Country Facts - Egypt

The People

Nationality Egyptian(s) Ethnic Composition

Eastern Hamitic (Egyptian, Bedouin, Berber)	99%
Greek, Nubian, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French)	1%

Religious Composition

Sunni Muslim	94%
Coptic Christian and other	6%

Languages Spoken

Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes.

Education and Literacy

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 12. Adult literacy remains low at 51.4 percent.

Labor Force

Total: 20.6 million (2001)
By occupation:

Services	49%
Industry	22%
Agriculture	29%

Geography

Land Mass Total

386,662 sq mi (1,001,450 sq km)

Land

384,345 sq mi (995,450 sq km)

Water

2,316 sq mi (6,000 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 1,670 mi (2,689 km)

Border countries: Gaza Strip 6.8 mi (11 km), Israel 158 mi (255 km), Libya 714 mi (1,150 km,) Sudan 791 mi (1,273 km).

Coastline

1,522 mi (2,450 km)

Maritime claim

Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 656 ft (200 m) depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters.

Terrain

A vast desert plateau interrupted by the Nile valley and delta.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Qattara Depression 436 ft (133 m)
Highest: Mount Catherine (Gebel Katherina) 8,625 ft (2,629 m)

Natural Resources

Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc.

Land use

Arable land	3%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	97%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, volcanic activity; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms.

Environment - current issues

Agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very limited natural freshwater resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining natural resources.

Geography Note

Egypt controls the Sinai Peninsula, the only land bridge between Africa and the remainder of the Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, shortest sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; its size and juxtaposition to Israel establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics.

Demographics

Population

70,712,345 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	33.9%	Male: 12,292,185	Female: 11,721,469
15-64 years:	62.1%	Male: 22,190,637	Female: 21,775,504
65 years and over:	3.86%	Male: 1,191,091	Female: 1,541,459

Growth Rate

1.66% (2002)

Life Expectancy

64.05 years (2002)
female: 66.24 years
male: 61.96 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$3,700 (2001)

Infant Mortality

58.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.77 male(s)/female
Total population:	1.02 male(s)/female

Net migration rate

-0.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Egypt improved its macroeconomic performance throughout most of the last decade by following IMF advice on fiscal, monetary, and structural reform policies. As a result, Cairo managed to tame inflation, slash budget deficits, and attract more foreign investment. In the past three years, however, the pace of reform has slackened, and excessive spending on national infrastructure projects has widened budget deficits again. Lower foreign exchange earnings since 1998 resulted in pressure on the Egyptian pound and periodic dollar shortages. Monetary pressures have increased since 11 September 2001 because of declines in tourism, Suez Canal tolls, and exports, and Cairo has devalued the pound several times in the past year. The development of a gas export market is a major bright spot for future growth prospects. Egypt's current account is expected to show a 1.3 percent deficit in 2003 due to the drop in tourism related to hostilities in Iraq and Israel. The government continues to talk big about fiscal reform, but little action is planned in the light of popular support for increased social services.

Unemployment

12% (2001)

Inflation Rate

2.3% (2001)

Industries

Textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, petroleum, construction, cement, metals.

Exports

US$7.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$164 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$258 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

EU 43% (Italy 18%, Germany 4%, UK 3.2%), US 15%, Middle East 11%, Asian countries 9%, (2000)

Top Import Partners

EU 36% (Germany 8%, Italy 8%, France 6%), US 18%, Asian countries 13%, , Middle East 6% (2000)

Top Exports

Crude oil and petroleum products, cotton yarn, raw cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals.

Top Imports

Machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels.

Debt - external

US$29 billion (2001)

Economic aid

Recipient: ODA, $2.25 billion (1999)

Fiscal Year:

July 1 to June 30

Business Workweek

	Sunday - Thursday	Friday - Saturday
Offices	Sunday to Thursday 8:30a.m. to 4p.m. Sunday to Thursday 9a.m. to 5p.m. (multinational companies)	Closed
Retail	Winter: 8.30a.m. to 2.30p.m. . Summer: 9.00a.m. to 10.00p.m.	Closed
Banks	Monday to Thursday 8:30a.m. to 2p.m., Sunday 10a.m. to noon.	Closed
Government	Sunday to Thursday 8a.m. to 3p.m.	Closed

Note: Some retail shops may close between 2p.m. and 4p.m., and on Friday afternoons. During Ramadan most businesses and government offices close at 1p.m.......

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Arafat Day (Eve of Adha)	February 11	February 1	January 20
Festival of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha)¹	February 12	February 2	January 21
Islamic New Year²	March 5	February 22	February 10
Sinai Liberation Day	April 25	April 25	April 25
Labor Day	May 1	May 1	May 1
Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Mawlid an Nabi)³	May 14	May 2	April 21
Evacuation Day	June 18	June 18	June 18
Revolution Day	July 23	July 23	July 23
Armed Forces Day	October 6	October 6	October 6
Suez Victory Day	October 24	October 24	October 24
Start of Ramadan*¹	October 27	October 15	October 4
End of Ramadan (Eid Al Fitr)*²	November 26	November 14	November 3
Victory Day	December 23	December 23	December 23

¹	Culmination of the Haj or Holy Pilgrimage.
²	The lunar Islamic Hijara calendar is made up of 12 months, each month alternating between 29 and 30 days per month, culminating in a total of 354 days per year. The Hijra calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and annually moves 11 days backward through the seasons.
³	The Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the twelfth day in the month of Rabi'l of the Islamic calendar.
*¹	Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country, depending on the first appearance of the moon.
*²	Feasting that officially marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for three days.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press