Middle East Middle East Research Institute - Egypt: MERI Report

Routledge Revivals

First published in 1985, this study, focusing on Egypt, looks at the underlying reasons why certain political, economic and social events have taken place in the countrys history. It provides vital analysis of the political and economic issues of the country, and those that have affected it, as well as providing statistical material on all the key data of the political economy.

The book was originally published as part of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) Reports on the Middle East which quickly established themselves as the most authoritative and up-to-date information on the state of affairs in the region.

Meri Report

Middle East Research Institute

First published in 1985
by Croom Helm

This edition first published in 2015 by Routledge
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1985 Middle East Research Institute

The right of the Middle East Research Institute to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Publisher's Note
The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent.

Disclaimer
The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes correspondence from those they have been unable to contact.

A Library of Congress record exists under LC control number: 85004136

ISBN 13: 978-1-138-90200-8 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-315-69757-4 (ebk)

MERI REPORT
EGYPT

Middle East Research Institute University of Pennsylvania

1985 Middle East Research Institute
Croom Helm Ltd, Provident House, Burrell Row.
Beckenham, Kent BR3 1AT

Croom Helm Australia Pty Ltd, First Floor,
139 King Street, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Egypt. (MERI report)

1.Egypt
I. MERI II. Series
962'.055 DT46

ISBN 0-7099-3551-X

Croom Helm, 51 Washington Street, Dover,
New Hampshire 03820, USA

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data applied for.

Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd., Chippenham

Egypt has a total land area of 1,101,449 sq km (1 sq km= 0.386 sq mi), of which 96.5 percent is desert, waste, or urban. Of the remaining surface area, only 2.8 percent is cultivated, while 0.7 percent is land water. The extremes of length and breadth are 1,080 km (1 km = 0.62 mi) and 1,232 km, respectively. Located in northeast Africa, Egypt is bordered by Israel and the Red Sea on the east, the Sudan on the south, Libya on the west, and the Mediterranean on the north. Of four geographical regions, the Nile River Valley (1,080 km long) and its Delta is the most important and is where the population is concentrated. Second in importance is the Sinai Peninsula, which is viewed by Egyptians as a geopolitical barrier to Israel and which is the site of most of Egypt's present oil production. The two other regions are the Western Desert (with sizeable oases which may possess considerable water resources) and the Eastern Highlands (slightly elevated and rugged terrain cut by deep valleys).

The climate of Egypt is relatively uniform with two seasons, winter and summer. From November to April mean temperatures range from 8 C to 30 C (45 F and 85 F) while in the summer from May to October mean temperatures can range from 21 to 35 C (71 F and 96 F). Egypt has scant rainfall (200 mm/year). The temperature can fall considerably during the night, particularly in the desert regions. Humidity is fairly low, especially in inland areas.

At the present time, the population is estimated to be about 46 million, concentrated in the 3.5 percent of habitable land. Most of this population is crammed into the narrow Nile River Valley, resulting in one of the highest urban population densities in the world (2,800 per sq km). Slightly less than half (45.37 percent) of the population is urban.

The birth rate has tended to rise slightly in recent years, half-hearted attempts at birth control having proved largely unsuccessful. The death rate has fallen steadily, reflecting higher health standards. The rate of natural population increase seems to have stabilized around 3 percent. Annual growth rate for 1982 was 2.8 percent.

Emigration (nearly all of it economically motivated) has, however, affected the demographic situation. Some 1.7 million Egyptians are believed to be living abroad, mostly in wealthier Arab countries where they are profitably employed. The majority of these are not, however, permanent emigrants.

Sunni Muslims constitute an estimated 93 percent of the population. No other Muslim sect is officially recognized. The Christian community is dominated by the monophysite Copts, but there are small Catholic sects (of the Greek, Armenian and Syrian rites), Orthodox sects (of the Greek, and Armenian rites), and Protestant communities (mostly Coptic converts).

Egypt has a high degree of ethnic homogeneity 96 percent the only non-Arab minority of note being the Nubians, who constitute less than 1 percent of the population and are concentrated in the south. The number of foreign residents has diminished sharply since the postrevolutionary revocation of privileges accorded holders of foreign passports, but there are still a few Greeks, Italians and Maltese, living mostly in the cities. There are large numbers of Arabic-speaking Bedouins, with distinct customs and traditions and a nomadic way of life, inhabiting mostly the desert areas.

The major source of agricultural water is the Nile River which, since the completion of the Aswan High Dam, provides for more reliable perennial irrigation. Anticipated expansion of usage in the 1980s may create conditions of scarcity. Seventy percent of the 2.8 percent cultivated land area is multiple cropped. The prospects for expanding the cultivated area are limited 912,000 feddans were reclaimed between 1952 and 1975 (1 feddan = 1.038 acres).

Although oil was once a negligible factor in Egypt's economy, Egypt became marginally self-sufficient in oil in the 1970s. Under the Sinai II Agreement, Egypt regained the western portion of its oil fields, but did not become an exporter until after the Peace Treaty and total Israeli withdrawal. In 1983 production averaged 719,000 barrels/day, 11 percent more than in 1982 (649,000 b/d).

Proven reserves of this low-sulphur-content oil are estimated to be 3.1 billion barrels with a reserve life of 16.0 years at present production levels. Egypt's proven reserves of natural gas as of January 1981 were 84.96 billion cu m (3 trillion cu ft) and production was at the equivalent of 2,080.8 metric tons/day. In 1982/83 total natural gas production came to 2.2 million metric tons. With regard to other minerals, Egypt has virtual self-sufficiency in phosphates and possesses some iron deposits and potentially commercially exploitable deposits of uranium (with anticipated production of 30-50 tons annually).