1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
1,000,258 km2 (including 19,237 km2 in Sinai); 2.8% cultivated (of which about 70% multiple cropped); 96.5% desert, waste, or urban; 0.7% inland water
Coastline
2,450 km (1967); includes approximately 500 km within Sinai area
Land boundaries
approximately 2,580 km (including border of Sinai area) WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm (plus 6 nm "necessary supervision zone")
People and Society
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
Government
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
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 mid-1978 by President Anwar El-Sadat, is the major party; various small opposition parties Communists: approximately 500, party members
Government leader
President Hosni MUBARAK
Member of
AAPSO, AFDB, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IOOQ 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 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
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
republic; under presidential rule since June 1956
Economy
Agriculture
main cash crop—cotton; other crops—rice, onions, beans, citrus fruit, wheat, corn, barley; not self-sufficient 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$1 (selling rate)
Communications
Airfields
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
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
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
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 200- to 300-metric ton capacity; secondary canals by sailing craft of 10- to 70-metric ton capacity
Pipelines
crude oil, 675 km; refined products, 240 km; natural gas, 365 km
Ports
3 major (Alexandria, Port Said, Suez), 8 minor
Railroads
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
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; Symphonie satellite station; 2 submarine coaxial cables
Military and Security
Military manpower
males 15-49, 10,912,000; 7,120,000 fit for military service; about 458,000 reach military age (20) annually