from
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Egypt
the land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of
which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in
Scripture.
The Egyptians belonged to the white race, and their original
home is still a matter of dispute. Many scholars believe that it
was in Southern Arabia, and recent excavations have shown that
the valley of the Nile was originally inhabited by a low-class
population, perhaps belonging to the Nigritian stock, before the
Egyptians of history entered it. The ancient Egyptian language,
of which the latest form is Coptic, is distantly connected with
the Semitic family of speech.
Egypt consists geographically of two halves, the northern
being the Delta, and the southern Upper Egypt, between Cairo and
the First Cataract. In the Old Testament, Northern or Lower
Egypt is called Mazor, "the fortified land" (Isa. 19:6; 37: 25,
where the A.V. mistranslates "defence" and "besieged places");
while Southern or Upper Egypt is Pathros, the Egyptian
Pa-to-Res, or "the land of the south" (Isa. 11:11). But the
whole country is generally mentioned under the dual name of
Mizraim, "the two Mazors."
The civilization of Egypt goes back to a very remote
antiquity. The two kingdoms of the north and south were united
by Menes, the founder of the first historical dynasty of kings.
The first six dynasties constitute what is known as the Old
Empire, which had its capital at Memphis, south of Cairo, called
in the Old Testament Moph (Hos. 9:6) and Noph. The native name
was Mennofer, "the good place."
The Pyramids were tombs of the monarchs of the Old Empire,
those of Gizeh being erected in the time of the Fourth Dynasty.
After the fall of the Old Empire came a period of decline and
obscurity. This was followed by the Middle Empire, the most
powerful dynasty of which was the Twelfth. The Fayyum was
rescued for agriculture by the kings of the Twelfth Dynasty; and
two obelisks were erected in front of the temple of the sun-god
at On or Heliopolis (near Cairo), one of which is still
standing. The capital of the Middle Empire was Thebes, in Upper
Egypt.
The Middle Empire was overthrown by the invasion of the
Hyksos, or shepherd princes from Asia, who ruled over Egypt,
more especially in the north, for several centuries, and of whom
there were three dynasties of kings. They had their capital at
Zoan or Tanis (now San), in the north-eastern part of the Delta.
It was in the time of the Hyksos that Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph
entered Egypt. The Hyksos were finally expelled about B.C. 1600,
by the hereditary princes of Thebes, who founded the Eighteenth
Dynasty, and carried the war into Asia. Canaan and Syria were
subdued, as well as Cyprus, and the boundaries of the Egyptian
Empire were fixed at the Euphrates. The Soudan, which had been
conquered by the kings of the Twelfth Dynasty, was again annexed
to Egypt, and the eldest son of the Pharaoh took the title of
"Prince of Cush."
One of the later kings of the dynasty, Amenophis IV., or
Khu-n-Aten, endeavoured to supplant the ancient state religion
of Egypt by a new faith derived from Asia, which was a sort of
pantheistic monotheism, the one supreme god being adored under
the image of the solar disk. The attempt led to religious and
civil war, and the Pharaoh retreated from Thebes to Central
Egypt, where he built a new capital, on the site of the present
Tell-el-Amarna. The cuneiform tablets that have been found there
represent his foreign correspondence (about B.C. 1400). He
surrounded himself with officials and courtiers of Asiatic, and
more especially Canaanitish, extraction; but the native party
succeeded eventually in overthrowing the government, the capital
of Khu-n-Aten was destroyed, and the foreigners were driven out
of the country, those that remained being reduced to serfdom.
The national triumph was marked by the rise of the Nineteenth
Dynasty, in the founder of which, Rameses I., we must see the
"new king, who knew not Joseph." His grandson, Rameses II.,
reigned sixty-seven years (B.C. 1348-1281), and was an
indefatigable builder. As Pithom, excavated by Dr. Naville in
1883, was one of the cities he built, he must have been the
Pharaoh of the Oppression. The Pharaoh of the Exodus may have
been one of his immediate successors, whose reigns were short.
