modern egypt

egypts economy

• tourism
• oil, natural gas, manufacturing 
• agriculture - making the most of their limited arable land (3%)-cotton, corn, rice, wheat, fava bean
  
  

  the old pattern of dealing with the Nile [akhet (inundation), peret (land emerges from the flood), and shomu (water is short)] has been changed since the 1970 building of the Aswan High Dam . the dam controls the flooding of the Nile, and increases the amount of reclaimed land

  
  

  
  

Egypts demographics

• 79 million people - biggest population of Middle Eastern nations, third biggest African country
   

   Official language: Arabic (English, French, and German are also taught to some)

  
  

  Religion: around 90% Muslim,most of the rest are Christian (Coptic), but there are major conflicts (Egypt is 12th in religious violence, 5th worst for religious freedom)

   

   

  Egypt - politics, government, revolution

  1922 - end of protectorate with the United Kingdom

   

  1953 - Egypt declared a Republic

   

  1954-1970 - ruled by Gamal Nasser

  • nationalizes the Suez Canal
  • forms allegiance with Soviet Union

   

  1970-1981 - ruled by Anwar Sadat

  • switches allegiance to the United States
  • attacked Israel over Sinai Peninsula, but later made peace
  • Sadat assassinated in 1981

   

  1981-2011 - ruled by Hosni Mubarak

  • kept alliance w/ US (helped in the Iraq war)
  • accused of corruption, political persecution, human rights violations
  • driven from office following mass demonstrations last month