Egypt: A Study in Contrasts

1
EgyptA Study in Contrasts

• John Bock
• Darren Botelho
• Leigh Ercole
• Middle East Period 5
• 17 October 2006

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History of Egypt

• 3200 B.C. unified kingdom arose
• 7th century A.D. Arabs introduced Islam
  Arabic
• 1517 Ottoman Turks conquered Egypt
• 1882 Britain seized control of Egypt's
  government
• 1914 allegiance to Ottoman Empire ends
• 1922 Partially independent from UK

http//www.mideastweb.org/ara_ottoman1580.gif
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History of Egypt, cont.

• Post-World War I full sovereignty
• 1952 - Gamal Abdul Nasser revolution against
  monarchy
• 1971 new constitution
• 1981 - Hosni Mubarak rose to power became
  president

https//www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos
/eg.htmlPeople
4
Thesis

• Egypt is feigning modernity because its
• government appears to be a republic but
• is actually an autocracy. There is a
• lack of civil liberties and much of
• the population is below the poverty line.

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Economics

• Nile Valley most economic activity
• Exports fresh water natural gas
• Imports machinery, food stuffs, chemicals, wood
  products
• Debt - 35.26 billion
• Current Account Balance - 2.2 billion

http//www.beyondbooks.com/wcu81/images/00003017.j
pg
6
Economics, cont.

• Services 49.3
• Industry 35.7
• Textiles, food processing, tourism,
  pharmaceuticals, construction, metals
• Agricultural 14.9
• Cotton, grains, beans, fruits, vegetables
• Major Problem inadequate housing conditions
• 9.5 unemployed
• 20 population below poverty line

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Social Cultural

• Population 78,887,007
• Religion 90 Sunni Muslim, 9 Coptic Christian
• Language Arabic (Egyptian Dialect)
• Life expectancy 71.29 years
• Infant mortality rate 31.33 deaths/1000 births
• Literacy Rate males 64, females 38

http//www.emro.who.int/Publications/EMHJ/0706/Inf
ant.htm
8
Civil Liberties

• Emergency Law (expires 2006)
• Freedom of speech
• Jailing journalists
• Beating democracy advocates
• Jail without charge
• Torture/mistreatment detainees
• Freedom of Religion
• Converting from Islam illegal
• Women are equal
• Discrimination exists

http//www.hrw.org/photos/2006/egypt0506/photo5.ht
m
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Politics

• Arab Republic of Egypt
• Capital Cairo
• Type republic
• Suffrage
• age 18
• compulsory

http//images.google.com/images?svnum10hlenlr
qunbalancedscales
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Government Structure

• Three branches
• Executive
• President Mubarak (1981-now)
• Prime Minister Nazif (2004-now)
• President-appointed cabinet
• Legislative
• Peoples Assembly
• Advisory Council
• Judicial
• Supreme Constitutional Court

http//www.bibalex.org/English/aboutus/images/Muba
rak.jpg
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Political Parties

• National Democratic Party
• Formation must be government approved
• Ban against religious-based parties
• Muslim Brotherhood

http//sanderhicks.com/images/brotherhood2a.jpg
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Works Cited

• https//www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos
  /eg.htmlPeople
• http//hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/18/egypt12212.
  htm
• http//hrw.org/doc?tmideastcegypt
• http//www.fao.org/docrep/V9104e/v9104e04.htm
• http//lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy_at_f
  ield(DOCIDeg0124)