The 2010 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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      Introduction ::Egypt

      Background:

      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. 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. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty with the overthrow of the British-backed monarchy in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered 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 growing population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure.

      Geography ::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

      Geographic coordinates:

      27 00 N, 30 00 E

      Map references:

      Africa

      Area:

      total: 1,001,450 sq km country comparison to the world: 30 land: 995,450 sq km

      water: 6,000 sq km

      Area - comparative:

      slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

      Land boundaries:

      total: 2,665 km

      border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km

      Coastline:

      2,450 km

      Maritime claims:

      territorial sea: 12 nm

      contiguous zone: 24 nm

      exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

      continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

      Climate:

      desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

      Terrain:

      vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

      Elevation extremes:

      lowest point: Qattara Depression −133 m

      highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m

      Natural resources:

      petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc

      Land use:

      arable land: 2.92%

      permanent crops: 0.5%

      other: 96.58% (2005)

      Irrigated land:

      34,220 sq km (2003)

      Total renewable water resources:

      86.8 cu km (1997)

      Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

      total: 68.3 cu km/yr (8%/6%/86%)

      per capita: 923 cu m/yr (2000)

      Natural hazards:

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

      Environment - current issues:

      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, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources

      Environment - international agreements:

      party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

       Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

       Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

       Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

       Timber 94, Wetlands

      signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

      Geography - note:

      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

      People ::Egypt

      Population:

      80,471,869 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 16

      Age structure:

      0–14 years: 33% (male 13,308,407/female 12,711,900)

      15–64 years: 62.7% (male 25,138,546/female 24,342,230)

      65 years and over: 4.3% (male 1,546,774/female 1,818,778) (2010 est.)

      Median age:

      total: 24 years

      male: 23.8 years

      female: 24.3 years (2010 est.)

      Population growth rate:

      1.997% СКАЧАТЬ