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Africa :: Egypt Print
Page last updated on December 20, 2018
The World Factbook Country/Location Flag Modal
Africa :: Egypt Print
Flag Description
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white)

note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band

The World Factbook Country/Location Locator Map Modal
Africa :: Egypt Print
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Africa :: Egypt
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A remarkably detailed satellite image of Egypt vividly displays the winding Nile River and its distinctive delta. The Sinai peninsula and Red Sea are on the right. Photo courtesy of NASA.
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One of the fascinating aspects of viewing Earth at night is how well the lights show the distribution of people. In this view of Egypt, we see a population almost completely concentrated along the Nile Valley, just a small percentage of the country's land area. The Nile River and its delta look like a brilliant, long-stemmed flower in this astronaut photograph of the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. The Cairo metropolitan area forms a particularly bright base of the flower. The smaller cities and towns within the Nile Delta tend to be hard to see amidst the dense agricultural vegetation during the day. However, these settled areas and the connecting roads between them become clearly visible at night. Likewise, infrastructure and urbanized regions along the Nile River also become apparent. Another brightly lit region is visible along the eastern coastline of the Mediterranean, the Tel-Aviv metropolitan area in Israel (image right). To the east of Tel-Aviv lies Amman, Jordan. The two major water bodies that define the western and eastern coastlines of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba, are outlined by lights along their coastlines (image lower right). The city lights of Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca, and Nicosia are visible on the island of Cyprus (image top). Scattered blue-grey clouds cover the Mediterranean Sea and the Sinai, while much of northeastern Africa is cloud-free. The thin yellow-brown band tracing the Earth's curvature at image top is airglow, a faint band of light emission that results from the interaction of atmospheric atoms and molecules with solar radiation at approximately 100 km (60 mi) altitude. Photo courtesy of NASA.
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The Nile Delta of Egypt, irrigated by the Nile River and its many distributaries, is some of the richest farm land in the world and home to over half of Egypt's population. The capital city of Cairo lies at the apex of the delta in the middle of the scene. Across the river from Cairo one can see the three large pyramids and sphinx at Giza. The Suez Canal is just to the right of the delta; the Mediterranean Sea is at the top of the view. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
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The Nile Delta of Egypt, irrigated by the Nile River and its many distributaries, is some of the richest farm land in the world and home to over half of Egypt's population. The capital city of Cairo lies at the apex of the delta in the lower left. To the west of the river and near the delta apex one can see the three large pyramids and sphinx at Giza. The Suez Canal is just to the right of the delta; the rear of the space shuttle appears in the lower portion of the view. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
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The Nile River in Cairo at dusk.
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A view of Cairo from the Nile with the Cairo Tower, a free standing TV tower on Gezira Island, in the foreground.
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The Sultan Hassan and Ar-Rifai Mosques as seen from the Citadel with Cairo in the background. The Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrasah (religious school) is a masterpiece of Mamluk architecture that was begun in 1356 and completed in 1363. It contains the burial chamber of the Sultan's two sons and is featured on the Egyptian hundred-pound note. The Ar-Rifai Mosque was built between 1869 and 1912. It houses the tomb of King Farouk, Egypt's last reigning monarch, and other members of the Egyptian royal family, as well as the tomb of the last shah of Iran.
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Cruising through Cairo on the Nile. The 187 m high Cairo Tower (concrete TV tower) on the far right is 48 m higher than the Great Pyramid at Giza.
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The Mosque of Mohamed Ali in Cairo is situated on the most visible site in the city.
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Built in the style of the Ottomans, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali was erected by its eponymous benefactor between 1830 and 1848 in memory of Tusun Pasha, Muhammad's eldest son who died in 1816. The mosque is located in the Citadel of Cairo; Muhammad Ali is buried in the mosque's courtyard.
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Octagonal ablution fountain in the courtyard of the Muhammad Ali Mosque in Cairo.
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Sailboats on the Nile in Cairo.
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A felucca, an Egyptian sailboat, on an evening cruise on the Nile.
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The upper portion of an obelisk on view on the grounds of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
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Entrance to funerary complex of Pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara.
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Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara built by the architect Imhotep in the 3rd Dynasty (2649-2575 B.C.). It was the first stone pyramid in the world and was made up of a series of six buildings or mastabas (benches) placed on top of each other.
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Ruins of the Pyramid of Unis at Saqqara. Much of the stone outer covering was taken to be used in other constructions.
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The Great Pyramid of Giza, built for the Pharaoh Khufu, is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that survives. Constructed of an estimated 23 million limestone blocks, it took some 20 years to build and it was completed in about 2540 B.C. Some of the white casing stones that covered the completed pyramid can still be seen at its base. Thousands of skilled laborers participated in the pyramid's construction; they lived and died near the building site.
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The Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khafre at Giza. Unlike the pyramids, the Sphinx was not assembled piece by piece, but was carved from a single mass of limestone.
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This photo shows a number of the ruins at Giza. To the left is the Valley Temple with a causeway stretching to the Pyramid of Khafre. The Great Sphinx lies before the Pyramid and the remains of the Temple of the Sphinx lie in front of the sphinx itself.
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The Pyramids of Khufu (left) and Khafre on the Giza Plateau outside of Cairo. The former, also known as the Great Pyramid, is the largest of the pyramids and is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still extant.
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A view of a corner of the Khafre pyramid reveals its stair-step construction. The Great Pyramid of Khufu appears in the distance.
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Temple ruins before the Pyramid of Khafre.
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The Pyramid of Khafre retains a bit of the original outer limestone covering at its peak.
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The Pyramid of Khafre is the second largest pyramid of Giza. Smooth casing stones still cover most of the upper portion of the pyramid.
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Pyramid of Menkaure at Giza.
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The Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three kings' pyramids on the Giza Plateau. The city of Cairo appears in the background.
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The Pyramid of Menkaure at Giza is flanked by the smaller pyramids of his wives.
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The Great Sphinx, a reclining lion with a human head, is the oldest known monumental sculpture in the world. It is believed to have been carved about 2500 B.C. and most probably depicts the Pharaoh Khafre. The nose of the sphinx has eroded over time.
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The immensity of the Sphinx becomes apparent when it is compared to a camel party riding along one of its paws.
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The pyramids at Dashur, about 40 km (25 mi) south of Cairo. The gray-brown built-up area of the village of Dashur in the upper right is surrounded by the green agricultural land of the Nile Delta, which forms a distinct boundary with the tan desert to the west. It is in the desert that the monuments of the ancient rulers of Egypt are found. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
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The Port of Suez - here viewed from the International Space Station - is located in Egypt along the northern coastline of the Gulf of Suez. The port and city are the southern terminus of the Suez Canal that transits through Egypt and debouches into the Mediterranean Sea near Port Said. The port serves vessels transporting general cargo, oil tankers, and both commercial and private passenger vessels. Several large vessels are visible in the Gulf of Suez and berthed at various docks around the port. Photo courtesy of NASA.
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This oblique image captures a northbound convoy of cargo ships entering the Mediterranean Sea from the Suez Canal (leftmost canal branch at image center). The Canal connects Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea with the port of Suez on the Red Sea, and provides an essentially direct route for transport of goods between Europe and Asia. The Canal is 163 km (101 mi) long and 300 m (984 ft) wide at its narrowest point - sufficiently wide for ships as large as aircraft carriers to traverse it. Transit time from end to end averages 14 hours. Image courtesy of NASA.
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A thick snake of tan dust slithers across Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea, and Egypt in this dramatic true-color image from 13 May 2005. The dust is so thick that it is completely opaque for well over 1,100 km (700 mi) across its south-moving front, from the border of Iraq, across the Arabian Desert of Saudi Arabia, and eastern Egypt and the green ribbon of the Nile. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
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A view of the Sinai Peninsula and the Dead Sea rift area. The left side of the view is dominated by the great triangle of the Sinai peninsula, which is partly obscured by clouds. The Gulf of Aqaba is the finger of the Red Sea (bottom center) pointing north to the Dead Sea, the small body of water near the center of the view. The gulf and the Dead Sea are northerly extensions of the same geological rift that resulted in the opening of the Red Sea. The Gulf of Suez appears in the lower left corner. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
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A panoramic view of the entire Sinai Peninsula and the nearby Nile River Delta and eastern Mediterranean coastal region. The Suez Canal, at the top of the scene just to the right of the Delta, connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez. The water body to the right of the peninsula is the Gulf of Aqaba. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
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The Sinai Monastery of St. Catherine's located on the reputed site of the burning bush seen by Moses in the Old Testament.
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Birth House at the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. A birth house or "mammisi" was associated with the nativity of a god. The birth house at Dendera was constructed mainly by the Roman emperor Trajan, who ruled from A.D. 98 to 117.
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Portal of the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. The temple was built between the 4th and 1st centuries B.C.
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Remains of storerooms and housing at the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. Temples were constructed of stone. Living quarters, including palaces, were built of mud brick.
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A streetside clothes market in Luxor with a minaret in the background.
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The awesome ruins of Karnak Temple in Luxor.
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Some of the beautifully decorated columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall, part of the Karnak temple complex at Thebes. The Karnak religious site was the largest in the ancient world - it is sometimes referred to as the Vatican of Egypt - and was composed of four precincts - the one to Amun-Re is the only one open to the public.
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The lintels of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak also display hieroglyphs.
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Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor.
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Some of the 134 columns in 16 rows that previously supported the roof of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak.
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Avenue of ram-headed sphinxes leading into the Temple of Karnak complex at Luxor.
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Rear of the First Pylon in the Temple of Karnak showing the remains of the mud-brick rampart used to construct the pylon.
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The remains of an obelisk not erected because of cracking. The obelisks of Hatshepsut and Thutmose I appear in the background at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor.
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Obelisk of Hatshepsut at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor.
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Approaching the pylon (gateway) of Luxor temple along the Avenue of Sphinxes, a 2.5-km (1.5-mi) long causeway linking the Karnak temple complex with Luxor temple.
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Avenue of the Sphinxes at the Temple of Luxor leading north to the Temple of Karnak. The avenue is being excavated.
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Statues of Ramses II at the Temple of Luxor.
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Reliefs on the walls at the Temple of Luxor.
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The Syrian Gates - entrance to the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.
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Pylons of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu. The reliefs describe the pharaoh's military campaigns.
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Left pylon of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu showing the pharaoh's military victories.