Under them Egypt lost its empire in Asia, and was itself
attacked by barbarians from Libya and the north.
The Nineteenth Dynasty soon afterwards came to an end; Egypt
was distracted by civil war; and for a short time a Canaanite,
Arisu, ruled over it.
Then came the Twentieth Dynasty, the second Pharaoh of which,
Rameses III., restored the power of his country. In one of his
campaigns he overran the southern part of Palestine, where the
Israelites had not yet settled. They must at the time have been
still in the wilderness. But it was during the reign of Rameses
III. that Egypt finally lost Gaza and the adjoining cities,
which were seized by the Pulista, or Philistines.
After Rameses III., Egypt fell into decay. Solomon married the
daughter of one of the last kings of the Twenty-first Dynasty,
which was overthrown by Shishak I., the general of the Libyan
mercenaries, who founded the Twenty-second Dynasty (1 Kings
11:40; 14:25, 26). A list of the places he captured in Palestine
is engraved on the outside of the south wall of the temple of
Karnak.
In the time of Hezekiah, Egypt was conquered by Ethiopians
from the Soudan, who constituted the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. The
third of them was Tirhakah (2 Kings 19:9). In B.C. 674 it was
conquered by the Assyrians, who divided it into twenty
satrapies, and Tirhakah was driven back to his ancestral
dominions. Fourteen years later it successfully revolted under
Psammetichus I. of Sais, the founder of the Twenty-sixth
Dynasty. Among his successors were Necho (2 Kings 23:29) and
Hophra, or Apries (Jer. 37:5, 7, 11). The dynasty came to an end
in B.C. 525, when the country was subjugated by Cambyses. Soon
afterwards it was organized into a Persian satrapy.
The title of Pharaoh, given to the Egyptian kings, is the
Egyptian Per-aa, or "Great House," which may be compared to that
of "Sublime Porte." It is found in very early Egyptian texts.
The Egyptian religion was a strange mixture of pantheism and
animal worship, the gods being adored in the form of animals.
While the educated classes resolved their manifold deities into
manifestations of one omnipresent and omnipotent divine power,
the lower classes regarded the animals as incarnations of the
gods.
Under the Old Empire, Ptah, the Creator, the god of Memphis,
was at the head of the Pantheon; afterwards Amon, the god of
Thebes, took his place. Amon, like most of the other gods, was
identified with Ra, the sun-god of Heliopolis.
The Egyptians believed in a resurrection and future life, as
well as in a state of rewards and punishments dependent on our
conduct in this world. The judge of the dead was Osiris, who had
been slain by Set, the representative of evil, and afterwards
restored to life. His death was avenged by his son Horus, whom
the Egyptians invoked as their "Redeemer." Osiris and Horus,
along with Isis, formed a trinity, who were regarded as
representing the sun-god under different forms.
Even in the time of Abraham, Egypt was a flourishing and
settled monarchy. Its oldest capital, within the historic
period, was Memphis, the ruins of which may still be seen near
the Pyramids and the Sphinx. When the Old Empire of Menes came
to an end, the seat of empire was shifted to Thebes, some 300
miles farther up the Nile. A short time after that, the Delta
was conquered by the Hyksos, or shepherd kings, who fixed their
capital at Zoan, the Greek Tanis, now San, on the Tanic arm of
the Nile. All this occurred before the time of the new king
"which knew not Joseph" (Ex. 1:8). In later times Egypt was
conquered by the Persians (B.C. 525), and by the Greeks under
Alexander the Great (B.C. 332), after whom the Ptolemies ruled
the country for three centuries. Subsequently it was for a time
a province of the Roman Empire; and at last, in A.D. 1517, it
fell into the hands of the Turks, of whose empire it still forms
nominally a part. Abraham and Sarah went to Egypt in the time of
the shepherd kings. The exile of Joseph and the migration of
Jacob to "the land of Goshen" occurred about 200 years later. On
the death of Solomon, Shishak, king of Egypt, invaded Palestine
(1 Kings 14:25). He left a list of the cities he conquered.
A number of remarkable clay tablets, discovered at
Tell-el-Amarna in Upper Egypt, are the most important historical
records ever found in connection with the Bible. They most fully
confirm the historical statements of the Book of Joshua, and
prove the antiquity of civilization in Syria and Palestine. As
the clay in different parts of Palestine differs, it has been
found possible by the clay alone to decide where the tablets
come from when the name of the writer is lost. The inscriptions
are cuneiform, and in the Aramaic language, resembling Assyrian.
The writers are Phoenicians, Amorites, and Philistines, but in
no instance Hittites, though Hittites are mentioned. The tablets
consist of official dispatches and letters, dating from B.C.
1480, addressed to the two Pharaohs, Amenophis III. and IV., the
last of this dynasty, from the kings and governors of Phoenicia
and Palestine. There occur the names of three kings killed by
Joshua, Adoni-zedec, king of Jerusalem, Japhia, king of Lachish
(Josh. 10:3), and Jabin, king of Hazor (11:1); also the Hebrews
(Abiri) are said to have come from the desert.
The principal prophecies of Scripture regarding Egypt are
these, Isa. 19; Jer. 43: 8-13; 44:30; 46; Ezek. 29-32; and it
might be easily shown that they have all been remarkably
fulfilled. For example, the singular disappearance of Noph
(i.e., Memphis) is a fulfilment of Jer. 46:19, Ezek. 30:13.
from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Egypt
Introduction
Background: The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River
flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts
to the east and west, allowed for the development of
one of the world's great civilizations. A unified
kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of
dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia.
The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341
B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans,
and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam
and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who
ruled for the next six centuries. A local military
caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and
continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the
Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the
Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world
transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt.
Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized
control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal
allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914.
Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt
acquired full sovereignty following World War II. The
completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the
resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored
place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology
of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in
the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on
the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress
society. The government has struggled to ready the
economy for the new millennium through economic reform
and massive investment in communications and physical
infrastructure.
Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north
of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula
Geographic 27 00 N, 30 00 E
coordinates:
Map Africa
references:
Area: total: 1,001,450 sq km
land: 995,450 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area - slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
comparative:
Land total: 2,665 km
boundaries: border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km,
Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline: 2,450 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and
delta
Elevation lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
extremes: highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Natural petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
resources: manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead,
zinc
Land use: arable land: 2.92%
permanent crops: 0.5%
other: 96.58% (2005)
Irrigated 34,220 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods,
hazards: landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin
occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - agricultural land being lost to urbanization and
current windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan
issues: 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 fresh water
resources away from the Nile, which is the only
perennial water source; rapid growth in population
overstraining the Nile and natural resources
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between
note: Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls
Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and
Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel,
establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics;
dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile
basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees
People
Population: 78,887,007 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 13,172,641/female 12,548,346)
15-64 years: 62.9% (male 25,102,754/female 24,519,698)
65 years and over: 4.5% (male 1,510,280/female
2,033,288) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 24 years
male: 23.6 years
female: 24.3 years (2006 est.)
Population 1.75% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 22.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 5.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 31.33 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 32.04 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 71.29 years
expectancy at male: 68.77 years
birth: female: 73.93 years (2006 est.)
