Egypt

• periodic droughts;
• frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides;
• hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring;
• dust storms, sandstorms

• 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;
• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

• controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between 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

0-14 years:

33.9% (male 12,964,852; female 12,346,808)

15-64 years:

61.9% (male 23,375,037; female 22,865,190)

65 years and over:

4.2% (male 1,359,685; female 1,807,225) (2003 est.)

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:

0.75 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Egyptian(s)

adjective:

Egyptian

conventional long form:

Arab Republic of Egypt

conventional short form:

Egypt

local short form:

Misr

former:

United Arab Republic (with Syria)

local long form:

Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah

• 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah);
• Ad 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, Ash Sharqiyah, As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina', Suhaj

• 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

chief of state:

President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October 1981)

head of government:

Prime Minister Atef Mohammed ABEID (since 5 October 1999)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president

elections:

• president nominated by the People's Assembly for a six-year term, the nomination must then be validated by a national, popular referendum;
• national referendum last held 26 September 1999 (next to be held NA October 2005);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

national referendum validated President MUBARAK's nomination by the People's Assembly to a fourth term

• Nasserist Arab Democratic Party or Nasserists [Dia' al-din DAWUD];
• National Democratic Party or NDP [President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK] - governing party;
• National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Khalid MUHI AL-DIN];
• New Wafd Party or NWP [No'man GOMA];
• Socialist Liberal Party or LSP [leader NA]

note: formation of political parties must be approved by the government

• despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes MUBARAK's potentially most 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador M. Nabil FAHMY

chancery:

3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco

FAX:

[1] (202) 244-4319

telephone:

[1] (202) 895-5400

chief of mission:

Ambassador C. David WELCH

embassy:

5 Latin America St., Garden City, Cairo

mailing address:

Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900

telephone:

[20] (2) 797-3300

FAX:

[20] (2) 797-3200

• 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 flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band;
• also similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars, and to the flag of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band

lowest 10%:

4.4%

highest 10%:

25% (1995)

general assessment:

• large system;
• underwent extensive 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:

• 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 and a signatory to Project Oxygen (a global submarine fiber-optic cable system)

total:

5,105 km

standard gauge:

5,105 km 1.435-m gauge (42 km electrified) (2002)

total:

64,000 km

paved:

49,984 km

unpaved:

14,016 km (1999 est.)

• condensate 327 km;
• condensate/gas 94 km;
• gas 6,145 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 382 km;
• oil 5,726 km;
• oil/gas/water 36 km;
• water 62 km (2003)

total:

170 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,284,197 GRT/1,907,734 DWT

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1, Germany 1, Greece 6, Lebanon 3, Monaco 1, Ukraine 1 (2002 est.)

ships by type:

bulk 20, cargo 50, container 5, liquefied gas 1, passenger 63, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 13, short-sea passenger 3

• 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 banking regulations