|
|
|
North Africa. 2,450 kilometers of coastline. Capital: Cairo
The legal system is based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes. The president is chosen by the People's Assembly, which is put to a national and popular referendum (yes or no with no opponents). The president appoints a prime minister to run the government.
According to a study done by Shibley Telhami with Zogby International, in October 2005, , no more than 2 percent support Egypt's "ruler," President Hosni Mubarak, and most people in the region believe that Muslim clerics are not participating enough in politics.
According to the BBC: "Although Egypt has changed its constitution to allow the opposition to contest presidential polls, potential candidates must meet strict criteria for participation. A ban remains on religious political parties."
In December, 2005, the National Democratic Party (Mubarak's party and the party of Sadat before him), the allies of the National Democratic Party, kept their parliamentary majority. Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, elected as independents, won 20 percent of the seats.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Estimated per capita GDP:
2007 $5,400 (Ranks 128th)
GDP annual growth rate estimated for 2007: 7.2 percent. (Ranks 40th)
Factbook: "The government has struggled to ready the economy for the new millennium through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure....Lack of substantial progress on economic reform since the mid 1990s has limited foreign direct investment in Egypt and kept annual GDP growth in the range of 2%-3% in 2001-03. However, in 2004 Egypt implemented several measures to boost foreign direct investment."
Exports crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals.
Unemployment for 2004: 10.9 percent.
Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP: 3.4 (estimated for 2005).
Deaths: 5.09. Births: 22.12, down from 23.32 in 2005
Estimated for 2008: 81.71 million, up from 77.5 million in 2005. Growth rate estimated for 2008: 1.682 percent per year.
More leaving than arriving, a net loss of 0.21 persons per 1,000 population.
Infant mortality estimated for 2008: 29.36, down from 32.59 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births)
Average life expectancy estimated for 2008: 71.85, up from 71 in 2005.
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: less than 0.1 percent (2001 estimate).
Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94 percent. Coptic Christian 6 percent.
Ranked 28th among African universities, according to Shibley Telhami in the Washington Post.
2008: According to the CIA factbook, illiteracy in Egypt is 28.6 percent.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.