Total 2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 12,000 (2001 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 700 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Egyptian(s)
adjective: Egyptian
Ethnic groups: Egyptian 98%, Berber, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%,
Greek, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and
French) 1%
Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian
1%
Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood
by educated classes
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.7%
male: 68.3%
female: 46.9% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
conventional short form: Egypt
local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
local short form: Misr
former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
Government republic
type:
Capital: name: Cairo
geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in
April; ends last Thursday in September
Administrative 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad
divisions: 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, As Suways, Ash Sharqiyah,
Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub
Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina',
Suhaj
Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK)
National Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)
holiday:
Constitution: 11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive chief of state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (since
branch: 14 October 1981)
head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF (since 9
July 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for
six-year term (no term limits); note - a national
referendum in May 2005 approved a constitutional
amendment that changed the presidential election to a
multicandidate popular vote; previously the president
was nominated by the People's Assembly and the
nomination was validated by a national, popular
referendum; last referendum held 26 September 1999;
first election under terms of constitutional amendment
held 7 September 2005; next election scheduled for 2011
election results: Hosni MUBARAK reelected president;
percent of vote - Hosni MUBARAK 88.6%, Ayman NOUR 7.6%,
Noman GOMAA 2.9%
Legislative bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or
branch: 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 six-year terms;
mid-term elections for half the members)
elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting -
last held 7 and 20 November, 1 December 2005;(next to
be held November-December 2010); Advisory Council -
last held May-June 2004 (next to be held May-June 2007)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote
by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 311, NWP 6, Tagammu
2, Tomorrow Party 1, independents 112 (12 seats to be
determined by rerun elections, 10 seats appointed by
President); Advisory Council - percent of vote by party
- NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial Supreme Constitutional Court
branch:
Political National Democratic Party or NDP [Mohammed Hosni
parties and MUBARAK (governing party)]; National Progressive
leaders: Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd
Party or NWP [No'man GOMAA]; Tomorrow Party [Ayman
NOUR]
note: formation of political parties must be approved
by the government
Political despite a constitutional ban against religious-based
pressure parties, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood
groups and constitutes Hosni MUBARAK's potentially most
leaders: significant political opposition; MUBARAK tolerated
limited political activity by the Brotherhood for his
first two terms, but moved more aggressively since then
to block its influence; civic society groups are
sanctioned, but constrained in practical terms; trade
unions and professional associations are officially
sanctioned
International ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer),
organization CAEU, COMESA, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
participation: ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS
(observer), OIC, OIF, ONUB, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Nabil FAHMY
representation chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC
in the US: 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400
FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San
Francisco
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Francis J. RICCIARDONE,
representation Jr.
from the US: embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo
mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900
telephone: [20] (2) 797-3300
FAX: [20] (2) 797-3200
Flag three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and
description: black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin
facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its
chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in
Arabic) centered in the white band; design is based on
the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of
Syria, which has two green stars, Iraq, which has three
green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a
horizontal line centered in the white band, and Yemen,
which has a plain white band
Economy
Economy - Occupying the northeast corner of the African
overview: continent, Egypt is bisected by the highly fertile Nile
valley, where most economic activity takes place. In
the last 30 years, the government has reformed the
highly centralized economy it inherited from President
NASSER. In 2005, Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF reduced
personal and corporate tax rates, reduced energy
subsidies, and privatized several enterprises. The
stock market boomed, and GDP grew nearly 5%. Despite
these achievements, the government has failed to raise
living standards for the average Egyptian, and has had
to continue providing subsidies for basic necessities.
The subsidies have contributed to a growing budget
deficit - more than 8% of GDP in 2005 - and represent a
significant drain on the economy. Foreign direct
investment remains low. To achieve higher GDP growth
the NAZIF government will need to continue its
aggressive pursuit of reform, especially in the energy
sector. Egypt's export sectors - particularly natural
gas - have bright prospects.
GDP $304.3 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $92.6 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 4.9% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $3,900 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 14.9%
composition by industry: 35.7%
sector: services: 49.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 21.34 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 32%
by occupation: industry: 17%
services: 51% (2001 est.)
Unemployment 9.5% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population 20% (2005 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 4.4%
income or highest 10%: 25% (1995)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 34.4 (2001)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 4.9% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 17.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $20.29 billion
expenditures: $27.68 billion; including capital
expenditures of $2.7 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt: 104.7% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables;
products: cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats
Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement,
metals, light manufactures
Industrial 5% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 84.26 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 81%
production by hydro: 19%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 78.16 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 450 million kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 250 million kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 700,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
production:
Oil - 566,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: 134,000 bbl/day NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 2.7 billion bbl (2005 est.)
