Statistical information Egypt 1989

Egypt in the World
Egypt - Introduction 1989
top of pageBackground: One of the four great ancient civilizations, Egypt, ruled by powerful pharaohs, bequeathed to Western civilization numerous advances in technology, science, and the arts. For the last two millennia, however, Egypt has served a series of foreign masters_Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, and the British. Formal independence came in 1922, and the remnants of British control ended after World War II. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1981 altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population will stress Egyptian society and resources as it enters the new millenium.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaLand boundaries:
2,689 km total
Gaza Strip 11, Israel 255 km, Libya 1,150 km, Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline: 2,450 km
Maritime claimsContiguous zone: 18 nm
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Extended economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
ElevationNatural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use: 3% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; NEGL% forest and woodland; 95% other; includes 5% irrigated
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographyNote: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, shortest sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean; size and juxtaposition to Israel establishes its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics
top of pagePopulation: 54,777,615 (July 1989), growth rate 2.6% (1989)
Nationality: noun - Egyptian(s; adjective - Egyptian
Ethnic groups: 90% Eastern Hamitic stock; 10% Greek, Italian, Syro-Lebanese
Languages: Arabic (official; English and French widely understood by educated classes
Religions: (official estimate) 94% Muslim (mostly Sunni), 6% Coptic Christian and other
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 37 births/1000 population (1989)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1000 population (1989)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1000 population (1989)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: Nile is only perennial water source; increasing soil salinization below Aswan High Dam; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; water pollution; desertification
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 93 deaths/1000 live births (1989)
Life expectancy at birth: 59 years male, 60 years female (1989)
Total fertility rate: 5.1 children born/woman (1989)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 45%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry name: conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
Government type: republic
Capital: Cairo
Administrative divisions: 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah; Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Ismailiyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, Ash Sharqiyah, As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Said, Dumyat, Janub Sina, Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina, Suhaj
Dependent areasIndependence: 28 February 1922 (from UK; formerly United Arab Republic
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 23 July (1952)
Constitution: 11 September 1971
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
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal over age 18
Executive branch: Chief of State - President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (was made acting President on 6 October 1981 upon the assassination of President Sadat and sworn in as President on 14 October 1981; Head of Government - Prime Minister Atef Mohammed Najib SEDKY (since 12 November 1986)
Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Judicial branchPolitical parties and leadersInternational organization participation: AAPSO, AfDB, Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB - Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC - International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WPC, WSG, WTO; Egypt suspended from Arab League and OAPEC in April 1979 and readmitted in May 1989
Diplomatic representationIn the us: Ambassador El Sayed Abdel Raouf EL REEDY; Chancery at 2,310 Decatur Place NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 232-5,400; there are Egyptian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco; US - Ambassador Frank G. WISNER; Embassy at 5 Sharia Latin America, Garden City, Cairo (mailing address is FPO New York 9,527; telephone Õ20å Õ2å 355-7,371; there is a US Consulate General in Alexandria
Flag description
: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with the national emblem (a shield superimposed on a golden eagle facing the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; similar to the flags of the YAR which has one star, Syria which has two stars, and Iraq which has three stars - all green and five-pointed in a horizontal line centered in the white band
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: The economy grew rapidly during the late 1970s and early 1980s, but in 1986 the collapse of world oil prices and an increasingly heavy burden of debt servicing led Egypt to conduct negotiations with the IMF for balance-of-payments support. As part of the agreement with the IMF, the government agreed to institute a long-term reform program to reduce inflation, promote economic growth, and improve its external position. The reforms have been slow in coming, however, and the economy has been largely stagnant for the past three years. Real GDP was up only 0.5% in FY87 after increasing only marginally during 1985-1986. Slow growth is an especially serious problem for a country with a high population growth rate of 2.6% annually. With 1 million people being added every eight months to Egypt's population, urban growth exerts enormous pressure on the 5% of the land available for agriculture.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: fodder, maize, wheat, cotton, rice, horsebeans, barley, citrus fruit; not self-sufficient in food
Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, petroleum, construction, cement, metals
Industrial production growth rate: 2.2% (1987)
Labor force: 15,000,000 (1989 est.), 44% agriculture; 36% government, public sector enterprises, and armed forces; 20% privately owned service and manufacturing enterprises (1984; shortage of skilled labor; 2,500,000 Egyptians work abroad, mostly in Iraq and the Gulf Arab states (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 17% (mid-1988)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $15 billion; expenditures $23 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.8 billion (FY88)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 1 July-30 June
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $4.4 billion (f.o.b., 1987)
Commodities: raw cotton, crude and refined petroleum, cotton yarn, textiles
Partners: US, EC, Japan, Eastern Europe
Imports: $11.9 billion (c.i.f., 1987)
Commodities: foods, machinery and equipment, fertilizers, wood products, durable consumer goods, capital goods
Partners: US, EC, Japan, Eastern Europe
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $40.4 billion (December 1988)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Egyptian pounds (LE) per US$1 - 2.3557 (January 1989), 2.2129 (1988), 1.5015 (1987), 1.3503 (1986), 1.3009 (1985)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 9,673,000 kW capacity; 42,367 million kWh produced, 790 kWh per capita (1988)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitaEgypt - Communication 1989
top of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $2.099 billion, 5.1% of central government budget (FY88)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupsEgypt - Transportation 1989
top of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 95 total, 86 usable; 66 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 46 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 21 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil, 1,171 km; refined products, 596 km; natural gas, 460 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: 3,500 km (including the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, the Ismailia Canal, and numerous smaller canals in the Delta; Suez Canal, 193.5 km long (including approaches), used by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 16.1 meters of water
Merchant marine: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,093,472 GRT/1,682,693 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 8 short-sea passenger, 3 passenger-cargo, 89 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 10 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 14 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 15 bulk
Ports and terminalsEgypt - Transnational issues 1989
top of pageDisputes international: Administrative Boundary and international boundary with Sudan
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs