02/27/2011 General information about Egypt
Country name:
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)
Location: 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: 27 00 N, 30 00 E
Area: total: 1,001,450 sq km country comparison to the world: 30
land: 995,450 sq km water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 2,665 km border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline: 2,450 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc
Land use: arable land: 2.92% permanent crops: 0.5% other: 96.58% (2005)
Irrigated land: 34,220 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources: 86.8 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 68.3 cu km/yr (8%/6%/86%) per capita: 923 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes; flash floods; landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms; sandstorms
Government type: republic
Capital: 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: 29 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrah (El Beheira), Al Fayyum (El Faiyum), Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah (Alexandria), Al Isma'iliyah (Ismailia), Al Jizah (Giza), Al Minufiyah (El Monofia), Al Minya, Al Qahirah (Cairo), Al Qalyubiyah, Al Uqsur, Al Wadi al Jadid (New Valley), As Suways (Suez), Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf (Beni Suef), Bur Sa'id (Port Said), Dumyat (Damietta), Helwan, Janub Sina' (South Sinai), Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh (Western Desert), Qina (Qena), Shamal Sina' (North Sinai), Sittah Uktubar, Suhaj (Sohag)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)
Constitution: 11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980, 25 May 2005, and 26 March 2007; note - constitution dissolved by the military caretaker government on 13 February 2011
Legal system: based on Islamic and civil law (particularly Napoleonic codes); judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Population: 80,471,869 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 16
Age structure: 0-14 years: 33% (male 13,308,407/female 12,711,900) 15-64 years: 62.7% (male 25,138,546/female 24,342,230) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 1,546,774/female 1,818,778) (2010 est.)
Median age: total: 24 years male: 23.8 years female: 24.3 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.997% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 58
Airports: 86 (2010) country comparison to the world: 66
Airports - with paved runways: total: 73 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 4 (2010) Heliports: 6 (2010)
Pipelines: condensate 320 km; condensate/gas 13 km; gas 6,262 km; liquid petroleum gas 956 km; oil 4,319 km; oil/gas/water 3 km; refined products 895 km; unknown 59 km (2009)
Railways: total: 5,500 km country comparison to the world: 33 standard gauge: 5,500 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2009)
Roadways: total: 65,050 km country comparison to the world: 71 paved: 47,500 km unpaved: 17,550 km (2009)
Waterways: 3,500 km country comparison to the world: 30 note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m (2010)
Merchant marine: total: 66 country comparison to the world: 63 by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 24, container 3, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 13 (Denmark 1, France 1, Greece 8, Jordan 2, Lebanon 1) registered in other countries: 52 (Cambodia 12, Cook Islands 1, Georgia 11, Honduras 2, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 5, Panama 11, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 2, unknown 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals: Ayn Sukhnah, Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said, Sidi Kurayr, Suez.
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