reserves:
Natural gas - 27 billion cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 27 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 1.9 trillion cu m (2005)
proved
reserves:
Current $2.207 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $14.33 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles,
commodities: metal products, chemicals
Exports - US 13.4%, Italy 9.4%, Spain 7.7%, Syria 5.7%, Germany
partners: 4.9%, France 4.9%, UK 4.1% (2005)
Imports: $24.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood
commodities: products, fuels
Imports - US 10.6%, Germany 7%, China 6.5%, France 6.3%, Italy
partners: 5.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2005)
Reserves of $21.39 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $35.26 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - ODA, $1.12 billion (2002)
recipient:
Currency Egyptian pound (EGP)
(code):
Currency code: EGP
Exchange Egyptian pounds per US dollar - 5.78 (2005), 6.1962
rates: (2004), 5.8509 (2003), 4.4997 (2002), 3.973 (2001)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications
Telephones - 10,396,100 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 14,045,134 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: large system; underwent extensive
system: 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: country code - 20; 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
Radio AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 20.5 million (1997)
Television 98 (September 1995)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 7.7 million (1997)
Internet .eg
country code:
Internet 2,254 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 50 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 5 million (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 88 (2006)
Airports - total: 72
with paved over 3,047 m: 13
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - total: 16
with unpaved 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 7 (2006)
Heliports: 3 (2006)
Pipelines: condensate 464 km; condensate/gas 94 km; gas 6,021 km;
liquid petroleum gas 897 km; oil 5,120 km; oil/gas/
water 36 km; refined products 897 km (2006)
Railways: total: 5,063 km
standard gauge: 5,063 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km
electrified) (2005)
Roadways: total: 64,000 km
paved: 49,984 km
unpaved: 14,016 km (1999)
Waterways: 3,500 km
note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser,
Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals
in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches)
navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m
(2005)
Merchant total: 76 ships (1000 GRT or over) 987,524 GRT/
marine: 1,467,139 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 33, container 2,
passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll
off 9
foreign-owned: 9 (Denmark 1, Greece 6, Lebanon 2)
registered in other countries: 49 (Bolivia 2, Cambodia
8, Georgia 8, Honduras 4, North Korea 2, Panama 16,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Sao Tome and
Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Sierra Leone 1, Thailand 1,
unknown 1) (2006)
Ports and Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said, Suez,
terminals: Zeit
Military
Military Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
branches:
Military 18 years of age for conscript military service;
service age three-year service obligation (2001)
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 18,347,560
available for females age 18-49: 17,683,904 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 15,540,234
for military females age 18-49: 14,939,378 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 802,920
reaching females age 18-49: 764,176 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $2.44 billion (2003)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 3.4% (2004)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the two
international: triangular areas that extend north and south of the
1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have
withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is developing
the Hala'ib Triangle north of the Treaty line; since
the attack on Taba and other Egyptian resort towns on
the Red Sea in October 2004, Egypt vigilantly monitors
the Sinai and borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip;
Egypt does not extend domestic asylum to some 70,000
persons who identify themselves as Palestinians but who
largely lack UNRWA assistance and, until recently,
UNHCR recognition as refugees
Refugees and refugees (country of origin): 70,245 (Palestinian
internally Territories) 14,904 (Sudan) (2005)
displaced
persons:
Trafficking in current situation: Egypt is a transit country for women
persons: trafficked from Eastern Europe to Israel for the
purpose of sexual exploitation; these women generally
arrive as tourists and are subsequently trafficked
through the Sinai Desert by Bedouin tribes; men and
women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are believed to
be trafficked through the Sinai Desert to Israel and
Europe for labor exploitation; some Egyptian children
from rural areas are trafficked within the country to
work as domestic servants or laborers in the
agriculture industry
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Egypt is placed on the
Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of
increasing efforts to address trafficking over the past
year, particularly in the area of law enforcement
Illicit drugs: transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian
heroin and opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US;
transit stop for Nigerian couriers; concern as
money-laundering site due to lax enforcement of
financial regulations