Egypt

What happened in 1952?

A group of nationalist army officers overthrew the government and Gamal Abdel Nasser came to be the new ruler. He wanted to end Western domination, modernize the country, and be an influence in world politics.

What did Egypt depend on in the past?

Cotton; when international cotton prices were high, Egypt prospered. When they fell, so did Egypt. Now oil and petroleum products are Egypt's main exports. The country is still dependent upon the export of raw materials rather than manufactured goods.

What happened after WWII?

Egypt developed closer links with the Arab Middle East. The main cause was the establishment of the Israel in 1948. Arabs were united in their opposition to Israel, and Egypt took a major role in the 1948,1967, and 1973 wars with Israel but suffered defeat in all three. In 1967 Egypt lost the Sinai Peninsula to Israel. In the third war, Sadat decided to seek permanent peace and in 1979 Egypt became the first Arab nation to recognize Israel. In return, in 1982 Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula. In 1981, Sadat was assassinated and Hosni Mubarak continued to honor the Egypt-Israeli peace.

Why is location a major factor?

Egypt's a tempting target for waves of invaders. Over the centuries, Egypt was ruled by Greek conquerors and Roman conquerors. When the Arabs conquered Egypt in AD 642, Arabic became Egypt's official language and Islam its official religion. Today, over 90 percent of Egyptians are Muslims. Most of the minorities are Copts, a very old Christian sect. For over a thousands years Egypt was ruled as part of various Muslim empires, and the last was the Ottoman Turks.

What is a major problem with population growth?

Egypt's food supply is running short. In 1960, Egypt produced almost all of its food and today it imports more than half of the food people eat. The government has plans to increase the amount of arable land by irrigating more desert land, but this land won't be fertile and large amounts of money will be spent of chemical fertilizers.

What happened in 1879?

Egyptian nationalists revolted, determined to regain control of the canal. Nationalists wanted to form an independent nation to protect their interests and Britain responded by invading Egypt and defeating the new government in 1882. Following WWI, Egyptian nationalists pushed for independence and in 1922 Britain agreed to demands. But Britain still controlled Egypt and Egyptian rulers had little power.

What are rural and urban areas like?

Half of Egypt's population lives in rural areas. Urban areas have grown in recent years however. Fellaheen live in small low houses made of mud bricks. These houses are formed of rooms clustered around a central courtyard. If rural families can afford to, they keep domestic animals which provide food and transportation.

What did Nasser do?

He had formed close ties with the Soviet Union. Egyptians implemented Nasser's many modernization projects. Industries developed, and Egypt became less dependent on cotton, their main export. When Nasser died in 1970, Anwar Sadat became president and ended the alliance with the Soviet Union and forged new ties with the West.

What did President Nasser do in the 1960's?

He started building a dam that would store Nile floodwaters in a reservoir which was named Lake Nasser. It would be the basis of a perennial irrigation system that provided water for agriculture all year. It was also used for extra water for Cairo or generating electricity.

What happens in the Sahara?

In the early summer a special wind known as the khamsin creates sandstorms that blows hot air, dust, and grit into the Nile Valley. Oases, due to the presence of water, are the only arable land in desert. It holds some valuable resources; phosphates are used to make fertilizer are extracted from the desert as is oil.

What happened in the late 1950's and 1960's?

Industrialization efforts. Several factors have limited the growth of industries though : limited skilled workers and lack of capital. Egypt has the largest pool of educated people in the Arab world but many migrate to wealthier countries. Egypt also lacks money that is invested in building and supporting new industries.

What happened in 1956?

Nasser seized control of the Suez Canal. Israel, Britain, and France jointly invaded Egypt in attempt to take back the waterway. The U.S. and Soviet Union supported a UN resolution and demanded a cease-fire and the withdrawal of outside forces from Egyptian territory. This forced Western nations to call of the attack, and Nasser held the canal.

What surrounds the Nile Valley?

On both sides are harsh wastelands. On the west is the Libyan Desert, and on the east the Arabian Desert. The Sinai Peninsula, located in Southwest Asia to the east of the Suez Canal, is part of Egypt's eastern desert.

How has life changed though?

Opportunities attract people from rural communities. The cities cannot hold everyone however, and new arrivals are unable to find jobs or housing. Unwilling to return, they live in tents and other makeshift shelters. Bazaars are open air markets.

Where were the pyramids built?

Southwest of Cairo. The pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs.

What was completed in 1970?

The Aswan High Dam. It ended flooding of the Nile and let farmers to plant few crops every year. Lake Nasser's irrigation has allowed more deserts to be reclaimed for farming. The dam has caused problems too though, since floodwaters no longer carry silt to fertilize land. Farmers now use chemical fertilizers. Another problem is that perennial irrigation makes salt build up in soil. 35 percent of farmlands suffer from high salt content.. Solving this would need a lot of money.

What happened until recent?

The Nile River would flood every year and refresh fields with water and silt that form a rich soil. Farmers have built walls around their fields to trap this water and silt and it is known as basin irrigation. It doesn't work year round though.

The Nile Delta How big is Egypt's population?

The Nile forks into two major branches and the Nile Delta is in between them. It is land formed by soil in the water that dropped as the river slows and enters the sea. The Nile Delta is extremely fertile, and the fellaheen (Egyptian peasants) grow crops here without machine machinery. Egypt has a population of 68 million, and relies on human labor. About 99 percent live in the Nile Valley or delta region. Egypt's two largest cities are Cairo and Alexandria(seaport and resort).

What happened by the late 1700's?

The Ottoman Turks were in decline and European nations began to intervene in Egyptian affairs. The Suez Canal which links the Mediterranean and Red Seas opened in 1869 and made Egypt a link between Britain and eastern Asian colonies. In 1875, Egypt's ruler faced debt and purchased Egypt's share of ownership in the Suez Canal.

Trends in Egypt today

Urbanization and population growth. Egypt's overall population is growing faster than other countries in the Arab world. Providing food, housing, education, and other services for the population strains the economy. Many families need the labor and income of every member in their large family, and resist government efforts to limit sizes.