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The pharaoh's toilet at the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.
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Walls of the inner court of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.
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Reliefs in the inner court of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu still display some of their original colors - after more than 3,000 years!
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Statues in the hypostyle hall of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.
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One of a pair of 30-meter (50-ft) statues of Amenhotep III that once stood before the pharaoh's mortuary temple in the Theban Necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor. The rest of the temple was dismantled, and the materials used for other construction projects. The statues were called the "Colossi of Memnom" by Egypt&apos;s late Ptolemaic (Greek) rulers who associated them with the myth of Memnon.
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The second of a pair of 30-meter (50-ft) statues of Amenhotep III in the Theban Necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor.
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Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir al-Bahri showing high cliffs in the background.
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Djeser-Djeseru (the Holy of Holies) is Pharaoh Hatshepsut's mortuary temple in the temple complex of Deir el-Bahri near Luxor. Pharaohs of the 11th and 18th Dynasty's built their temples here. Hatshepsut's temple (the best preserved) was built into the cliff side on top of a series of colonnaded terraces in the classical Theban form; it includes a pylon, courts, a hypostyle hall, sun court, chapel, and sanctuary.
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Stairway and ramp leading up to Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahri. Hatshepsut lived between 1508-1458 B.C. She was the eldest daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and married her half brother, Thutmose II. When he died, she became pharaoh. Her 22-year reign is known for bringing prosperity to her subjects.
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Statues of Hatshepsut as the god Osiris before the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir al-Bahri.
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Head of the goddess Hathor on one of the colonnades at Djeser-Djeseru, Pharaoh Hatshepsut's mortuary temple.
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View along the Nile River at sunset south of Luxor. The land is green close to the river where is can be irrigated. Otherwise, it is desert.
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Views along the Nile River at sunset south of Luxor.
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Pylon at the temple complex of Edfu. The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, was built between 237 and 57 B.C.
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The temple complex of Edfu is one of the best preserved temple sites in Egypt, having been buried in sand for centuries. It is the second largest temple complex in Egypt.
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Pylons of the Temple of Horus at Edfu. The temple is mainly from the Ptolemaic period.
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Left pylon of the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
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Right pylon of the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
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Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
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Reliefs showing the god Horus defeating his uncle Seth at the Temple of Horus at Edfu. The reliefs probably were damaged by early Christians to remove faces and hands.
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Reliefs showing the god Horus defeating his uncle Seth at the Temple of Horus at Edfu. The reliefs probably were damaged by early Christians to remove faces and hands.
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The reproduction of a barque used to transport the god Horus in religious processions around the town of Edfu and on boats north to Dendera to visit the god Hathor. The barque is in the inner sanctuary of the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
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Birthing house or mammisi at the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
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Typical cruise boats on the Nile River and on Lake Nasser. On the river, the traffic is so heavy that passengers disembark by walking through other boats. There are relatively few boats on Lake Nasser.
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Houses along the Nile. Feluccas remain the most common form of transportation along the river.
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View along the Nile River south of Edfu.
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View along the Nile River south of Edfu.
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View along the Nile River south of Edfu.
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A felucca glides along the Nile River south of Edfu.
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The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic Period. The southern part is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, and the northern part is dedicated to Haroeris as a manifestation of Horus the falcon god.
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Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo. It was built between the 2nd century B.C. and the 1st century A.D. It is an unusual temple dedicated to two gods - to Haroeris as a manifestation of Horus represented as a falcon or a falcon-headed man and to Sobek depicted as a crocodile or as a crocodile-headed man. The temple has two of almost everything. The northern part is a temple of Haroeris. The southern part is a temple dedicated to Sobek.
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Columns from the southern part of Kom Ombo showing the crocodile god Sobek. Parts of the temple have been reconstructed.
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Inscriptions on a wall at Kom Ombo showing the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Horus.
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A vivid sunset behind some of the ruins at Kom Ombo.
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Relief at the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo showing gods. Almost all remains at the temple are from the Ptolemaic period.
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Relief at the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo showing Haroeris being crowned by gods.
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The Aswan High Dam (top of photo) is 4 km (2.5 mi) across and 111 m (364 ft) high. Completed in 1971, it was constructed to supply cheap hydroelectric power to both Egypt and Sudan by impounding, controlling, and regulating the flood waters of the Nile River in Lake Nasser, the world's second largest artificial lake. The lake extends over 800 km (500 mi) in length, covers an area of some 5,200 sq km (2,000 sq mi) and is as much as 107 m (350 ft) deep at the face of the dam. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
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Aswan Dam (upper center of image) and Lake Nasser along the Nile River. The dam controls the flow of the Nile River forming Lake Nasser. The light-colored areas in the lake are where the sun is reflecting off the surface of the water. These areas are fairly calm and not disturbed by wind gusts, enabling the sun glint to show water current patterns on the surface. The Aswan runway is seen as a dark set of lines just west of the Aswan Dam. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
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Intense sunglint turns the waters of Lake Nasser to silver. Image courtesy of NASA.
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The old dam in Aswan was built by the British between 1898 and 1902 using blocks of granite. It can hold up to 5.35 billion cu m (7 billion cu yd) of water.
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The Aswan High Dam was completed in 1971 with the assistance of the Soviet Union. The body of water behind it, Lake Nasser, can hold up to 210,000 billion cubic yards of water. The dam doubled Egypt's power generating capabilities.
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The Soviet-Egyptian stylized lotus monument commemorating the construction of the dam.
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Elephantine Island is in the middle of the Nile River in Aswan. The rocks on the island resemble the rumps of a herd of elephants.
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The first pylon of the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in the Nile near Aswan.
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The second pylon of the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in the Nile near Aswan. This is the entrance to the temple. The original Philae Island was flooded by the waters of Lake Nasser behind the Aswan High Dam. The island of Agilqiyya was reconfigured to have similar topography to the old island of Philae and is sometime referred to as the New Philae Island. The Temple of Isis was moved to the island to escape the rising waters of the lake.
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The West Colonnade in the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in the Nile near Aswan. It was built during the Roman period.
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The birthing house of mammisi at the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in the Nile near Aswan.
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Typical cruise boat on the Nile River and on Lake Nasser.
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Pylons of the Temple of Isis and the Nubian solar and fertility deity, Madulis, at Kalabshah. It is the largest free-standing Nubian temple. Construction began in A.D. 23 during the reign of the Roman Emperor Octavius Augustus. The temple was moved 48 km (30 mi) north when the High Dam was built.
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Hypostyle hall at the Temple of Isis and the Nubian solar and fertility deity, Madulis, at Kalabshah.
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One of eight sphinxes leading to the Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
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One of eight sphinxes leading to the Temple of Amun (Ra-Harakhte) and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
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Camels at the Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
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Pylon of the Temple of Dakka at Wadi el Seboua dedicated to the ibis-headed Thoth, the god of wisdom. Moved to this location in the 1960s because of the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
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Hypostyle hall of the Temple of Meharakka at Wadi el Seboua dedicated to the gods Isis (Hathor) and Serapis. It is the only temple to have a winding staircase.
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Chapel at the Temple of Meharakka at Wadi el Seboua dedicated to the gods Isis (Hathor) and Serapis.
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Inner wall at the Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
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Statues of Ramses II in the Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
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Pylons of Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua (Arabic for Valley of the Lions). The temple was constructed in honor of Ramses II by Setau, the Nubian viceroy of Kush (Nubia).
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The Temple of Amada is the oldest surviving temple in the Nubian region. It was originally built by Thutmosis III (1479 B.C. to 1425 B.C.) and later remodeled by his son Amenhotep II.
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Camels at the Temple of Amada.
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Temple of Ramses II at el Derr in Nubia. Carved into the rocks, the site was dedicated to the god Ra-Harakhte (Ra and Horus). The structure was moved to this location in the 1960s because of the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
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Relief at the Temple of el Derr showing Ramses II and the god, Ra-Harakhte (Ra and Horus).
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Presenting gifts to the god Horus wearing the double crown (white crown of Upper Egypt, red crown of Lower Egypt). The paint on this tomb wall remains vivid.
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Tomb of the Penut, the viceroy of Kush (Nubia) dug into a hill. Moved to this location in the 1960s because of the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
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Ruins of a Byzantine church at Kasr Ibrim in Lake Nasser. Kasr Ibrim originally was a major city perched on a cliff above the Nile River but the flooding of Lake Nasser transformed it into an island. Kasr Ibrim was the site of military fortifications from the times of the pharaohs.
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Statues of the Pharaoh Ramses II at Abu Simbel, a twin temple to the Temple of Queen Nefertari in Nubia (southern Egypt) that was carved out of a mountainside in the 13th century B.C. The temple complex was meant to proclaim the might of Egypt to its southern neighbors and to reinforce the status of Egypt's religion in the region. Considered to be one of the most beautiful sites in Egypt, it is a popular tourist destination.
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The temples at Abu Simbel were moved to higher ground in the 1960s to save them from the flooding caused by the completion of the Aswan Dam. The carvings on the Great Temple shown here (completed about 1265 B.C.) dwarf mere humans.
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Right pylon of the Temple or Ramses II at Abu Simbel. The figures at the base of the colossi are the mother, wife and children of Ramses II. The figure above the entrance is the god, Ra-Harakhte (Ra and Horus).
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A closer view of one of the statues of Ramses at Abu Simbel shows Nefertari, his wife, at his knee.
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Left pylon of the Temple or Ramses II at Abu Simbel. It was decided not to place the fallen head in its original position during the reconstruction.
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The Temple of Queen Nefertari at Abu Simbel. The temple was dedicated to the god, Hathor. The temple stands 100 m (328 ft) to the right of the Temple of Ramses II. It is fronted by six colossal 10-meter (33-foot) statues of Ramses II and Nefertari. It was unusual that the two statues of the queen were the same height as the four statues of the king. It also was unusual that a temple was dedicated to a queen.
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The Temple of Queen Nefertari at Abu Simbel. The temple was moved to this location in the 1960s because of the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
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Previous Next

