Egypt Facts

The Country

Country names: Arab Republic of Egypt (conventional long form), Egypt (conventional short form), Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah (local long form), Misr (local short form)

Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK)

National holiday: Revolution Day, July 23rd

Flag: Three equal horizontal bands of red, 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.

Geogrpahy

Capital: Cairo, population 11,146,000

Area: 1,002,000 square kilometers (386,874 square miles)

Location: northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Libya is on its western border and the Gaza Strip and the Red Sea makes up the eastern border. The Sudan lies on Egypt's southern border.

Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E

Elevation extremes: Qattara Depression -133 m; Mount Catherine 2,629 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc

Climate: desert climate with hot, dry summers and moderate winters.

Natural hazards: droughts, frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, and a hot, driving windstorm.

Environment: 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; limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources

Demographics

Population: 81,000,000+

Age structure: 0-14 years, 31.8%; 15-64 years, 63.5%; 65 years and over, 4.7%

Median age: 24.5 years

Language: Arabic (official), English, French

Religion: Sunni Muslim (90 percent), Coptic Christian (10 percent)

Ethnic Groups: Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers) 99%. Greek, Nubian, Armenian and other European (primarily Italian and French) 1%.

Life Expectancy: 72 overall (men = 69, women = 74)

Literacy Rate: 83% for men and 59% for women.

Economics & Industry

Major Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals

Agriculture production: cotton, rice, corn, wheat; cattle

Exports: crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals

GDP per Capita: US$4,000

Unemployment rate: 9.1%

Population below poverty line: 20%

Currency: Egyptian pound