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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.
Factbook: "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 has opened up considerably under former President Anwar EL-SADAT and current President Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK. Cairo has aggressively pursued economic reforms to encourage inflows of foreign investment and facilitate GDP growth."
Estimated per capita GDP:
2008 $5,400
2007 $5,200
2006 $4,900
GDP annual growth rate:
2008 6.9%
2007 7.1%
2006 6.8%
unemployment rate for 2008: 8.7%
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 at birth 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.