president election results: national vote validated President MUBARAK's nomination by the People's Assembly to a fourth term Legislative branch: bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a consultative role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the president; members serve NA-year terms) elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 19 October, 29 October, 8 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2005); Advisory Council - last held 7 June 1995 (next to be held NA) election results: People's Assembly - % of vote by party - NDP 88%, independents 8%, opposition 4%; seats by party - NDP 398, NWP 7, Tagammu 6, Nasserists 2, LSP 1, independents 38, undecided 2; Advisory Council - % of vote by party - NDP 99%, independents 1%; seats by party - NA Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court
| Egypt | Life | Back to Top |
The family remained the most remarkable unit of Egyptian society in 1989, and kinship played an valuable role in virtually all social relations. An individual's social identity was closely linked to his or her status in the network of kin relations. Socialization of children emphasized integration among their kin group. An valuable goal of marriage was to ensure the continuity of a family. A husband and wife were not considered a family until they produced their first child. After the child's birth, the parents were addressed as father and mother of Muhammad or Amal or whatever was the name of their child. The most deeply held values--honor, dignity, and security--were derived by an individual only as part of a larger kin group. Kinship as a first principle was noticeable from the most essential to the most trivial aspects of social organization.
For most men, marriage marked the transition to adulthood. Married men were expected to defer to their fathers, but they still had considerable autonomy because of their responsibility for their families' livelihoods and households. For most women, marriage meant leaving their families' homes and sometimes their home areas. In most cases, marriage merely substituted a woman's dependence on her husband for dependence on her father.
A woman retained membership in her patrilineage regardless of her marital status. Indeed, if members of her lineage were feuding with members of her husband's lineage, the wife was expected to side with her paternal family. A woman was entitled to make demands of her father and brothers, particularly in case of marital difficulties, throughout her life. Most women generally preferred to live near home and thus tried to avoid marriages with men whose families lived in other cities or villages. Geographical proximity to patrilineal kin served as a source of emotional support in the early years of marriage when women were most vulnerable to divorce. Women in villages often asked their brothers to hold their inheritances for them. This move helped prevent mistreatment of the women by their in-laws. A divorced woman could have her brother return the inheritance to her as her children approached adulthood.
| Egypt | organization | Back to Top |
ABEDA, ACC, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CCC, EBRD, ECA, ESCWA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
| Egypt | People | Back to Top |
Egypt's population, around at 3 million when Napoleon invaded the nation in 1798, has increased at varying rates. The population grew gradually and steadily throughout the nineteenth century, doubling in size over the course of eighty years. Beginning in the 1880s, the growth rate accelerated, and the population increased more than 600 % in 100 years. The growth rate was particularly high after World War II. In 1947 a census suggested that Egypt's population was 19 million. A census in 1976 revealed that the population had ballooned to 36.6 million. After 1976 the population grew at an annual rate of 2.9 % and in 1986 reached a total of 50.4 million, including about 2.3 million Egyptians working in other countries. Projections suggested the population would reach 60 million by 1996.
For almost 13 centuries Arabic has been the written and spoken language of Egypt. Before the Arab invasion in AD 639, Coptic, the language descended from ancient Egyptian, was the language of both religious and everyday life for the mass of the population; by the 12th century, it had been totally replaced by Arabic, continuing only as a liturgical language for the Coptic Orthodox Church. Arabic has become the language of both the Egyptian Christian and Muslim. The written form of the Arabic language, in grammar and syntax, has remained substantially unchanged since the 7th century. In other ways, the written language has changed the modern forms of style, word sequence, and phraseology are simpler and more flexible than in classical Arabic and are often directly derivative of English or French.
| Egypt | Politics | Back to Top |
Nasserist Arab Democratic Party or Nasserists [Dia' al-din DAWUD]; National Democratic Party or NDP [President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK, leader] - governing party; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Khalid MUHI AL-DIN]; New Wafd Party or NWP [No'man GOMA]; Socialist Liberal Party or LSP [leader NA]
| Egypt | Provinces | Back to Top |
26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, Ash Sharqiyah, As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina', Suhaj.
