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Egypt
Arabic Republic of Egypt
Arabic:
jumhūriyyatu misri l-carabiyya
INTRODUCTION
1. Political situation
2. Economy
3. Health & Education
4. Religions & Peoples
5. History
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Ancient Egypt
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MAJOR CITIES
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Cairo (8.5 million)
Alexandria (4.0 million)
Giza (2.7 million)
Shubra al-Khayma (1 million)
Port Said (650,000)
Suez (550,000)
Mahalla al-Kubra (500,000)
Tanta (450,000)
Luxor (440,000)
Mansura (440,000)
Assyut (400,000)
Zagazig (340,000)
Ismailia (320,000)
Fayoum (310,000)
Aswan (280,000)
Damanhur (260,000)
Minya (250,000)
Sohag (210,000)
Beni Suef (200,000)
Shibin al-Kawm (190,000)
Banha (170,000)
Maadi (more than 150,000)
Kafr ash-Shaykh (150,000)
Al-Arish (140,000)
Akhmim (120,000)
Damietta (96,000)
Rosetta (80,000)
Marsa Matruh (70,000)
All figures are 2005 estimates
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STATUS
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Independent republic, divided into 26 governorates (muhafaza(t)).
Days of independence:
February 28, 1922 (from British control)
July 23, 1952 (Revolution Day)
| GOVERNMENT
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Head of state: President Hosni Mubarak
Prime minister: Atef Muhammed Abeid
There are 31 ministers, heading each ministry, while the prime minister also heads the Ministry of Planning and International Co-operation.
The national assembly is called the People's Assembly, and has 454 seats, of which the president appoints 10 representatives. The National Democratic Party holds 415 of these seats.
| GEOGRAPHY
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Inhabitants: 70 million (2005 estimate). 59.2 million at the 1996 census.
Population growth rate: 1.7%
Total area: 1,001,450 kmē
Water: 6,000 km²
Density: 72 per kmē
Border: 2,665 km (Palestine 11 km, Israel 266 km, Sudan 1,273 km, Libya 1,115 km).
Coastline: 2,450 km
Highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Arable land: 2.9%
Capital: Cairo
| HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX
| World rank (of 177): 111
Index (1.0 max): 0.702
Explanation
| DEMOGRAPHY
| Languages: Arabic (official), Berber, Nubian
Religions: Sunni Islam and Christianity (Copts, Catholic Copts, Greek Orthodox, Protestants)
| ECONOMY
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Currency: Pound (geneyh)=100 qirsh
100 pounds=US$16.90. US$1=5.90 pounds (May, 2003)
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The name "Egypt" is believed to have come from the original name of Egypt's ancient capital Memphis, "Hout ka-Ptah," meaning "Castle of the ka of Ptah." This name was often used even for the country as a whole.
The name came to be shortened and slightly transformed. Considering the original consonants h-t-k-p-t (pronounced), the three latter survived into respectively "k-p-t", "q-p-t" or "g-p-t." This was rendered into the Greek, 'Aegyptus', and later English: Egypt.
The name of Egypt during ancient times, especially the Old Kingdom, was, however Kemet, meaning "Black land." This referred to the fertile soil of the Nile valley. Sometimes an opposite denotation was applied; Deshret, meaning "Red land." This referred to the desert, which also back then was the dominant landscape of the Egyptian territory.
Today, the national name for Egypt is Misr, which comes from Arabic, and means simply "land" or "fortress", referring to the earliest Arabic settlements on Egyptian soil, located south of what would become Cairo.
CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY
Egypt is a country stretching over two continents, as Sinai is counted as part of Asia. Except for the Nile Valley, Egypt is almost all desert. Even the coastal areas are very dry. There are no forests.
The Nile Valley which extends at the maximum some kilometres on either side of the river, gives just about enough ground for the agriculture needed by the fast growing population in Egypt. The delta area, where the Nile divides into many smaller rivers, is of major importance to agriculture of Egypt.
The climate in Egypt is generally very hot in summer, but with big differences between the northern parts and southern areas. Winter is generally warm. Average summer temperatures can be up to 41ºC in the south, but it average 5-10 oC less in the north. Average winter temperatures are between 13 oC in the north, and 21 oC in the south. Cairo, the capital, is in the middle of these two extremes.
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By: Tore Kjeilen
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