- Introduction :: Egypt
- Background: This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.

  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. 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 nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty from Britain in 1952. 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 population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure.

  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 parliament was in place in early 2012; later that same year, Muhammad MURSI won the presidential election. Following often violent protests throughout the spring of 2013 against MURSI's government and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian Armed Forces intervened and removed MURSI from power in July 2013 and replaced him with interim president Adly MANSOUR. In January 2014, voters approved a new constitution by referendum and in May 2014 elected former defense minister Abdelfattah ELSISI president. Egypt elected a new legislature in December 2015, its first parliament since 2012. ELSISI was reelected to a second four-year term in March 2018.

- Geography :: Egypt
- Location: This entry identifies the country's regional location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of water.
  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: This entry includes rounded latitude and longitude figures for the centroid or center point of a country expressed in degrees and minutes; it is based on the locations provided in the Geographic Names Server (GNS), maintained by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on behalf of the US Board on Geographic Names.
  27 00 N, 30 00 E
  Map references: This entry includes the name of the Factbook reference map on which a country may be found. Note that boundary representations on these maps are not necessarily authoritative. The entry on Geographic coordinates may be helpful in finding some smaller countries.
  Africa
  Area: This entry includes three subfields. Total area is the sum of all land and water areas delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of all surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of the surfaces of all inland water bodies, such as lakes, reservoirs, or rivers, as delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines.
  total: 1,001,450 sq km
  land: 995,450 sq km
  water: 6,000 sq km
  country comparison to the world: 31
  Area - comparative: This entry provides an area comparison based on total area equivalents. Most entities are compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states based on area measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of the Census. The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178 sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi, 146 acres).
  more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
  Area comparison map:
  The World Factbook Field Image Modal
  Africa :: Egypt Print
  Image Description

  more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

  Land boundaries: This entry contains the total length of all land boundaries and the individual lengths for each of the contiguous border countries. When available, official lengths published by national statistical agencies are used. Because surveying methods may differ, country border lengths reported by contiguous countries may differ.
  total: 2,612 km
  border countries (4): Gaza Strip 13 km, Israel 208 km, Libya 1115 km, Sudan 1276 km
  Coastline: This entry gives the total length of the boundary between the land area (including islands) and the sea.
  2,450 km
  Maritime claims: This entry includes the following claims, the definitions of which are excerpted from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which alone contains the full and definitive descriptions: territorial sea - the sovereignty of a coastal state extends beyond its land territory and internal waters to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea in the UNCLOS (Part II); this sovereignty extends to the air space over the territorial sea as well as its . . . more
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or the equidistant median line with Cyprus
  contiguous zone: 24 nm
  continental shelf: 200 nm
  Climate: This entry includes a brief description of typical weather regimes throughout the year.
  desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
  Terrain: This entry contains a brief description of the topography.
  vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
  Elevation: This entry includes both the mean elevation and the elevation extremes.
  mean elevation: 321 m
  elevation extremes: -133 m lowest point: Qattara Depression
  2629 highest point: Mount Catherine
  Natural resources: This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance, such as rare earth elements (REEs). In general, products appear only if they make a significant contribution to the economy, or are likely to do so in the future.
  petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc
  Land use: This entry contains the percentage shares of total land area for three different types of land use: agricultural land, forest, and other; agricultural land is further divided into arable land - land cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest, permanent crops - land cultivated for crops like citrus, coffee, and rubber that are not replanted after each harvest, and includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, and permane . . . more
  agricultural land: 3.6% (2011 est.)
  arable land: 2.8% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 0.8% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 0% (2011 est.)
  forest: 0.1% (2011 est.)
  other: 96.3% (2011 est.)
  Irrigated land: This entry gives the number of square kilometers of land area that is artificially supplied with water.
  36,500 sq km (2012)
  Population distribution: This entry provides a summary description of the population dispersion within a country. While it may suggest population density, it does not provide density figures.
  approximately 95% of the population lives within 20 km of the Nile River and its delta; vast areas of the country remain sparsely populated or uninhabited
  Natural hazards: This entry lists potential natural disasters. For countries where volcanic activity is common, a volcanism subfield highlights historically active volcanoes.
  periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes; flash floods; landslides; hot, driving windstorms called khamsin occur in spring; dust storms; sandstorms
  Environment - current issues: This entry lists the most pressing and important environmental problems. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry: Acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid precipitation and deposition usually through precipitation; this process disrupts ecosystem nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish and plants dependent on more neutral or alkaline conditions (see acid rain). Acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur dioxi . . . more
  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 freshwater 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: This entry separates country participation in international environmental agreements into two levels - party to and signed, but not ratified. Agreements are listed in alphabetical order by the abbreviated form of the full name.
  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: This entry includes miscellaneous geographic information of significance not included elsewhere.
  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; 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 from Sudan and the Palestinian territories
- People and Society :: Egypt
- Population: This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the Census based on statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and on assumptions about future trends. The total population presents one overall measure of the potential impact of the country on the world and within its region. Note: Starting with the 1993 Factbook, demographic estimates for some countries (mostly African) have explicitly taken into account t . . . more
  99,413,317 (July 2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 14
  Nationality: This entry provides the identifying terms for citizens - noun and adjective.
  noun: Egyptian(s)
  adjective: Egyptian
  Ethnic groups: This entry provides an ordered listing of ethnic groups starting with the largest and normally includes the percent of total population.
  Egyptian 99.7%, other 0.3% (2006 est.)

  note: data represent respondents by nationality

  Languages: This entry provides a listing of languages spoken in each country and specifies any that are official national or regional languages. When data is available, the languages spoken in each country are broken down according to the percent of the total population speaking each language as a first language. For those countries without available data, languages are listed in rank order based on prevalence, starting with the most-spoken language.
  Arabic (official), Arabic, English, and French widely understood by educated classes
  Religions: This entry is an ordered listing of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population. The core characteristics and beliefs of the world's major religions are described below. Baha'i - Founded by Mirza Husayn-Ali (known as Baha'u'llah) in Iran in 1852, Baha'i faith emphasizes monotheism and believes in one eternal transcendent God. Its guiding focus is to encourage the unity of all peoples on the earth so that justice and peace m . . . more
  Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 90%, Christian (majority Coptic Orthodox, other Christians include Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, Maronite, Orthodox, and Anglican) 10% (2015 est.)
  Demographic profile: This entry describes a country’s key demographic features and trends and how they vary among regional, ethnic, and socioeconomic sub-populations. Some of the topics addressed are population age structure, fertility, health, mortality, poverty, education, and migration.

  Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world and the third most populous country in Africa, behind Nigeria and Ethiopia. Most of the country is desert, so about 95% of the population is concentrated in a narrow strip of fertile land along the Nile River, which represents only about 5% of Egypt’s land area. Egypt’s rapid population growth – 46% between 1994 and 2014 – stresses limited natural resources, jobs, housing, sanitation, education, and health care.

  Although the country’s total fertility rate (TFR) fell from roughly 5.5 children per woman in 1980 to just over 3 in the late 1990s, largely as a result of state-sponsored family planning programs, the population growth rate dropped more modestly because of decreased mortality rates and longer life expectancies. During the last decade, Egypt’s TFR decline stalled for several years and then reversed, reaching 3.6 in 2011, and has plateaued the last few years. Contraceptive use has held steady at about 60%, while preferences for larger families and early marriage may have strengthened in the wake of the recent 2011 revolution. The large cohort of women of or nearing childbearing age will sustain high population growth for the foreseeable future (an effect called population momentum).

  Nevertheless, post-MUBARAK governments have not made curbing population growth a priority. To increase contraceptive use and to prevent further overpopulation will require greater government commitment and substantial social change, including encouraging smaller families and better educating and empowering women. Currently, literacy, educational attainment, and labor force participation rates are much lower for women than men. In addition, the prevalence of violence against women, the lack of female political representation, and the perpetuation of the nearly universal practice of female genital cutting continue to keep women from playing a more significant role in Egypt’s public sphere.

  Population pressure, poverty, high unemployment, and the fragmentation of inherited land holdings have historically motivated Egyptians, primarily young men, to migrate internally from rural and smaller urban areas in the Nile Delta region and the poorer rural south to Cairo, Alexandria, and other urban centers in the north, while a much smaller number migrated to the Red Sea and Sinai areas. Waves of forced internal migration also resulted from the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and the floods caused by the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970. Limited numbers of students and professionals emigrated temporarily prior to the early 1970s, when economic problems and high unemployment pushed the Egyptian Government to lift restrictions on labor migration. At the same time, high oil revenues enabled Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other Gulf states, as well as Libya and Jordan, to fund development projects, creating a demand for unskilled labor (mainly in construction), which attracted tens of thousands of young Egyptian men.

  Between 1970 and 1974 alone, Egyptian migrants in the Gulf countries increased from approximately 70,000 to 370,000. Egyptian officials encouraged legal labor migration both to alleviate unemployment and to generate remittance income (remittances continue to be one of Egypt’s largest sources of foreign currency and GDP). During the mid-1980s, however, depressed oil prices resulting from the Iran-Iraq War, decreased demand for low-skilled labor, competition from less costly South Asian workers, and efforts to replace foreign workers with locals significantly reduced Egyptian migration to the Gulf States. The number of Egyptian migrants dropped from a peak of almost 3.3 million in 1983 to about 2.2 million at the start of the 1990s, but numbers gradually recovered.

  In the 2000s, Egypt began facilitating more labor migration through bilateral agreements, notably with Arab countries and Italy, but illegal migration to Europe through overstayed visas or maritime human smuggling via Libya also rose. The Egyptian Government estimated there were 6.5 million Egyptian migrants in 2009, with roughly 75% being temporary migrants in other Arab countries (Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates) and 25% being predominantly permanent migrants in the West (US, UK, Italy, France, and Canada).

  During the 2000s, Egypt became an increasingly important transit and destination country for economic migrants and asylum seekers, including Palestinians, East Africans, and South Asians and, more recently, Iraqis and Syrians. Egypt draws many refugees because of its resettlement programs with the West; Cairo has one of the largest urban refugee populations in the world. Many East African migrants are interned or live in temporary encampments along the Egypt-Israel border, and some have been shot and killed by Egyptian border guards.

  Age structure: This entry provides the distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group as follows: 0-14 years (children), 15-24 years (early working age), 25-54 years (prime working age), 55-64 years (mature working age), 65 years and over (elderly). The age structure of a population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older population . . . more
  0-14 years: 33.38% (male 17,177,977 /female 16,007,877)
  15-24 years: 18.65% (male 9,551,309 /female 8,988,006)
  25-54 years: 37.71% (male 19,053,300 /female 18,431,808)
  55-64 years: 5.99% (male 2,956,535 /female 2,995,497)
  65 years and over: 4.28% (male 2,058,217 /female 2,192,791) (2018 est.)
  population pyramid:
  The World Factbook Field Image Modal
  Africa :: Egypt Print
  Image Description
  This is the population pyramid for Egypt. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.
  For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.
  Dependency ratios: Dependency ratios are a measure of the age structure of a population. They relate the number of individuals that are likely to be economically "dependent" on the support of others. Dependency ratios contrast the ratio of youths (ages 0-14) and the elderly (ages 65+) to the number of those in the working-age group (ages 15-64). Changes in the dependency ratio provide an indication of potential social support requirements resulting from changes in population age structures. As fertility lev . . . more
  total dependency ratio: 61.8 (2015 est.)
  youth dependency ratio: 53.6 (2015 est.)
  elderly dependency ratio: 8.2 (2015 est.)
  potential support ratio: 12.2 (2015 est.)
  Median age: This entry is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population. Currently, the median age ranges from a low of about 15 in Niger and Uganda to 40 or more in several European countries and Japan. See the entry for "Age structure" for the importance of a young versus an older age structure and, by implication, a low versus a high . . . more
  total: 23.9 years
  male: 23.6 years
  female: 24.3 years (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 167
  Population growth rate: The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative. The growth rate is a factor in determining how great a burden would be imposed on a country by the changing needs of its people for infrastructure (e.g., schools, hospitals, housing, roads), resources (e.g., food, water, electricity), and jobs. Rapid population growth can be seen as . . . more
  2.38% (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 28
  Birth rate: This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the age structure of the population.
  28.8 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 42
  Death rate: This entry gives the average annual number of deaths during a year per 1,000 population at midyear; also known as crude death rate. The death rate, while only a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country, accurately indicates the current mortality impact on population growth. This indicator is significantly affected by age distribution, and most countries will eventually show a rise in the overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in mortality at all ages, as declining . . . more
  4.5 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 204
  Net migration rate: This entry includes the figure for the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population). An excess of persons entering the country is referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56 migrants/1,000 population); an excess of persons leaving the country as net emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The net migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the overall level of population chan . . . more
  -0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 123
  Population distribution: This entry provides a summary description of the population dispersion within a country. While it may suggest population density, it does not provide density figures.
  approximately 95% of the population lives within 20 km of the Nile River and its delta; vast areas of the country remain sparsely populated or uninhabited
  Urbanization: This entry provides two measures of the degree of urbanization of a population. The first, urban population, describes the percentage of the total population living in urban areas, as defined by the country. The second, rate of urbanization, describes the projected average rate of change of the size of the urban population over the given period of time. Additionally, the World entry includes a list of the ten largest urban agglomerations. An urban agglomeration is defined as comprising th . . . more
  urban population: 42.7% of total population (2018)
  rate of urbanization: 1.86% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
  Major urban areas - population: This entry provides the population of the capital and up to six major cities defined as urban agglomerations with populations of at least 750,000 people. An urban agglomeration is defined as comprising the city or town proper and also the suburban fringe or thickly settled territory lying outside of, but adjacent to, the boundaries of the city. For smaller countries, lacking urban centers of 750,000 or more, only the population of the capital is presented.
  20.076 million CAIRO (capital), 5.086 million Alexandria (2018)
  Sex ratio: This entry includes the number of males for each female in five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage patterns and fertilit . . . more
  at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  Mother's mean age at first birth: This entry provides the mean (average) age of mothers at the birth of their first child. It is a useful indicator for gauging the success of family planning programs aiming to reduce maternal mortality, increase contraceptive use – particularly among married and unmarried adolescents – delay age at first marriage, and improve the health of newborns.
  22.7 years (2014 est.)

  note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

  Maternal mortality rate: The maternal mortality rate (MMR) is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes). The MMR includes deaths during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, for a specified year.
  33 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 110
  Infant mortality rate: This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country.
  total: 18.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
  male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
  female: 17 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 85
  Life expectancy at birth: This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures.
  total population: 73.2 years (2018 est.)
  male: 71.8 years (2018 est.)
  female: 74.7 years (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 140
  Total fertility rate: This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age. The total fertility rate (TFR) is a more direct measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential for population change in the country. A rate of two children per woman is considered the replaceme . . . more
  3.41 children born/woman (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 45
  Contraceptive prevalence rate: This field gives the percent of women of reproductive age (15-49) who are married or in union and are using, or whose sexual partner is using, a method of contraception according to the date of the most recent available data. The contraceptive prevalence rate is an indicator of health services, development, and women’s empowerment. It is also useful in understanding, past, present, and future fertility trends, especially in developing countries.
  58.5% (2014)
  Health expenditures: This entry provides the total expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP. Health expenditures are broadly defined as activities performed either by institutions or individuals through the application of medical, paramedical, and/or nursing knowledge and technology, the primary purpose of which is to promote, restore, or maintain health.
  5.6% of GDP (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 118
  Physicians density: This entry gives the number of medical doctors (physicians), including generalist and specialist medical practitioners, per 1,000 of the population. Medical doctors are defined as doctors that study, diagnose, treat, and prevent illness, disease, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans through the application of modern medicine. They also plan, supervise, and evaluate care and treatment plans by other health care providers. The World Health Organization estimates that f . . . more
  0.81 physicians/1,000 population (2014)
  Hospital bed density: This entry provides the number of hospital beds per 1,000 people; it serves as a general measure of inpatient service availability. Hospital beds include inpatient beds available in public, private, general, and specialized hospitals and rehabilitation centers. In most cases, beds for both acute and chronic care are included. Because the level of inpatient services required for individual countries depends on several factors - such as demographic issues and the burden of disease - there is . . . more
  1.6 beds/1,000 population (2014)
  Drinking water source: This entry provides information about access to improved or unimproved drinking water sources available to segments of the population of a country. Improved drinking water - use of any of the following sources: piped water into dwelling, yard, or plot; public tap or standpipe; tubewell or borehole; protected dug well; protected spring; or rainwater collection. Unimproved drinking water - use of any of the following sources: unprotected dug well; unprotected spring; cart with small tank or . . . more
  improved: urban: 100% of population
  rural: 99% of population
  total: 99.4% of population
  unimproved: urban: 0% of population
  rural: 1% of population
  total: 0.6% of population (2015 est.)
  Sanitation facility access: This entry provides information about access to improved or unimproved sanitation facilities available to segments of the population of a country. Improved sanitation - use of any of the following facilities: flush or pour-flush to a piped sewer system, septic tank or pit latrine; ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine; pit latrine with slab; or a composting toilet. Unimproved sanitation - use of any of the following facilities: flush or pour-flush not piped to a sewer system, septic tank . . . more
  improved: urban: 96.8% of population (2015 est.)
  rural: 93.1% of population (2015 est.)
  total: 94.7% of population (2015 est.)
  unimproved: urban: 3.2% of population (2015 est.)
  rural: 6.9% of population (2015 est.)
  total: 5.3% of population (2015 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: This entry gives an estimate of the percentage of adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS. The adult prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the estimated number of adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend by the total adult population at yearend.
  <.1% (2017 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: This entry gives an estimate of all people (adults and children) alive at yearend with HIV infection, whether or not they have developed symptoms of AIDS.
  16,000 (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 85
  HIV/AIDS - deaths: This entry gives an estimate of the number of adults and children who died of AIDS during a given calendar year.
  <500 (2017 est.)
  Major infectious diseases: This entry lists major infectious diseases likely to be encountered in countries where the risk of such diseases is assessed to be very high as compared to the United States. These infectious diseases represent risks to US government personnel traveling to the specified country for a period of less than three years. The degree of risk is assessed by considering the foreign nature of these infectious diseases, their severity, and the probability of being affected by the diseases present. Th . . . more
  degree of risk: intermediate (2016)
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)
  water contact diseases: schistosomiasis (2016)
  Obesity - adult prevalence rate: This entry gives the percent of a country's population considered to be obese. Obesity is defined as an adult having a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater to or equal to 30.0. BMI is calculated by taking a person's weight in kg and dividing it by the person's squared height in meters.
  32% (2016)
  country comparison to the world: 18
  Children under the age of 5 years underweight: This entry gives the percent of children under five considered to be underweight. Underweight means weight-for-age is approximately 2 kg below for standard at age one, 3 kg below standard for ages two and three, and 4 kg below standard for ages four and five. This statistic is an indicator of the nutritional status of a community. Children who suffer from growth retardation as a result of poor diets and/or recurrent infections tend to have a greater risk of suffering illness and death.
  7% (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 72
  Education expenditures: This entry provides the public expenditure on education as a percent of GDP.
  3.8% of GDP (2008)
  country comparison to the world: 115
  Literacy: This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measu . . . more
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
  total population: 73.8% (2015 est.)
  male: 82.2% (2015 est.)
  female: 65.4% (2015 est.)
  School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): School life expectancy (SLE) is the total number of years of schooling (primary to tertiary) that a child can expect to receive, assuming that the probability of his or her being enrolled in school at any particular future age is equal to the current enrollment ratio at that age. Caution must be maintained when utilizing this indicator in international comparisons. For example, a year or grade completed in one country is not necessarily the same in terms of educational content or qualit . . . more
  total: 13 years (2014)
  male: 13 years (2014)
  female: 13 years (2014)
  Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: This entry gives the percent of the total labor force ages 15-24 unemployed during a specified year.
  total: 30.8% (2016 est.)
  male: 27.2% (2016 est.)
  female: 38.5% (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 28
- Government :: Egypt
- Country name: This entry includes all forms of the country's name approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (Italy is used as an example): conventional long form (Italian Republic), conventional short form (Italy), local long form (Repubblica Italiana), local short form (Italia), former (Kingdom of Italy), as well as the abbreviation. Also see the Terminology note.
  conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
  conventional short form: Egypt
  local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
  local short form: Misr
  former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
  etymology: the English name "Egypt" derives from the ancient Greek name for the country "Aigyptos"; the Arabic name "Misr" can be traced to the ancient Akkadian "misru" meaning border or frontier
  Government type: This entry gives the basic form of government. Definitions of the major governmental terms are as follows. (Note that for some countries more than one definition applies.): Absolute monarchy - a form of government where the monarch rules unhindered, i.e., without any laws, constitution, or legally organized opposition. Anarchy - a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought about by the absence of governmental authority. Authoritarian - a form of government in whic . . . more
  presidential republic
  Capital: This entry gives the name of the seat of government, its geographic coordinates, the time difference relative to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the time observed in Washington, DC, and, if applicable, information on daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a special note has been added to highlight those countries that have multiple time zones.
  name: Cairo
  geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E
  time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
  Administrative divisions: This entry generally gives the numbers, designatory terms, and first-order administrative divisions as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Changes that have been reported but not yet acted on by the BGN are noted. Geographic names conform to spellings approved by the BGN with the exception of the omission of diacritical marks and special characters.
  27 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah (Alexandria), Al Isma'iliyah (Ismailia), Al Jizah (Giza), Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah (Cairo), Al Qalyubiyah, Al Uqsur (Luxor), Al Wadi al Jadid (New Valley), As Suways (Suez), Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id (Port Said), Dumyat (Damietta), Janub Sina' (South Sinai), Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina' (North Sinai), Suhaj
  Independence: For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form of government, or state succession. For a number of countries, the establishment of statehood . . . more
  28 February 1922 (from UK protectorate status; the revolution that began on 23 July 1952 led to a republic being declared on 18 June 1953 and all British troops withdrawn on 18 June 1956); note - it was ca. 3200 B.C. that the Two Lands of Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt were first united politically
  National holiday: This entry gives the primary national day of celebration - usually independence day.
  Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)
  Constitution: This entry provides information on a country’s constitution and includes two subfields. The history subfield includes the dates of previous constitutions and the main steps and dates in formulating and implementing the latest constitution. For countries with 1-3 previous constitutions, the years are listed; for those with 4-9 previous, the entry is listed as “several previous,” and for those with 10 or more, the entry is “many previous.” The amendments subfield summarizes the process of am . . . more
  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 2014 (2017)
  amendments: 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 not amendable unless the amendment "brings more guarantees" (2017)
  Legal system: This entry provides the description of a country's legal system. A statement on judicial review of legislative acts is also included for a number of countries. The legal systems of nearly all countries are generally modeled upon elements of five main types: civil law (including French law, the Napoleonic Code, Roman law, Roman-Dutch law, and Spanish law); common law (including United State law); customary law; mixed or pluralistic law; and religious law (including Islamic law). An addition . . . more
  mixed legal system based on Napoleonic civil and penal law, Islamic religious law, and vestiges of colonial-era laws; judicial review of the constitutionality of laws by the Supreme Constitutional Court
  International law organization participation: This entry includes information on a country's acceptance of jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and of the International Criminal Court (ICCt); 59 countries have accepted ICJ jurisdiction with reservations and 11 have accepted ICJ jurisdiction without reservations; 122 countries have accepted ICCt jurisdiction. Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups explains the differing mandates of the ICJ and ICCt.
  accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
  Citizenship: This entry provides information related to the acquisition and exercise of citizenship; it includes four subfields: citizenship by birth describes the acquisition of citizenship based on place of birth, known as Jus soli, regardless of the citizenship of parents. citizenship by descent only describes the acquisition of citizenship based on the principle of Jus sanguinis, or by descent, where at least one parent is a citizen of the state and being born within the territorial limits of the . . . more
  citizenship by birth: no
  citizenship by descent only: if the father was born in Egypt
  dual citizenship recognized: only with prior permission from the government
  residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years
  Suffrage: This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or restricted.
  18 years of age; universal and compulsory
  Judicial branch: This entry includes three subfields. The highest court(s) subfield includes the name(s) of a country's highest level court(s), the number and titles of the judges, and the types of cases heard by the court, which commonly are based on civil, criminal, administrative, and constitutional law. A number of countries have separate constitutional courts. The judge selection and term of office subfield includes the organizations and associated officials responsible for nominating and appointing j . . . more
  highest courts: Supreme Constitutional Court or 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 organized in circuits with cases heard by panels of 5 judges); the SAC is the highest court of the State Council
  judge selection and term of office: under the 2014 constitution, all judges and justices selected by the Supreme Judiciary Council and appointed by the president of the Republic; judges appointed for life
  subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; courts of limited jurisdiction; Family Court (established in 2004)
  Executive branch: This entry includes five subentries: chief of state; head of government; cabinet; elections/appointments; election results. Chief of state includes the name, title, and beginning date in office of the titular leader of the country who represents the state at official and ceremonial functions but may not be involved with the day-to-day activities of the government. Head of government includes the name, title of the top executive designated to manage the executive branch of the government, a . . . more
  chief of state: President Abdelfattah ELSISI (since 8 June 2014)
  head of government: Prime Minister Mostafa MADBOULY (since 7 June 2018); note - Prime Minister Sherif ISMAIL (since 12 September 2015) resigned 6 June 2018
  cabinet: Cabinet ministers nominated by the executive authorities and approved by the House of Representtives
  elections/appointments: president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26-28 March 2018 (next to be held in 2022); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of Representatives
  election results: Abdelfattah Said ELSISI relected president in first round; percent of valid votes case - Abdelfattah Said ELSISI (independent) 97.8%, Moussa Mostafa MOUSSA (El Ghad Party) 2.3%; note - over 7% of ballots cast were deemed invalid
  Legislative branch: This entry has three subfields. The description subfield provides the legislative structure (unicameral – single house; bicameral – an upper and a lower house); formal name(s); number of member seats; types of constituencies or voting districts (single seat, multi-seat, nationwide); electoral voting system(s); and member term of office. The elections subfield includes the dates of the last election and next election. The election results subfield lists percent of vote by party/coalition an . . . more
  description: unicameral House of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nowaab); 596 seats; 448 members directly elected by individual candidacy system, 120 members - with quotas for women, youth, Christians and workers - elected in party-list constituencies by simple majority popular vote, and 28 members appointed by the president; member term 5 years; note - inaugural session held on 10 January 2016
  elections: multi-phase election completed on 16 December 2015 (next to be held in 2020
  election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -- Free Egyptians Party 65, Future of the Nation 53, New Wafd Party 36, Homeland's Protector Party 18, Republican People's Party 13, Congress Party 12, Al-Nour Party 11, Conservative Party 6, Democratic Peace Party 5, Egyptian National Movement 4, Egyptian Social Democratic Party 4, Modern Egypt Party 4, Freedom Party 3, My Homeland Egypt Party 3, Reform and Development Party 3, National Progressive Unionist Party 2, Arab Democratic Nasserist Party 1, El Serh El Masry el Hor 1, Revolutionary Guards Party 1, independent 351; composition - men 507, women 89, percent of women 14.9%
  Political parties and leaders: This entry includes a listing of significant political parties, coalitions, and electoral lists as of each country's last legislative election, unless otherwise noted.
  Al-Nour [Yunis MAKHYUN]
  Arab Democratic Nasserist Party [Sayed Abdel GHANY]
  Congress Party [Omar Al-Mokhtar SEMIDA]
  Conservative Party [Akmal KOURTAM]
  Democratic Peace Party [Ahmed FADALY]
  Egyptian National Movement Party [Gen. Raouf EL SAYED]
  Egyptian Social Democratic Party [Farid ZAHRAN]
  El Ghad Party [Moussa Mostafa MOUSSA]
  El Serh El Masry el Hor [Tarek Ahmed Abbas NADIM]
  Freedom Party [Salah HASSABALAH]
  Free Egyptians Party [Essam KHALIL]
  Homeland’s Protector Party [Lt. Gen. (retired) Galal AL-HARIDI]
  Modern Egypt Party [Nabil DEIBIS]
  Nation's Future Party (Mostaqbal Watan) [Mohamed Ashraf RASHAD]
  My Homeland Egypt Party [Qadry ABU HUSSEIN]
  National Progressive Unionist (Tagammu) Party [Sayed Abdel AAL]
  Reform and Development Party [Mohamad Anwar al-SADAT]
  Republican People’s Party [Hazim AMR]
  Wafd Party [Bahaa ABU SHOKA]Revolutionary Guards Party [Magdy EL-SHARIF]
  International organization participation: This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation those international organizations in which the subject country is a member or participates in some other way.
  ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CD, CICA, COMESA, D-8, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
  Diplomatic representation in the US: This entry includes the chief of mission, chancery address, telephone, FAX, consulate general locations, and consulate locations. The use of the annotated title Appointed Ambassador refers to a new ambassador who has presented his/her credentials to the secretary of state but not the US president. Such ambassadors fulfill all diplomatic functions except meeting with or appearing at functions attended by the president until such time as they formally present their credentials at a White Hou . . . more
  chief of mission: Ambassador Yasser REDA (since 19 September 2015)
  chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400
  FAX: [1] (202) 244-5131
  consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
  Diplomatic representation from the US: This entry includes the chief of mission, embassy address, mailing address, telephone number, FAX number, branch office locations, consulate general locations, and consulate locations.
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Thomas H. GOLDBERGER (since 30 June 2017)
  embassy: 5 Tawfik Diab St., Garden City, Cairo
  mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900; 5 Tawfik Diab Street, Garden City, Cairo
  telephone: [20-2] 2797-3300
  FAX: [20-2] 2797-3200
  Flag description: This entry provides a written flag description produced from actual flags or the best information available at the time the entry was written. The flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and other areas do not have flags.
  three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white)

  note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band

  National symbol(s): A national symbol is a faunal, floral, or other abstract representation - or some distinctive object - that over time has come to be closely identified with a country or entity. Not all countries have national symbols; a few countries have more than one.
  golden eagle, white lotus; national colors: red, white, black
  National anthem: A generally patriotic musical composition - usually in the form of a song or hymn of praise - that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions, or struggles of a nation or its people. National anthems can be officially recognized as a national song by a country's constitution or by an enacted law, or simply by tradition. Although most anthems contain lyrics, some do not.
  name: "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady" (My Homeland, My Homeland, My Homeland)
  lyrics/music: Younis-al QADI/Sayed DARWISH

  note: adopted 1979; the current anthem, less militaristic than the previous one, was created after the signing of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel; Sayed DARWISH, commonly considered the father of modern Egyptian music, composed the anthem

- Economy :: Egypt
- Economy - overview: This entry briefly describes the type of economy, including the degree of market orientation, the level of economic development, the most important natural resources, and the unique areas of specialization. It also characterizes major economic events and policy changes in the most recent 12 months and may include a statement about one or two key future macroeconomic trends.

  Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt is bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley where most economic activity takes place. Egypt's economy was highly centralized during the rule of former President Gamal Abdel NASSER but opened up considerably under former Presidents Anwar EL-SADAT and Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK. Agriculture, hydrocarbons, manufacturing, tourism, and other service sectors drove the country’s relatively diverse economic activity.

  Despite Egypt’s mixed record for attracting foreign investment over the past two decades, poor living conditions and limited job opportunities have contributed to public discontent. These socioeconomic pressures were a major factor leading to the January 2011 revolution that ousted MUBARAK. The uncertain political, security, and policy environment since 2011 has restricted economic growth and failed to alleviate persistent unemployment, especially among the young.

  In late 2016, persistent dollar shortages and waning aid from its Gulf allies led Cairo to turn to the IMF for a 3-year, $12 billion loan program. To secure the deal, Cairo floated its currency, introduced new taxes, and cut energy subsidies - all of which pushed inflation above 30% for most of 2017, a high that had not been seen in a generation. Since the currency float, foreign investment in Egypt’s high interest treasury bills has risen exponentially, boosting both dollar availability and central bank reserves. Cairo will be challenged to obtain foreign and local investment in manufacturing and other sectors without a sustained effort to implement a range of business reforms.

  GDP (purchasing power parity): This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States in the year noted. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-capita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries. The measur . . . more
  $1.204 trillion (2017 est.)
  $1.155 trillion (2016 est.)
  $1.107 trillion (2015 est.)

  note: data are in 2017 dollars

  country comparison to the world: 21
  GDP (official exchange rate): This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at official exchange rates (OER) is the home-currency-denominated annual GDP figure divided by the bilateral average US exchange rate with that country in that year. The measure is simple to compute and gives a precise measure of the value of output. Many economists prefer this measure when gauging the economic power an economy maintains vis- . . . more
  $236.5 billion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)
  GDP - real growth rate: This entry gives GDP growth on an annual basis adjusted for inflation and expressed as a percent. The growth rates are year-over-year, and not compounded.
  4.2% (2017 est.)
  4.3% (2016 est.)
  4.4% (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 71
  GDP - per capita (PPP): This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power parity basis divided by population as of 1 July for the same year.
  $12,700 (2017 est.)
  $12,800 (2016 est.)
  $12,400 (2015 est.)

  note: data are in 2017 dollars

  country comparison to the world: 124
  Gross national saving: Gross national saving is derived by deducting final consumption expenditure (household plus government) from Gross national disposable income, and consists of personal saving, plus business saving (the sum of the capital consumption allowance and retained business profits), plus government saving (the excess of tax revenues over expenditures), but excludes foreign saving (the excess of imports of goods and services over exports). The figures are presented as a percent of GDP. A negative . . . more
  9% of GDP (2017 est.)
  9.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
  10.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 166
  GDP - composition, by end use: This entry shows who does the spending in an economy: consumers, businesses, government, and foreigners. The distribution gives the percentage contribution to total GDP of household consumption, government consumption, investment in fixed capital, investment in inventories, exports of goods and services, and imports of goods and services, and will total 100 percent of GDP if the data are complete. household consumption consists of expenditures by resident households, and by nonprofit insti . . . more
  household consumption: 86.8% (2017 est.)
  government consumption: 10.1% (2017 est.)
  investment in fixed capital: 14.8% (2017 est.)
  investment in inventories: 0.5% (2017 est.)
  exports of goods and services: 16.3% (2017 est.)
  imports of goods and services: -28.5% (2017 est.)
  GDP - composition, by sector of origin: This entry shows where production takes place in an economy. The distribution gives the percentage contribution of agriculture, industry, and services to total GDP, and will total 100 percent of GDP if the data are complete. Agriculture includes farming, fishing, and forestry. Industry includes mining, manufacturing, energy production, and construction. Services cover government activities, communications, transportation, finance, and all other private economic activities that do not prod . . . more
  agriculture: 11.7% (2017 est.)
  industry: 34.3% (2017 est.)
  services: 54% (2017 est.)
  Agriculture - products: This entry is an ordered listing of major crops and products starting with the most important.
  cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats
  Industries: This entry provides a rank ordering of industries starting with the largest by value of annual output.
  textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures
  Industrial production growth rate: This entry gives the annual percentage increase in industrial production (includes manufacturing, mining, and construction).
  3.5% (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 84
  Labor force: This entry contains the total labor force figure.
  29.95 million (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 22
  Labor force - by occupation: This entry lists the percentage distribution of the labor force by sector of occupation. Agriculture includes farming, fishing, and forestry. Industry includes mining, manufacturing, energy production, and construction. Services cover government activities, communications, transportation, finance, and all other economic activities that do not produce material goods. The distribution will total less than 100 percent if the data are incomplete and may range from 99-101 percent due to rounding. more
  agriculture: 25.8%
  industry: 25.1%
  services: 49.1% (2015 est.)
  Unemployment rate: This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted.
  12.2% (2017 est.)
  12.7% (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 161
  Population below poverty line: National estimates of the percentage of the population falling below the poverty line are based on surveys of sub-groups, with the results weighted by the number of people in each group. Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations. For example, rich nations generally employ more generous standards of poverty than poor nations.
  27.8% (2016 est.)
  Household income or consumption by percentage share: Data on household income or consumption come from household surveys, the results adjusted for household size. Nations use different standards and procedures in collecting and adjusting the data. Surveys based on income will normally show a more unequal distribution than surveys based on consumption. The quality of surveys is improving with time, yet caution is still necessary in making inter-country comparisons.
  lowest 10%: 26.6% (2008)
  highest 10%: 26.6% (2008)
  Distribution of family income - Gini index: This index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of (a) the area between a country's Lorenz curve and the 45 degree helping line to (b) the entire triangular area under the 45 degree line. The more nearly equal a country's income distribution, the closer its . . . more
  31.8 (2015)
  29.8 (2012)
  country comparison to the world: 124
  Budget: This entry includes revenues, expenditures, and capital expenditures. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
  revenues: 42.32 billion (2017 est.)
  expenditures: 62.61 billion (2017 est.)
  Taxes and other revenues: This entry records total taxes and other revenues received by the national government during the time period indicated, expressed as a percent of GDP. Taxes include personal and corporate income taxes, value added taxes, excise taxes, and tariffs. Other revenues include social contributions - such as payments for social security and hospital insurance - grants, and net revenues from public enterprises. Normalizing the data, by dividing total revenues by GDP, enables easy comparisons acr . . . more
  17.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 165
  Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): This entry records the difference between national government revenues and expenditures, expressed as a percent of GDP. A positive (+) number indicates that revenues exceeded expenditures (a budget surplus), while a negative (-) number indicates the reverse (a budget deficit). Normalizing the data, by dividing the budget balance by GDP, enables easy comparisons across countries and indicates whether a national government saves or borrows money. Countries with high budget deficits (relat . . . more
  -8.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 202
  Public debt: This entry records the cumulative total of all government borrowings less repayments that are denominated in a country's home currency. Public debt should not be confused with external debt, which reflects the foreign currency liabilities of both the private and public sector and must be financed out of foreign exchange earnings.
  103% of GDP (2017 est.)
  96.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

  note: data cover central government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions

  country comparison to the world: 14
  Fiscal year: This entry identifies the beginning and ending months for a country's accounting period of 12 months, which often is the calendar year but which may begin in any month. All yearly references are for the calendar year (CY) unless indicated as a noncalendar fiscal year (FY).
  1 July - 30 June
  Inflation rate (consumer prices): This entry furnishes the annual percent change in consumer prices compared with the previous year's consumer prices.
  23.5% (2017 est.)
  10.2% (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 217
  Central bank discount rate: This entry provides the annualized interest rate a country's central bank charges commercial, depository banks for loans to meet temporary shortages of funds.
  19.25% (9 July 2017)
  15.25% (3 November 2016)
  country comparison to the world: 7
  Commercial bank prime lending rate: This entry provides a simple average of annualized interest rates commercial banks charge on new loans, denominated in the national currency, to their most credit-worthy customers.
  18.18% (31 December 2017 est.)
  13.6% (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 20
  Stock of narrow money: This entry, also known as "M1," comprises the total quantity of currency in circulation (notes and coins) plus demand deposits denominated in the national currency held by nonbank financial institutions, state and local governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, and the private sector of the economy, measured at a specific point in time. National currency units have been converted to US dollars at the closing exchange rate for the date of the information. Because of exchange rate moveme . . . more
  $43.4 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $34.51 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 56
  Stock of broad money: This entry covers all of "Narrow money," plus the total quantity of time and savings deposits, credit union deposits, institutional money market funds, short-term repurchase agreements between the central bank and commercial deposit banks, and other large liquid assets held by nonbank financial institutions, state and local governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, and the private sector of the economy. National currency units have been converted to US dollars at the closing exchange r . . . more
  $43.4 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $34.51 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 56
  Stock of domestic credit: This entry is the total quantity of credit, denominated in the domestic currency, provided by financial institutions to the central bank, state and local governments, public non-financial corporations, and the private sector. The national currency units have been converted to US dollars at the closing exchange rate on the date of the information.
  $193.4 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $178.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 46
  Market value of publicly traded shares: This entry gives the value of shares issued by publicly traded companies at a price determined in the national stock markets on the final day of the period indicated. It is simply the latest price per share multiplied by the total number of outstanding shares, cumulated over all companies listed on the particular exchange.
  $27.35 billion (30 December 2016 est.)
  $25.07 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
  $26.33 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 59
  Current account balance: This entry records a country's net trade in goods and services, plus net earnings from rents, interest, profits, and dividends, and net transfer payments (such as pension funds and worker remittances) to and from the rest of the world during the period specified. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
  -$14.92 billion (2017 est.)
  -$19.83 billion (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 196
  Exports: This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise exports on an f.o.b. (free on board) basis. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
  $23.3 billion (2017 est.)
  $20.02 billion (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 69
  Exports - partners: This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.
  UAE 10.9%, Italy 10%, US 7.4%, UK 5.7%, Turkey 4.4%, Germany 4.3%, India 4.3% (2017)
  Exports - commodities: This entry provides a listing of the highest-valued exported products; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.
  crude oil and petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals, processed food
  Imports: This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise imports on a c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) or f.o.b. (free on board) basis. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
  $59.78 billion (2017 est.)
  $57.84 billion (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 50
  Imports - commodities: This entry provides a listing of the highest-valued imported products; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.
  machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels
  Imports - partners: This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.
  China 7.9%, UAE 5.2%, Germany 4.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.6%, US 4.4%, Russia 4.3% (2017)
  Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: This entry gives the dollar value for the stock of all financial assets that are available to the central monetary authority for use in meeting a country's balance of payments needs as of the end-date of the period specified. This category includes not only foreign currency and gold, but also a country's holdings of Special Drawing Rights in the International Monetary Fund, and its reserve position in the Fund.
  $35.89 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $23.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 47
  Debt - external: This entry gives the total public and private debt owed to nonresidents repayable in internationally accepted currencies, goods, or services. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
  $77.47 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $62.38 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 56
  Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: This entry gives the cumulative US dollar value of all investments in the home country made directly by residents - primarily companies - of other countries as of the end of the time period indicated. Direct investment excludes investment through purchase of shares.
  $106.6 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $97.14 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 45
  Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: This entry gives the cumulative US dollar value of all investments in foreign countries made directly by residents - primarily companies - of the home country, as of the end of the time period indicated. Direct investment excludes investment through purchase of shares.
  $7.426 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $7.257 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 69
  Exchange rates: This entry provides the average annual price of a country's monetary unit for the time period specified, expressed in units of local currency per US dollar, as determined by international market forces or by official fiat. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 4217 alphabetic currency code for the national medium of exchange is presented in parenthesis. Closing daily exchange rates are not presented in The World Factbook, but are used to convert stock values - e.g., the . . . more
  Egyptian pounds (EGP) per US dollar -
  18.05 (2017 est.)
  8.8 (2016 est.)
  10.07 (2015 est.)
  7.7133 (2014 est.)
  7.08 (2013 est.)
- Energy :: Egypt
- Electricity access: This entry provides information on access to electricity. Electrification data – collected from industry reports, national surveys, and international sources – consists of four subfields. Population without electricity provides an estimate of the number of citizens that do not have access to electricity. Electrification – total population is the percent of a country’s total population with access to electricity, electrification – urban areas is the percent of a country’s urban population w . . . more
  population without electricity: 300,000 (2013)
  electrification - total population: 99.6% (2013)
  electrification - urban areas: 100% (2013)
  electrification - rural areas: 99.3% (2013)
  Electricity - production: This entry is the annual electricity generated expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution.
  183.5 billion kWh (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 22
  Electricity - consumption: This entry consists of total electricity generated annually plus imports and minus exports, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution.
  159.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 23
  Electricity - exports: This entry is the total exported electricity in kilowatt-hours.
  1.158 billion kWh (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 57
  Electricity - imports: This entry is the total imported electricity in kilowatt-hours.
  54 million kWh (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 106
  Electricity - installed generating capacity: This entry is the total capacity of currently installed generators, expressed in kilowatts (kW), to produce electricity. A 10-kilowatt (kW) generator will produce 10 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, if it runs continuously for one hour.
  45.12 million kW (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 23
  Electricity - from fossil fuels: This entry measures the capacity of plants that generate electricity by burning fossil fuels (such as coal, petroleum products, and natural gas), expressed as a share of the country's total generating capacity.
  91% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 54
  Electricity - from nuclear fuels: This entry measures the capacity of plants that generate electricity through radioactive decay of nuclear fuel, expressed as a share of the country's total generating capacity.
  0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 82
  Electricity - from hydroelectric plants: This entry measures the capacity of plants that generate electricity by water-driven turbines, expressed as a share of the country's total generating capacity.
  6% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 129
  Electricity - from other renewable sources: This entry measures the capacity of plants that generate electricity by using renewable energy sources other than hydroelectric (including, for example, wind, waves, solar, and geothermal), expressed as a share of the country's total generating capacity.
  2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 139
  Crude oil - production: This entry is the total amount of crude oil produced, in barrels per day (bbl/day).
  589,400 bbl/day (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 27
  Crude oil - exports: This entry is the total amount of crude oil exported, in barrels per day (bbl/day).
  246,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 29
  Crude oil - imports: This entry is the total amount of crude oil imported, in barrels per day (bbl/day).
  64,760 bbl/day (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 51
  Crude oil - proved reserves: This entry is the stock of proved reserves of crude oil, in barrels (bbl). Proved reserves are those quantities of petroleum which, by analysis of geological and engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree of confidence to be commercially recoverable from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under current economic conditions.
  4.4 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 24
  Refined petroleum products - production: This entry is the country's total output of refined petroleum products, in barrels per day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the amount of refined petroleum products produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors.
  547,500 bbl/day (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 31
  Refined petroleum products - consumption: This entry is the country's total consumption of refined petroleum products, in barrels per day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the amount of refined petroleum products produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors.
  878,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 25
  Refined petroleum products - exports: This entry is the country's total exports of refined petroleum products, in barrels per day (bbl/day).
  47,360 bbl/day (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 56
  Refined petroleum products - imports: This entry is the country's total imports of refined petroleum products, in barrels per day (bbl/day).
  280,200 bbl/day (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 26
  Natural gas - production: This entry is the total natural gas produced in cubic meters (cu m). The discrepancy between the amount of natural gas produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes and other complicating factors.
  50.86 billion cu m (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 16
  Natural gas - consumption: This entry is the total natural gas consumed in cubic meters (cu m). The discrepancy between the amount of natural gas produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes and other complicating factors.
  57.71 billion cu m (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 13
  Natural gas - exports: This entry is the total natural gas exported in cubic meters (cu m).
  212.4 million cu m (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 45
  Natural gas - imports: This entry is the total natural gas imported in cubic meters (cu m).
  7.079 billion cu m (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 29
  Natural gas - proved reserves: This entry is the stock of proved reserves of natural gas in cubic meters (cu m). Proved reserves are those quantities of natural gas, which, by analysis of geological and engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree of confidence to be commercially recoverable from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under current economic conditions.
  2.186 trillion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 15
  Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy: This entry is the total amount of carbon dioxide, measured in metric tons, released by burning fossil fuels in the process of producing and consuming energy.
  232.7 million Mt (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 30
- Communications :: Egypt
- Telephones - fixed lines: This entry gives the total number of fixed telephone lines in use, as well as the number of subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.
  total subscriptions: 6,604,849 (2017 est.)
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 24
  Telephones - mobile cellular: This entry gives the total number of mobile cellular telephone subscribers, as well as the number of subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Note that because of the ubiquity of mobile phone use in developed countries, the number of subscriptions per 100 inhabitants can exceed 100.
  total subscriptions: 102,958,194 (2017 est.)
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 106 (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 16
  Telephone system: This entry includes a brief general assessment of the system with details on the domestic and international components. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry: Arabsat - Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Autodin - Automatic Digital Network (US Department of Defense). CB - citizen's band mobile radio communications. Cellular telephone system - the telephones in this system are radio transceivers, with each instrument having its o . . . more
  general assessment: largest fixed-line system in Africa and the Arab region; multiple mobile-cellular networks with a 100-percent penetration of the market; Telecom Egypt is mostly state owned; principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; launch of LTE in late 2017 greatly helped the capabilities of mobile broadband services and will continue to do so for future development (2017)
  domestic: fixed-line 7 per 100, mobile-cellular 106 per 100 (2017)
  international: country code - 20; landing point for Aletar, the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks, Link Around the Globe (FLAG) Falcon and FLAG FEA; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat); tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel; MENA subsea cable came into commercial use in late 2015, augmenting the country's considerable international bandwidth (2017)
  Broadcast media: This entry provides information on the approximate number of public and private TV and radio stations in a country, as well as basic information on the availability of satellite and cable TV services.
  mix of state-run and private broadcast media; state-run TV operates 2 national and 6 regional terrestrial networks, as well as a few satellite channels; dozens of private satellite channels and a large number of Arabic satellite channels are available for free; some limited satellite services are also available via subscription; state-run radio operates about 30 stations belonging to 8 networks (2018)
