Egypt

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
• controls Sinai Peninsula, the only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Cairo	9,606,916	Capital
Alexandria	5,263,542
Giza	4,367,343
Shubrā al Khaymah	1,240,289
Port Said	780,515
Suez	699,541
Madīnat an Naşr	668,413
Al Mansurah	621,953
Al Maḩallah al Kubrá	592,573
Tanta	576,648

Size

• 386,660 square miles
• 1,001,450 square kilometers
• more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

History

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 in Egypt. 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. Arab conquerors introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and ruled for the next six centuries. The Mamluks, a local military caste, took control around 1250 and continued to govern after the Ottoman Turks conquered Egypt in 1517.Completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 elevated Egypt as an important world transportation hub. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but the country's nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Egypt gained partial independence from the UK in 1922 and full sovereignty in 1952. British forces evacuated the Suez Canal Zone in 1956. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have reaffirmed 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 meet the demands of Egypt's fast-growing population as it implements large-scale infrastructure projects, energy cooperation, and foreign direct investment appeals. Inspired by the 2010 Tunisian revolution, Egyptian opposition groups led demonstrations and labor strikes countrywide, culminating in President Hosni MUBARAK's ouster in 2011. Egypt's military assumed national leadership until a new legislature was in place in early 2012; later that same year, Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed MORSI won the presidential election. Following protests throughout the spring of 2013 against MORSI's government and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian Armed Forces intervened and removed MORSI from power in July 2013 and replaced him with interim president Adly MANSOUR. Simultaneously, the government began enacting laws to limit freedoms of assembly and expression. In 2014, voters approved a new constitution by referendum and then elected former defense minister Abdel Fattah EL-SISI president. EL-SISI was reelected to a second four-year term in 2018 and a third term in December 2023.

Climate

desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

Terrain

vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

Languages

Arabic (official); English and French widely understood by educated classesmajor-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، أفضل مصدر للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 90%, Christian (majority Coptic Orthodox, other Christians include Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, Maronite, Orthodox, and Anglican) 10%

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest approved by a constitutional committee in December 2013, approved by referendum held on 14-15 January 2014, ratified by interim president on 19 January 2014amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic or by one fifth of the House of Representatives members; a decision to accept the proposal requires majority vote by House members; passage of amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote by House members and passage by majority vote in a referendum; articles of reelection of the president and principles of freedom are not amendable unless the amendment "brings more guarantees" 
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
• Legal System: mixed system based on Napoleonic civil and penal law, Islamic religious law, and vestiges of colonial-era laws; Supreme Constitutional Court reviews laws
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Abdel Fattah EL-SISI (since 8 June 2014)head of government: Prime Minister Mostafa MADBOULY (since 7 June 2018)cabinet: Cabinet ministers nominated by the executive branch and approved by the House of Representativeselection/appointment process: president elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 6-year term (eligible for 3 consecutive terms); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of Representativesmost recent election date: 10-12 December 2023election results: 2023: Abdel Fattah EL-SISI reelected president in first round; percent of valid votes cast - Abdel Fattah EL-SISI (independent) 89.6%, Hazam OMAR (Republican People’s Party) 4.5%, Farid ZAHRAN (Egyptian Social Democratic Party 4%, Abdel-Samad YAMAMA 1.9%2018: Abdelfattah ELSISI reelected president in first round; percent of valid votes cast - Abdelfattah ELSISI (independent) 97.1%, Moussa Mostafa MOUSSA (El Ghad Party) 2.9%; note - more than 7% of ballots cast were deemed invalidexpected date of next election: 2029
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) (consists of the court president and 10 justices); the SCC serves as the final court of arbitration on the constitutionality of laws and conflicts between lower courts regarding jurisdiction and rulings; Court of Cassation (CC) (consists of the court president and 550 judges organized in circuits with cases heard by panels of 5 judges); the CC is the highest appeals body for civil and criminal cases, also known as "ordinary justices"; Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) (consists of the court president and NA judges and organized in circuits with cases heard by panels of 5 judges); the SAC is the highest court of the State Counciljudge selection and term of office: under the 2014 constitution, all judges and justices selected and appointed by the Supreme Judiciary Council and approved as a formality by the president of the Republic; judges appointed for life; under the 2019 amendments, the president has the power to appoint heads of judiciary authorities and courts, the prosecutor general, and the head of the Supreme Constitutional Courtsubordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; courts of limited jurisdiction; Family Court (established in 2004)
• Legislative Branch: legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• Africa’s second-largest economy; 2030 Vision to diversify markets and energy infrastructure; improving fiscal, external, and current accounts; underperforming private sector; poor labor force participation; expanded credit access
• Budget: revenues: $69.999 billion (2015 est.)expenditures: $96.057 billion (2015 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc
• Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures
• Agricultural Products: sugarcane, sugar beets, wheat, maize, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, milk, onions, oranges (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 4.1% (2022 est.)arable land: 3.1% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)forest: 0% (2022 est.)other: 95.9% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, wheat, plastics, natural gas, packaged medicine (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 16%, Saudi Arabia 6%, Russia 6%, USA 6%, Germany 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: refined petroleum, natural gas, fertilizers, garments, crude petroleum (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Saudi Arabia 10%, Turkey 9%, Italy 6%, USA 5%, UAE 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports