1981 Edition

Aid

economic — bilateral commitments of ODA and OOF (FY70-80), US, $177.3 million; other Western countries (1970-79), $243.0 million; Communist countries (1970-75), $9.4 million; military— (FY70-79) US, $40.0 million

Area

1,000,258 km2 (including 19,237 km* in Sinai); 2.8% cultivated (of which about 70% multiple cropped); 96.5% desert, waste, or urban; 0.7% inland water

Budget

(1980) revenues, $1,504 million; expenditures, $1,680 million

Coastline

2,450 km (1967); includes approximately 500 km within Sinai area

Fiscal year

calendar year

Land boundaries

approximately 2,580 km (including border of Sinai area)

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 nm (plus 6 nm "necessary supervision zone")

Monetary conversion rate

35 sucres=US$l

Ethnic divisions

90% Eastern Hamitic stock; 10% Greek, Italian, Syro-Lebanese

Labor force

13.4 million; 45-50% agriculture, 13% industry, 11% trade and finance, 26% services and other; shortage of skilled labor

Language

Arabic official, English and French widely understood by educated classes

Literacy

around 44%

Nationality

noun — Egyptian(s); adjective — Egyptian or Arab Republic of Egypt

Organized labor

1 to 3 million

Population

44,740,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.0%

Religion

(official estimate) 94% Muslim, 6% Copt and other

Branches

executive power vested in President, who appoints Cabinet; People's Assembly dominated by the government's National Democratic Party; independent judiciary administered by Minister of Justice

Capital

Cairo

Communists

approximately 500, party members

Elections

regular elections to People's Assembly every five years (most recent June 1979); presidential elections every six years (President Mubarak was elected in October 1981) Political parties and leaders: formation of political parties must be approved by government; National Democratic Party, formed in mid1978 by President Anwar El-Sadat, is the major party; various small opposition parties

Government leader

President Hosni MUBARAK

Legal system

based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes; permanent constitution written in 1971; judicial review of limited nature in Supreme Court, also in Council of State, which oversees validity of administrative decisions; legal education at Cairo University; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Member of

AAPSO, AFDB, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IOOC, IPU, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WPC, WSG, WTO; Egypt suspended from Arab League and OAPEC in April 1979 and from ISCON in May 1979

National holiday

National Day, 23 July

Official name

Arab Republic of Egypt

Political subdivisions

26 governorates EGYPT (Continued)

Suffrage

universal over age 18

Type

republic; under presidential rule since June 1956

Agriculture

main cash crop — cotton; other crops — rice, onions, beans, citrus fruit, wheat, corn, barley; not selfsufficient in food

Electric power

5,480,600 kW capacity (1980); 18.5 billion kWh produced (1980), 434 kWh per capita

Exports

$3.9 billion (f.o.b., 1980); crude petroleum, raw cotton, cotton yarn and fabric, rice, onions, potatoes, chemicals, cement

Fiscal year

July through June, beginning in 1980

GNP

$23.4 billion (1980), $550 per capita; real growth of 8% in 1980

Imports

$7.6 billion (c.i.f., 1980); foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fertilizers, woods

Major industries

textiles, food processing, chemicals, petroleum, construction, cement

Major trade partners

US, EC countries

Monetary conversion rate

official rate — 1 Egyptian pound=US$1.43 (selling rate), 0.70 Egyptian pound=US$l (selling rate)

Airfields

174 total, 174 usable; 17 with permanentsurface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m, 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 26 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

109 total, 77 usable; 68 with permanent-surface runways; 45 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 2 with runways over 3,659 m, 21 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

46 major transport aircraft, including 1 leased in

37 major transport aircraft, including 3 leased in and 2 leased out

Freight carried

Suez Canal (1966)— 242 million metric tons of which 175.6 million metric tons were POL

Highways

69,280 km total; 11,925 km paved, 24,400 km gravel, 32,955 km earth roads

47,025 km total; 12,300 km paved, 2,500 km gravel and crushed stone, 14,200 km improved earth, 18,025 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

1,500 km

3,360 km; Suez Canal, 160 km long, used by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 11.5 meters of water; Alexandria-Cairo waterway navigable by barges of metric ton capacity; Nile and large canals by barges of 420-metric ton capacity; Ismailia Canal by barges of 200to 300-metric ton capacity; secondary canals by sailing craft of 10to 70-metric ton capacity

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,908,000; 1,295,000 fit for military service; 87,000 reach military age (20) annually

males 15-49, 10,912,000; 7,120,000 fit for military service; about 458,000 reach military age (20) annually

Pipelines

crude oil, 623 km; refined products, 1,358 km

crude oil, 675 km; refined products, 240 km; natural gas, 365 km

Ports

3 major (Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar), 11 minor

3 major (Alexandria, Port Said, Suez), 8 minor

Railroads

1,121 km total; 966 km 1.067-meter gauge, 155 km 0.750-meter gauge; all single track

4,857 km total; 951 km double track; 25 km electrified; 4,510 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 347 km 0.750-meter gauge

Telecommunications

facilities adequate only in largest cities; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station; 260,000 telephones (2.9 per '100 popl.); 250 AM, 38 FM, and 17 TV stations DEFENSE FORCES

system is large but still inadequate for needs; principal centers Alexandria and Cairo, secondary centers Al Mansurah, Ismailia, and Tanta; intercity connections by coaxial cable and microwave; extensive upgrading in progress; est. 600,000 telephones (1.3 per 100 popl.); 23 AM, 3 FM, and 35 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station; Symphonic satellite station; 2 submarine coaxial cables DEFENSE FORCES