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Egypt Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Arab Republic of Egypt
Capital Cairo
Area 997,739 sq km
385,229 sq mi
Egypt: Flag and Anthem
Egypt: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 80,264,543 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.71 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 103,352,882 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 126,920,512 (2007 estimate)
Population density 81 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
209 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 42 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 58 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Cairo 6,789,000 (1998 estimate)
Giza 4,779,000 (1998 estimate)
Alexandria 3,328,000 (1998 estimate)
Port Said 469,000 (1998 estimate)
Suez 417,000 (1998 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Eastern Hamitic (Egyptians, Bedouin, and Berbers) 99 percent
Greek, Nubian, Armenian, other European 1 percent
Languages
Arabic (official); English and French widely understood by the educated
Religious affiliations
Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94 percent (official estimate)
Coptic Christian and other 6 percent (official estimate)
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 71.6 years (2007 estimate)
Female 74.2 years (2007 estimate)
Male 69 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 30 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician 472 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 455 people (2003)
Literacy rate
Total 59.3 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 48.9 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 69.4 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 4.1 percent (1999-2000)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 8 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 22 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Republic
Head of state President
Head of government Prime minister
Legislature Bicameral legislature
People's Assembly: 454 members
Advisory Council: 264 members
Voting qualifications Universal and compulsory at age 18
Constitution 11 September 1971, amended in 1980
Highest court Supreme Constitutional Court
Armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force
Total number of military personnel 468,500 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 4 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions 26 governorates
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $89 billion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $1,207.20 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 14.9 percent (2005)
Industry 36.1 percent (2005)
Services 49 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 22,875,573 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 28 percent (2002)
Industry 21 percent (2002)
Services 52 percent (2002)
Unemployment rate 11 percent (2003)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $20,406 million (1997)
Total expenditure $19,014 million (1997)
Monetary unit
1 Egyptian pound (£E), consisting of 100 piastres
Agriculture
Cotton, rice, tomatoes, wheat, maize, sugarcane, potatoes, oranges, livestock
Mining
Petroleum, natural gas, phosphate rock, iron ore, salt, uranium
Manufacturing
Textiles, chemicals, metals, petroleum products
Major exports
Petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, vegetables and fruit, clothing and accessories, aluminum products
Major imports
Machinery and transportation equipment, basic manufactures, food products, chemicals
Major trade partners for exports
Italy, United States, Netherlands, India, and Israel
Major trade partners for imports
United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Australia
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 84.74 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 14.97 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0.30 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 317 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 140 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 175 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 0.49 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 31 (1999)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 30 (1997)
Paved road as a share of total roads 78 percent (1999)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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