  Internet country code: This entry includes the two-letter codes maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the ISO 3166 Alpha-2 list and used by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to establish country-coded top-level domains (ccTLDs).
  .eg
  Internet users: This entry gives the total number of individuals within a country who can access the Internet at home, via any device type (computer or mobile) and connection. The percent of population with Internet access (i.e., the penetration rate) helps gauge how widespread Internet use is within a country. Statistics vary from country to country and may include users who access the Internet at least several times a week to those who access it only once within a period of several months.
  total: 37,122,537 (July 2016 est.)
  percent of population: 39.2% (July 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 19
  Broadband - fixed subscriptions: This entry gives the total number of fixed-broadband subscriptions, as well as the number of subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Fixed broadband is a physical wired connection to the Internet (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber) at speeds equal to or greater than 256 kilobits/second (256 kbit/s).
  total: 5,223,311 (2017 est.)
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 28
  Communications - note: This entry includes miscellaneous communications information of significance not included elsewhere.
  one of the largest and most famous libraries in the ancient world was the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt (founded about 295 B.C., it may have survived in some form into the 5th century A.D.); seeking to resurrect the great center of learning and communication, the Egyptian Government in 2002 inaugurated the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, an Egyptian National Library on the site of the original Great Library, which commemorates the original archive and also serves as a center of cultural and scientific excellence
- Transportation :: Egypt
- National air transport system: This entry includes four subfields describing the air transport system of a given country in terms of both structure and performance. The first subfield, number of registered air carriers, indicates the total number of air carriers registered with the country’s national aviation authority and issued an air operator certificate as required by the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The second subfield, inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers, lists the total number . . . more
  number of registered air carriers: 14 (2015)
  inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 101 (2015)
  annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 10,159,464 (2015)
  annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 397,531,535 mt-km (2015)
  Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: This entry provides the one- or two-character alphanumeric code indicating the nationality of civil aircraft. Article 20 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention), signed in 1944, requires that all aircraft engaged in international air navigation bear appropriate nationality marks. The aircraft registration number consists of two parts: a prefix consisting of a one- or two-character alphanumeric code indicating nationality and a registration suffix of one to fi . . . more
  SU (2016)
  Airports: This entry gives the total number of airports or airfields recognizable from the air. The runway(s) may be paved (concrete or asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, earth, sand, or gravel surfaces) and may include closed or abandoned installations. Airports or airfields that are no longer recognizable (overgrown, no facilities, etc.) are not included. Note that not all airports have accommodations for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.
  83 (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 65
  Airports - with paved runways: This entry gives the total number of airports with paved runways (concrete or asphalt surfaces) by length. For airports with more than one runway, only the longest runway is included according to the following five groups - (1) over 3,047 m (over 10,000 ft), (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m (8,000 to 10,000 ft), (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m (5,000 to 8,000 ft), (4) 914 to 1,523 m (3,000 to 5,000 ft), and (5) under 914 m (under 3,000 ft). Only airports with usable runways are included in this listing. Not all . . . more
  total: 72 (2017)
  over 3,047 m: 15 (2017)
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 36 (2017)
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 (2017)
  under 914 m: 6 (2017)
  Airports - with unpaved runways: This entry gives the total number of airports with unpaved runways (grass, dirt, sand, or gravel surfaces) by length. For airports with more than one runway, only the longest runway is included according to the following five groups - (1) over 3,047 m (over 10,000 ft), (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m (8,000 to 10,000 ft), (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m (5,000 to 8,000 ft), (4) 914 to 1,523 m (3,000 to 5,000 ft), and (5) under 914 m (under 3,000 ft). Only airports with usable runways are included in this listin . . . more
  total: 11 (2013)
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2013)
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2013)
  914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2013)
  under 914 m: 3 (2013)
  Heliports: This entry gives the total number of heliports with hard-surface runways, helipads, or landing areas that support routine sustained helicopter operations exclusively and have support facilities including one or more of the following facilities: lighting, fuel, passenger handling, or maintenance. It includes former airports used exclusively for helicopter operations but excludes heliports limited to day operations and natural clearings that could support helicopter landings and takeoffs.
  7 (2013)
  Pipelines: This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for transporting products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum products.
  486 km condensate, 74 km condensate/gas, 7986 km gas, 957 km liquid petroleum gas, 5225 km oil, 37 km oil/gas/water, 895 km refined products, 65 km water (2013)
  Railways: This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts by gauge, which is the measure of the distance between the inner sides of the load-bearing rails. The four typical types of gauges are: broad, standard, narrow, and dual. Other gauges are listed under note. Some 60% of the world's railways use the standard gauge of 1.4 m (4.7 ft). Gauges vary by country and sometimes within countries. The choice of gauge during initial construction was mainly in resp . . . more
  total: 5,085 km (2014)
  standard gauge: 5,085 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 39
  Roadways: This entry gives the total length of the road network and includes the length of the paved and unpaved portions.
  total: 137,430 km (2010)
  paved: 126,742 km (includes 838 km of expressways) (2010)
  unpaved: 10,688 km (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 39
  Waterways: This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water.
  3,500 km (includes the Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in Nile Delta; the Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) is navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m) (2011)
  country comparison to the world: 29
  Merchant marine: Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc. This entry contains information in four fields - total, ships by type, foreign-owned, and registered in other countries. Total includes the number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of ca . . . more
  total: 399 (2017)
  by type: bulk carrier 14, container ship 8, general cargo 33, oil tanker 36, other 308 (2017)
  country comparison to the world: 46
  Ports and terminals: This entry lists major ports and terminals primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of containers handled or ship visits were also considered. Most ports service multiple classes of vessels including bulk carriers (dry and liquid), break bulk cargoes (goods loaded individually in bags, boxes, crates, or drums; sometimes palletized), containers, roll-on/roll-off, and passenger ships. The listing le . . . more
  major seaport(s): Mediterranean Sea - Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said
  oil terminal(s): Ain Sukhna terminal, Sidi Kerir terminal
  container port(s) (TEUs): Alexandria (1,633,600), Port Said (East) (3,035,900) (2016)
  LNG terminal(s) (export): Damietta, Idku (Abu Qir Bay)
  Gulf of Suez - Suez
- Military and Security :: Egypt
- Military expenditures: This entry gives spending on defense programs for the most recent year available as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP); the GDP is calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). For countries with no military forces, this figure can include expenditures on public security and police.
  2-3% of GDP according to President ELSISI (March 2017)
  1.67% of GDP (2016)
  1.72% of GDP (2015)
  1.69% of GDP (2014)
  1.61% of GDP (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 67
  Military branches: This entry lists the service branches subordinate to defense ministries or the equivalent (typically ground, naval, air, and marine forces).
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Forces (2018)
  Military service age and obligation: This entry gives the required ages for voluntary or conscript military service and the length of service obligation.
  18-30 years of age for male conscript military service; service obligation - 18-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve obligation; voluntary enlistment possible from age 15 (2017)
- Terrorism :: Egypt
- Terrorist groups - home based: This entry provides information on the US State Department's designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations headquartered in a specific country, which may or may not be a group's country of origin. Details on each organization's aim(s) and area(s) of operation are provided.
  Harakat Sawa’d Misr (HASM):
  aim(s): overthrow the Egyptian Government
  area(s) of operation: Cairo, Nile Delta, Western Desert (April 2018)
  Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)-Sinai:
  aim(s): spread the ISIS caliphate by eliminating the Egyptian Government, destroying Israel, and establishing an Islamic emirate in the Sinai
  area(s) of operation: operational throughout Egypt, primarily in North Sinai
  note: formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis; core ISIS refers to Egypt as its Wilayat Sinai (April 2018)
  Liwa al-Thawra:
  aim(s): overthrow the Egyptian Government
  area(s) of operation: Nile Delta (April 2018)
  Terrorist groups - foreign based: This entry provides information on the US State Department's designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations operating in countries other than where a particular group is headquartered. Details on each organization's aim(s) and area(s) of operation are provided.
  al-Qa'ida (AQ):
  aim(s): overthrow the Egyptian Government and, ultimately, establish a pan-Islamic caliphate under a strict Salafi Muslim interpretation of sharia
  area(s) of operation: maintains a longtime operational presence and established networks (April 2018)
  Army of Islam (AOI):
  aim(s): disrupt the Egyptian Government's efforts to provide security and, ultimately, establish an Islamic caliphate
  area(s) of operation: operational mainly in Cairo and the Sinai Peninsula
  note: associated with ISIS Sinai Province (formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis); targets Israeli Government interests, sometimes in collaboration with the Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (April 2018)
- Transnational Issues :: Egypt
- Disputes - international: This entry includes a wide variety of situations that range from traditional bilateral boundary disputes to unilateral claims of one sort or another. Information regarding disputes over international terrestrial and maritime boundaries has been reviewed by the US Department of State. References to other situations involving borders or frontiers may also be included, such as resource disputes, geopolitical questions, or irredentist issues; however, inclusion does not necessarily constitute . . . more
  Sudan claims but Egypt de facto administers security and economic development of Halaib region north of the 22nd parallel boundaryEgypt no longer shows its administration of the Bir Tawil trapezoid in Sudan on its mapsGazan breaches in the security wall with Egypt in January 2008 highlight difficulties in monitoring the Sinai borderSaudi Arabia claims Egyptian-administered islands of Tiran and Sanafir
  Refugees and internally displaced persons: This entry includes those persons residing in a country as refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), or stateless persons. Each country's refugee entry includes only countries of origin that are the source of refugee populations of 5,000 or more. The definition of a refugee according to a UN Convention is "a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a . . . more
  refugees (country of origin): 70,018 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2017), 6,611 (Iraq) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,561 (Somalia) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2017), 132,553 (Syria) (refugees and asylum seekers), 20,001 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 11,769 (Ethiopia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 11,041 (Eritrea) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,978 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2018)
  IDPs: 82,000 (2017)
  stateless persons: 19 (2016)
  Trafficking in persons: Trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded, or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. The International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues, estimated in 2011 that 20.9 million people worldwide were victims of forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, sexual servitude, and involuntary servitude. Human trafficking is a multi-dimensional threat, depri . . . more
  current situation: Egypt is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; Egyptian children, including the large population of street children are vulnerable to forced labor in domestic service, begging and agriculture or may be victims of sex trafficking or child sex tourism, which occurs in Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor; some Egyptian women and girls are sold into "temporary" or "summer" marriages with Gulf men, through the complicity of their parents or marriage brokers, and are exploited for prostitution or forced labor; Egyptian men are subject to forced labor in neighboring countries, while adults from South and Southeast Asia and East Africa – and increasingly Syrian refugees – are forced to work in domestic service, construction, cleaning, and begging in Egypt; women and girls, including migrants and refugees, from Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East are sex trafficked in Egypt; the Egyptian military cracked down on criminal group’s smuggling, abducting, trafficking, and extorting African migrants in the Sinai Peninsula, but the practice has reemerged along Egypt’s western border with Libya
  tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Egypt does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government gathered data nationwide on trafficking cases to better allocate and prioritize anti-trafficking efforts, but overall it did not demonstrate increased progress; prosecutions increased in 2014, but no offenders were convicted for the second consecutive year; fewer trafficking victims were identified in 2014, which represents a significant and ongoing decrease from the previous two reporting periods; the government relied on NGOs and international organizations to identify and refer victims to protective services, and focused on Egyptian victims and refused to provide some services to foreign victims, at times including shelter (2015)
  Illicit drugs: This entry gives information on the five categories of illicit drugs - narcotics, stimulants, depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, and cannabis. These categories include many drugs legally produced and prescribed by doctors as well as those illegally produced and sold outside of medical channels. Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is the common hemp plant, which provides hallucinogens with some sedative properties, and includes marijuana (pot, Acapulco gold, grass, reefer), tetrahydroca . . . more
  transit point for cannabis, heroin, and opium moving to Europe, Israel, and North Africa; transit stop for Nigerian drug couriers; concern as money laundering site due to lax enforcement of financial regulations

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