304 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
304 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
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EGYPT
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 1,001,450 km2; land area: 995,450 km2
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Comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of New
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Mexico
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Land boundaries: 2,689 km total; Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 255 km,
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Libya 1,150 km, Sudan 1,273 km
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Coastline: 2,450 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
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Exclusive economic zone: undefined;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: Administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide
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with international boundary
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Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
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Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
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Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
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manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
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Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures
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0%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 95%; includes irrigated 5%
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Environment: Nile is only perennial water source; increasing soil
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salinization below Aswan High Dam; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin
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occurs in spring; water pollution; desertification
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Note: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa
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and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, shortest sea
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link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean; size and juxtaposition to
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Israel establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics
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PEOPLE
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Population: 54,451,588 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)
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Birth rate: 33 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 82 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 61 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Egyptian(s); adjective--Egyptian
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Ethnic divisions: Eastern Hamitic stock 90%; Greek, Italian,
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Syro-Lebanese 10%
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Religion: (official estimate) Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%;
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Coptic Christian and other 6%
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Language: Arabic (official); English and French widely understood
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by educated classes
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Literacy: 48% (male 63%, female 34%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 15,000,000 (1989 est.); government, public sector
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enterprises, and armed forces 36%; agriculture 34%; privately owned
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service and manufacturing enterprises 20% (1984); shortage of skilled
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labor; 2,500,000 Egyptians work abroad, mostly in Iraq and the Gulf Arab
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states (1988 est.)
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Organized labor: 2,500,000 (est.)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Arab Republic of Egypt
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Type: republic
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Capital: Cairo
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Administrative divisions: 24 governorates (muhafazat,
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singular--muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar,
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Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah,
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Al Ismailiyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya,
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Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, Ash
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Sharqiyah, As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur
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Said, Dumyat, Janub Sina, Matruh,
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Shamal Sina, Suhaj
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Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK); formerly United Arab
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Republic
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Constitution: 11 September 1971
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Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and
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Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State
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(oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ
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jurisdiction, with reservations
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National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 23 July (1952)
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Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Majlis
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al-Chaab); note--there is an Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura) that
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functions in a consultative role
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Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (was made acting
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President on 6 October 1981 upon the assassination of President Sadat and
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sworn in as President on 14 October 1981);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Atef Mohammed Najib SEDKY
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(since 12 November 1986)
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Political parties and leaders: formation of political parties must
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be approved by government;
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National Democratic Party (NDP), President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK,
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leader, is the dominant party;
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legal opposition parties are
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Socialist Liberal Party (SLP), Kamal MURAD;
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Socialist Labor Party, Ibrahim SHUKRI;
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National Progressive Unionist Grouping (NPUG), Khalid MUHYI-AL-DIN;
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Umma Party, Ahmad al-SABAHI;
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New Wafd Party (NWP), Fuad SIRAJ AL-DIN;
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Misr al-Fatah Party (Young Egypt Party), Ali al-Din SALIH;
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Democratic Unionist Party, Muhammad Abd al-Mun'im TURK;
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The Greens Party, Hasan RAJAB
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Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 5 October 1987 (next to be held October
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1993); results--President Hosni MUBAREK was reelected;
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People's Assembly--last held 29 November 1990 (next to be held
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November 1995); results--NDP 78.4%, NPUG 1.4%, independents 18.7%;
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seats--(454 total, 444 elected)--including NDP 348,
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NPUG 6, independents 83; note--most opposition parties boycotted;
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Advisory Council--last held 8 June 1989 (next to be held June
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1995);
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results--NDP 100%;
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seats--(258 total, 172 elected) NDP 172
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Communists: about 500 party members
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Other political or pressure groups: Islamic groups are illegal, but
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the largest one, the Muslim Brotherhood, is tolerated by the government;
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trade unions and professional associations are officially sanctioned
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Member of: ABEDA, ACC, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AG (observer),
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AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, EBRD, ECA, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
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IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
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INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC,
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OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU,
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WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador El Sayed Abdel Raouf EL
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REEDY; Chancery at 2310 Decatur Place NW, Washington DC 20008;
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telephone (202) 232-5400; there are Egyptian Consulates General in
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Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco;
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US--Ambassador Frank G. WISNER; Embassy at Lazougi Street,
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Garden City, Cairo (mailing address is APO New York 09674-0006);
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telephone 20 (2) 355-7371; there is a US Consulate General in
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Alexandria
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Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black
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with the national emblem (a shield superimposed on a golden eagle facing
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the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic)
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centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Yemen which has a
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plain white band; also similar to the flag of Syria which has two green
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stars and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic
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inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Egypt has one of the largest public sectors of all
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the Third World economies, most industrial plants being owned by the
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government. Overregulation holds back technical modernization and
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foreign investment. Even so, the economy grew rapidly during the late
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1970s and early 1980s, but in 1986 the collapse of world oil prices
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and an increasingly heavy burden of debt servicing led Egypt to begin
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negotiations with the IMF for balance-of-payments support. As part of
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the 1987 agreement with the IMF, the government agreed to institute
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a reform program to reduce inflation, promote economic growth, and
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improve its external position. The reforms have been slow in coming,
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however, and the economy has been largely stagnant for the past
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three years. The addition of 1 million people every seven months
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to Egypt's population exerts enormous pressure on the 5% of the total
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land area available for agriculture.
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GDP: $37.0 billion, per capita $700; real growth rate 1.0% (1990
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 26% (FY90)
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Unemployment rate: 15% (1989 est.)
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Budget: revenues $7 billion; expenditures $11.5 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $4 billion (FY89 est.)
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Exports: $3.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--crude and refined petroleum, cotton yarn, raw cotton,
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textiles, metal products, chemicals;
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partners--EC, Eastern Europe, US, Japan
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Imports: $11.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--machinery and equipment, foods, fertilizers, wood
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products, durable consumer goods, capital goods;
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partners--EC, US, Japan, Eastern Europe
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External debt: $52 billion (December 1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 2-4% (1989 est.); accounts
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for 24% of GDP
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Electricity: 11,273,000 kW capacity; 42,500 million kWh produced,
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780 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals,
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petroleum, construction, cement, metals
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Agriculture: accounts for 20% of GNP and employs more than
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one-third of labor force; dependent on irrigation water from the Nile;
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world's sixth-largest cotton exporter; other crops produced include rice,
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corn, wheat, beans, fruit, vegetables; not self-sufficient in food;
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livestock--cattle, water buffalo, sheep, and goats; annual fish catch
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about 140,000 metric tons
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $15.7
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billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $9.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $2.9 billion;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4 billion
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Currency: Egyptian pound (plural--pounds); 1 Egyptian pound
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(LE) = 100 piasters
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Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds (LE) per US$1--2.9030 (January
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1991), 2.7072 (1990), 2.5171 (1989), 2.2233 (1988), 1.5183 (1987), 1.3503
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(1986), 1.3010 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 5,110 km total; 4,763 km 1,435-meter standard gauge,
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347 km 0.750-meter gauge; 951 km double track; 25 km electrified
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Highways: 51,925 km total; 17,900 km paved, 2,500 km gravel,
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13,500 km improved earth, 18,025 km unimproved earth
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Inland waterways: 3,500 km (including the Nile, Lake Nasser,
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Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the delta);
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Suez Canal, 193.5 km long (including approaches), used by oceangoing
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vessels drawing up to 16.1 meters of water
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Pipelines: crude oil, 1,171 km; refined products, 596 km; natural
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gas, 460 km
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Ports: Alexandria, Port Said, Suez, Bur Safajah, Damietta
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Merchant marine: 144 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,121,534
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GRT/1,725,369 DWT; includes 5 passenger, 7 short-sea passenger,
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2 passenger-cargo, 85 cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 13 roll-on/roll-off
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cargo, 14 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 15 bulk
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Civil air: 43 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 91 total, 82 usable; 66 with permanent-surface runways;
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2 with runways over 3,659 m; 44 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: system is large but still inadequate for needs;
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principal centers are Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, and
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Tanta; intercity connections by coaxial cable and microwave;
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extensive upgrading in progress; 600,000 telephones (est.); stations--25
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AM, 5 FM, 47 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1
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Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT; 4 submarine coaxial
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cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; radio relay to Libya (may not be
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operational); radio relay to Jordan
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 13,333,285; 8,665,260 fit for
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military service; 584,780 reach military age (20) annually
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Defense expenditures: $2.8 billion, 7.3% of GDP (1991)
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