• Total Area: 1,001,450 sq km
• Land: 995,450 sq km
• Water: 6,000 sq km
• Land Boundaries: 2,665 km
• Coastline: 2,450 km
• Populated: Populated
• Cultivated Land: 34,803 sq km
• Ratio of cultivated land to the total area: 3.5%
• Ratio of populated land to the total area: 5.5%

Location
Located at the heart of the world, standing as a major trade and crossroads destination between Europe, the Middle East, Africa and west and south Asia. It occupies the north Eastern corner of Africa, bordered by Libya (1,115km) to the west, Sudan (1,273 km) to the south, Palestine (Gaza Strip 11km), Israel (266 km) and Jordan to the northeast. Its north coast is on the Mediterranean Sea, while the eastern coast is bounded by the Red Sea. The Suez Canal links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean- a linkage vital to both Egypt and the world.

Geographic Importance:
Egypt possesses a strategic geographic position. It has a land bridge (the Isthmus of Suez) between Africa and Asia, which in turn is traversed by a navigable waterway (the Suez Canal) that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea.

The Nile
Traverses over 1,000 miles within Egypt, from Wadi Halfa in the South to the Mediterranean in the north, divides the country into four broad regions; the Western Desert which occupies almost two-thirds of the total area, the Eastern Desert, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Nile Valley and Delta, which is the most densely populated region of the country. Egypt is dependent on the Nile for nearly all its water needs. The vast majority of the remaining land is made up of sparsely inhabited, arid desert. Extensive land reclamation efforts since 1947 have aimed at increasing the area of cultivable land.

Terrain:
Vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta.

Elevation Extremes
Lowest Point: Quattara Depression (-133m)
Highest Point: Mount Catherine (2,629m)

Climate
Hot, dry summers with moderate winters

Natural Resources:
Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc, among others.

Agricultural Crops:
Egypt ranked first in the world in the production of sugar cane. Other major crops include wheat, corn, cotton, rice, beans and clover.

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Total Population:
75 million (June 2007 est.)

Most Populated Governorates:
Cairo (7.8 million), Giza (6.3 million), Sharkiya (5.3 million), Dakahliya (5 million), Beheira (4.7 million)

Age/Structure (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 32.2% (male 13,234,428/female 12,631,681)
15-64 years: 63.2% (male 25,688,703/female 25,082,200)
65 years and over: 4.6% (male 1,576,376/female 2,121,648)

Population Growth Rate: 1.721% (2007 est.)

Population Abroad: 3.9 million (2006 est.)

Foreign Population: 0.36% of total population

Birth rate: 22.53 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 5.11 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate: 29.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth (2007 est.): Total population 71.57 years; male: 74.22 years; female: 69.04 years

Total Fertility Rate: 2.7 children born/ women (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Sex Ratio (2007 est.): At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.048 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.024 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.743 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.017 male(s)/female

Ethnic Groups:
Eastern Hamitic Egyptians (98%), Bedouins Nubians and Berbers (1%), Greek, Armenian, and other European primarily Italian and French (1%).
There are approximately 10,000 Americans, 3,500 British, 3000 French, 3000 Germans and thousands of other Europeans and Africans living and working in Egypt. There are also many Latin Americans and larger number of Middle Eastern, who maintain residences and do business in Cairo, plus Asians from India to the Philippines.

Religion: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic Christian 9% and other 1%

Language: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes. The Egyptian dialect is the most widely understood of all other Arabic dialects.

Literacy: (Age 15 and over can read and write)

Human Resources:
With a population of over 75 million, Egypt is rich in human resources; its businessmen are experienced in the markets of its neighbor countries, and it possesses a good mix of unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and highly qualified labor. Egypt's workforce, close to 22 million, is an excellent source for productive inexpensive labor. The growth of Egypt's labor force has averaged about 2.5% annually in recent years.

Low prevailing wages have encouraged the use of labor-intensive technologies. In 1999 the minimum wage was set at L.E.116 per month. The average wage during 2004/05 was L.E.928.
The Egyptian labor market is now regulated by the new Unified Labor Law (No. 12 for 2003). The new Law comprises 257 articles that address all the legal aspects regulating the Egyptian labor market. A National Council for Wages has been formed to determine minimum wages at a level reflective of the cost of living and to balance between salaries and prices. The Council of wages has set that minimum annual raises should not be less than 7% of an employee’s base salary.

(For further Information on Labor Regulations click here)

Foreign companies frequently pay higher wages and attract workers with higher than average skills; however, many foreign companies have expressed the need for skilled managers in Egypt. Unemployment remains a significant problem, as Egypt has a surplus of both skilled and unskilled labor. Hundreds of thousands of workers from both categories seek employment abroad on both temporary and permanent bases. Gulf countries have attracted most of the departing labor over the past two decades, however, this trend started to fade away after the Gulf war and the subsequent policies of foreign employment reduction adopted by these countries.

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Last updated November 2007

Type: Republic (declared June 18, 1953)

Capital: Cairo

Administrative Divisions: 26 Governorates
Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Alexandria, Al Wadi Al Gadid, Aswan, Asyut, Beheira, Beni Sweif, Cairo, Dakahliya, Demiatta, Fayoum, Gharbeya, Giza, Ismailiya, Kafr El Sheikh, Minuffiyah, Minya, Marsa Matrouh, North Sinai, Port Saaid, Qalyubiah, Qina, Sharqiya, Suez, Sohag and South Sinai

Legal System:

Egypt has a bicameral legislature, made up of the elected People's Assembly (Maglis al Shaab) and the Advisory Council (Maglis al Shoura). The Advisory Council is a consultative organ, whereas the People's Assembly functions as the main representative law-making body. The last People’s Assembly elections were held in November 2005 for a five-year term. The People's assembly has a total of 454 seats of which 444 are filled by popular vote, and the remaining ten are appointed by the president. Elections for the upper house of parliament, which only has an advisory role, last took place in June 2001. In 1977, a constitutional adjustment was made to allow for the existence of a variety of parties with a wide spectrum of political platforms. Another constitutional amendment was passed in 1980, allowing the president to run for an unlimited number of terms, rather than one term as was initially stipulated in Egypt's 1971 constitution.
In 2005, Article 76 was amended to allow for the first ever presidential elections in Egypt. Based on the result of a referendum held on March 26, 2007, 34 articles of the Constitutions were amended. President Mubarak issued on Thursday 5/4/2007 a Republican decree putting in force the constitutional amendments after having been approved through a mass referendum.
During Mubarak's era, the number of political parties in Egypt has increased to reach 24 parties. Currently, there are more than a dozen recognized opposition parties some of which have representatives in the People's Assembly. The current ruling party is the National Democratic Party (NDP) and it is headed by the president of the state. The ruling NDP has been in power since 1978. It effectively controls national government, the government-owned media, and state-owned enterprises. The NDP now holds 353 seats in the current parliament and the opposition parties and independents hold the remaining seats (2005 elections). The opposition doubled its representation and included a vocal contingent allied to the Muslim Brotherhood, which will be determined to scrutinize government activity more closely than was possible in previous parliaments. The tendency towards a more critical level of debate has already been illustrated by the relatively tough time the government had passing the mortgage and sales tax laws.

Judicial System:

The Egyptian judicial code combines elements from the Napoleonic Code, English Common Law and Islamic Law. The Supreme Constitutional Court tops the judicial hierarchy that branches down into the court of appeals and primary and summary tribunals throughout the 26 governorates. Christians and Jews are subject to their own jurisprudence in personal status affairs. The distinction between civil and criminal courts exists in Egypt. In the civil system, there are two courts of primary jurisdiction: (i) the Summary Courts, which deal with low value matters, urgent matters (e.g. injunctions), and matters relating to the individual (e.g. divorce, inheritance); and (ii) the Courts of First Instance, which handle labor and commercial issues, and appeals from the Summary Courts. Appeals from the Courts of First Instance are heard by the Courts of Appeal, which are situated in main cities and will effectively involve a rehearing of the matter. Further appeals, on points of law only, may be made to the Court of Cassation. The Constitutional Court is a court in charge of reviewing the constitutionality of any law issued in Egypt. It decides whether the law in question is in conformity with the constitution. A separate structure under the Council of State exists for resolving administrative disputes involving government agencies and Ministries, such as challenges to the validity of presidential decrees, or disputes involving government contracts.

Political System:

Under the 1971 constitution, amended in 1980, Egypt is an Arab Republic with a socialist-democratic system. The constitution states that there should be no discrimination on the grounds of race or religion. The country is divided into 26 governorates, with governors appointed by the president. There is universal suffrage with a voting age of 18.The executive power rests with the president. The president may take emergency measures, but these must be approved by a referendum within 60 days; he may also dissolve the People's Assembly (the legislative body) prematurely, but a referendum, and elections, must be held within 60 days.
In February 2005, Article 76 of the constitution was amended to allow for multi-candidate presidential elections.

The President:
Egypt's head of state Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, came into power in 1981, following the assassination of former president, Anwar El Sadat. Mubarak was the Commander in Chief of the Air Force in the 1973 Arab Israeli war and his last post before assuming presidency was Vice-President to President El Sadat. President Hosni Mubarak was reelected president under the terms of constitutional amendment held September 7, 2005 with 88.6 % of vote. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2011.
The Egyptian Constitution grants the President the authority to appoint one or more Vice Presidents, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and Egypt's 26 provincial governors. The president is supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the police. Mr. Mubarak does not have a vice- president, however, the constitution provides for a systematic transfer of power in the absence of an appointee, until normal elections can be held.

The Cabinet:
The Egyptian cabinet consists of 31 ministers. The current cabinet has been appointed since July 9 2004. On December 31, 2005 some cabinet reshuffles took place after the November-December parliamentary elections, which Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) won a two-thirds majority in the 454-member People's Assembly.

Please follow this link to go to the Egyptian Cabinet.

International Relations:

Egypt continues to adapt an integrated foreign policy aiming at strengthening and enhancing its relations with its main partners on the international level. Through this policy, Egypt enjoys several opportunities that place it in a position that en-trench its past gains and opens up new prospects in the future.
Egypt is host to 135 embassies and consulates.

For a complete list of Embassies and Consulates in Egypt click here

Membership in Important International Organizations:

Egypt is a member of ABEDA, ACC, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CTBT, EBRD, ECA, ESCWA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU, WCO, EFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

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Last Updated November 2007