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| Egypt | Time | Back to Top |
| Egypt | Currency and General Information | Back to Top |
| Countries Currency Unit | EGP/Unit | Units/EGP | |
| DZD | Algeria Dinars | 0.0598414 | 16.7108 |
| USD | United States Dollars | 4.63250 | 0.215866 |
| ARS | Argentina Pesos | 1.57301 | 0.635726 |
| AUD | Australia Dollars | 2.47151 | 0.404612 |
| ATS | Austria Schillings ** | 0.293232 | 3.41027 |
| BSD | Bahamas Dollars | 4.63250 | 0.215866 |
| BBD | Barbados Dollars | 2.32789 | 0.429574 |
| BEF | Belgium Francs ** | 0.100024 | 9.99761 |
| BMD | Bermuda Dollars | 4.63250 | 0.215866 |
| BRL | Brazil Reals | 1.99247 | 0.501889 |
| GBP | United Kingdom Pounds | 6.60530 | 0.151393 |
| BGL | Bulgaria Leva | 2.07208 | 0.482606 |
| CAD | Canada Dollars | 2.90409 | 0.344342 |
| CLP | Chile Pesos | 0.00705690 | 141.705 |
| CNY | China Yuan Renminbi | 0.559656 | 1.78681 |
| CYP | Cyprus Pounds | 7.05099 | 0.141824 |
| CZK | Czech Republic Koruny | 0.130681 | 7.65223 |
| DKK | Denmark Kroner | 0.543143 | 1.84114 |
| XCD | East Caribbean Dollars | 1.71574 | 0.582839 |
| EGP | Egypt Pounds | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| EUR | Euro | 4.03495 | 0.247834 |
| FJD | Fiji Dollars | 2.07271 | 0.482461 |
| FIM | Finland Markkaa ** | 0.678630 | 1.47356 |
| FRF | France Francs ** | 0.615125 | 1.62569 |
| DEM | Germany Deutsche Marks ** | 2.06304 | 0.484722 |
| XAU | Gold Ounces | 1,400.15 | 0.000714208 |
| GRD | Greece Drachmae ** | 0.0118414 | 84.4495 |
| HKD | Hong Kong Dollars | 0.593941 | 1.68367 |
| HUF | Hungary Forint | 0.0165935 | 60.2645 |
| ISK | Iceland Kronur | 0.0463279 | 21.5853 |
| INR | India Rupees | 0.0949206 | 10.5351 |
| IDR | Indonesia Rupiahs | 0.000471529 | 2,120.76 |
| IEP | Ireland Pounds ** | 5.12333 | 0.195185 |
| ILS | Israel New Shekels | 0.976714 | 1.02384 |
| ITL | Italy Lire ** | 0.00208388 | 479.874 |
| JMD | Jamaica Dollars | 0.0973010 | 10.2774 |
| JPY | Japan Yen | 0.0349227 | 28.6346 |
| JOD | Jordan Dinars | 6.53385 | 0.153049 |
| LBP | Lebanon Pounds | 0.00305978 | 326.821 |
| LUF | Luxembourg Francs ** | 0.100024 | 9.99761 |
| MYR | Malaysia Ringgits | 1.21940 | 0.820076 |
| MXN | Mexico Pesos | 0.514132 | 1.94502 |
| NZD | New Zealand Dollars | 2.04054 | 0.490067 |
| NOK | Norway Kroner | 0.523230 | 1.91121 |
| NLG | Netherlands Guilders ** | 1.83098 | 0.546155 |
| PKR | Pakistan Rupees | 0.0771440 | 12.9628 |
| PHP | Philippines Pesos | 0.0907977 | 11.0135 |
| XPT | Platinum Ounces | 2,404.16 | 0.000415945 |
| PLN | Poland Zlotych | 1.12665 | 0.887590 |
| PTE | Portugal Escudos ** | 0.0201263 | 49.6863 |
| ROL | Romania Lei | 0.000140656 | 7,109.55 |
| RUR | Russia Rubles | 0.148859 | 6.71775 |
| SAR | Saudi Arabia Riyals | 1.23531 | 0.809511 |
| XAG | Silver Ounces | 21.4477 | 0.0466250 |
| SGD | Singapore Dollars | 2.51466 | 0.397669 |
| SKK | Slovakia Koruny | 0.0966109 | 10.3508 |
| ZAR | South Africa Rand | 0.407871 | 2.45176 |
| KRW | South Korea Won | 0.00350733 | 285.117 |
| ESP | Spain Pesetas ** | 0.0242506 | 41.2362 |
| XDR | IMF Special Drawing Rights | 5.77587 | 0.173134 |
| SDD | Sudan Dinars | 0.0178173 | 56.1252 |
| SEK | Sweden Kronor | 0.447113 | 2.23657 |
| CHF | Switzerland Francs | 2.75536 | 0.362928 |
| TWD | Taiwan New Dollars | 0.132546 | 7.54452 |
| THB | Thailand Baht | 0.106368 | 9.40135 |
| TTD | Trinidad and Tobago Dollars | 0.756944 | 1.32110 |
| TRL | Turkey Liras | 0.00000344655 | 290,145.20 |
| VEB | Venezuela Bolivares | 0.00503101 | 198.767 |
| ZMK | Zambia Kwacha | 0.00103635 | 964.922 |
| Egypt : Geographic coordinates | 27 00 N, 30 00 E |
| Egypt : Population growth rate | 1.69% |
| Egypt : Birth rate | 24.89 births/1,000 population |
| Egypt : Death rate | 7.7 deaths/1,000 population |
| Egypt : People living with HIV/AIDS | N/A |
| Egypt : Independence | 28 February 1922 |
| Egypt : National holiday | Revolution Day, 23 July |
| Egypt : Constitution | 11 September 1971 |
| Egypt : GDP | purchasing power parity - $247 billion |
| Egypt : GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,600 |
| Egypt : Electricity - consumption | 60.157 billion kWh |
| Egypt : Exports | $7.3 billion crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals |
| Egypt : Imports | $17 billion machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products |
| Egypt : Telephones | 3,971,500 |
| Egypt : Mobile cellular | 380,000 |
| Egypt : Radio broadcast stations | AM 42 , FM 14, shortwave 3 |
| Egypt : Radios | 20.5 million |
| Egypt : Television broadcast stations | 98 |
| Egypt : Televisions | 7.7 million |
| Egypt : Internet country code | .eg |
| Egypt : Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 50 |
| Egypt : Internet users | 300,000 |
| Egypt : Railways | 4,955 km |
| Egypt : Highways | 64,000 km |
| Egypt : Waterways | 3,500 km |
| Egypt : Pipelines | crude oil 1,171 km; petroleum products 596 km; natural gas 460 km |
| Egypt : Ports and harbors | Alexandria, Al Ghardaqah, Aswan, Asyut, Bur Safajah, Damietta, Marsa Matruh, Port Said, Suez |
| Egypt : Merchant marine | 181 ships |
| Egypt : Airports | 90 |
| Egypt : Heliports | 2 |
| Egypt : Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command |
| Egypt : Military expenditures | $4.04 billion |