Egypt

Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, the country in northeastern Africa and southwestern Asia. Most of the country lies in Africa, but the easternmost portion of Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula, is usually considered part of Asia; it forms the only land bridge between the two continents. Most of Egypt’s terrain is desert, divided into two unequal parts by the Nile River. The valley and delta of the Nile are the main centers of habitation. The capital and largest city are Cairo.

 

Egypt Population 2020

101,319,440	Current population
50,872,607	Current male population (52.2%)
50,446,836	Current female population (49.8%)

 

Animal population

Terrestrial animals, Egypt, 2018

Species	Admin unit	Population	Units	Number of establishments	Units
Birds	Ad Daqahliyah	4533533	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Bahr Al Ahmar	43437	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Buhayrah	49030878	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Fayyum	998107	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Gharbiyah	6241999	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Iskandariyah	16278951	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Isma’Iliyah	1105550	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Jizah	824169	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Minufiyah	2324367	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Minya	971317	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Qahirah	54644	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Qalyubiyah	1469634	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Al Wadi Al Jadid	358783	Animals		Establishments
Birds	As Suways	69905	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Ash Sharqiyah	4331362	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Aswan	190371	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Asyut	1766914	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Bani Suwayf	2050062	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Bur Sa’Id	224308	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Dumyat	14530306	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Janub Sina’	26373	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Kafr Ash Shaykh	9443695	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Luxor	199016	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Marsa Matruh	308202	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Qina	486001	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Shamal Sina’	0	Animals		Establishments
Birds	Suhaj	1085776	Animals		Establishments
Birds	The Whole Country	118947660	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Ad Daqahliyah	176496	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Bahr Al Ahmar	136	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Buhayrah	226596	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Fayyum	112599	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Gharbiyah	153425	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Iskandariyah	39894	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Isma’Iliyah	26945	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Jizah	66074	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Minufiyah	244575	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Minya	107336	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Qahirah	1736	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Qalyubiyah	130444	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Al Wadi Al Jadid	1224	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	As Suways	12121	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Ash Sharqiyah	198314	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Aswan	12605	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Asyut	155010	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Bani Suwayf	95350	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Bur Sa’Id	6397	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Dumyat	33237	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Janub Sina’	264	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Kafr Ash Shaykh	63963	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Luxor	14504	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Marsa Matruh	4253	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Qina	27386	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Shamal Sina’	485	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	Suhaj	125353	Animals		Establishments
Buffaloes	The Whole Country	2036722	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Ad Daqahliyah	0	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Bahr Al Ahmar	3081	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Buhayrah	833	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Fayyum	3659	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Gharbiyah	127	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Iskandariyah	800	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Isma’Iliyah	2130	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Jizah	10288	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Minufiyah	3043	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Minya	1451	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Qahirah	69	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Qalyubiyah	822	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Al Wadi Al Jadid	1188	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	As Suways	314	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Ash Sharqiyah	1579	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Aswan	688	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Asyut	10531	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Bani Suwayf	722	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Bur Sa’Id	0	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Dumyat	8	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Janub Sina’	5873	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Kafr Ash Shaykh	2	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Luxor	935	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Marsa Matruh	14490	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Qina	2476	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Shamal Sina’	2320	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	Suhaj	6694	Animals		Establishments
Camelidae	The Whole Country	74123	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Ad Daqahliyah	175844	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Bahr Al Ahmar	1778	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Buhayrah	390989	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Fayyum	149997	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Gharbiyah	177867	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Iskandariyah	74217	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Isma’Iliyah	51469	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Jizah	90257	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Minufiyah	184850	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Minya	223511	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Qahirah	1812	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Qalyubiyah	77584	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Al Wadi Al Jadid	102252	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	As Suways	13866	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Ash Sharqiyah	183849	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Aswan	53110	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Asyut	191001	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Bani Suwayf	351355	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Bur Sa’Id	13181	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Dumyat	68658	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Janub Sina’	488	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Kafr Ash Shaykh	133068	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Luxor	24193	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Marsa Matruh	10773	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Qina	42436	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Shamal Sina’	3485	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	Suhaj	155739	Animals		Establishments
Cattle	The Whole Country	2947629	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Ad Daqahliyah	59914	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Bahr Al Ahmar	101	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Buhayrah	27426	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Fayyum	46888	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Gharbiyah	59649	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Iskandariyah	7852	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Isma’Iliyah	8308	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Jizah	34656	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Minufiyah	95457	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Minya	63129	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Qahirah	64030	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Qalyubiyah	35650	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Al Wadi Al Jadid	14376	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	As Suways	1789	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Ash Sharqiyah	59533	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Aswan	19809	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Asyut	70904	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Bani Suwayf	100608	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Bur Sa’Id	300	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Dumyat	12649	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Janub Sina’	418	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Kafr Ash Shaykh	17925	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Luxor	9810	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Marsa Matruh	11493	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Qina	18857	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Shamal Sina’	1964	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	Suhaj	43335	Animals		Establishments
Equidae	The Whole Country	886830	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Ad Daqahliyah	23563	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Bahr Al Ahmar	6116	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Buhayrah	35466	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Fayyum	68530	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Gharbiyah	42528	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Iskandariyah	11643	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Isma’Iliyah	18000	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Jizah	21740	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Minufiyah	382141	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Minya	71004	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Qahirah	1762	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Qalyubiyah	43480	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Al Wadi Al Jadid	71630	Animals		Establishments
Goats	As Suways	7904	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Ash Sharqiyah	96550	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Aswan	12750	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Asyut	97018	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Bani Suwayf	117169	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Bur Sa’Id	112	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Dumyat	6462	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Janub Sina’	18541	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Kafr Ash Shaykh	14861	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Luxor	11427	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Marsa Matruh	74694	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Qina	24410	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Shamal Sina’	43157	Animals		Establishments
Goats	Suhaj	170327	Animals		Establishments
Goats	The Whole Country	1492985	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Ad Daqahliyah	119850	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Bahr Al Ahmar	6556	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Buhayrah	269118	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Fayyum	103949	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Gharbiyah	122689	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Iskandariyah	77031	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Isma’Iliyah	39200	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Jizah	51196	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Minufiyah	44463	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Minya	201033	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Qahirah	3886	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Qalyubiyah	74485	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Al Wadi Al Jadid	80565	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	As Suways	11453	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Ash Sharqiyah	158645	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Aswan	38580	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Asyut	142414	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Bani Suwayf	217550	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Bur Sa’Id	1797	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Dumyat	20011	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Janub Sina’	13107	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Kafr Ash Shaykh	62993	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Luxor	33680	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Marsa Matruh	244956	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Qina	43523	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Shamal Sina’	34746	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	Suhaj	144448	Animals		Establishments
Sheep	The Whole Country	2361924	Animals		Establishments

 

Agriculture
Even though its contribution to GDP has declined considerably in the last 15 years, from 25.6 percent in 1985-86 to 17 percent in 1999, agriculture remains a significant contributor to Egypt’s economy, accounting for 20 percent of commodity exports. In 1998, according to the CIA World Factbook for 2000, 40 percent of the labor force was employed in the agriculture sector.

Cotton has been the country’s largest agricultural export product for many years. The proportion of land cultivated with cotton has dropped significantly over the last 4 decades, from 924,000 hectares in 1962 to 227,000 hectares in 2000-01. For most of the century, cotton has been heavily subsidized by the government. These subsidies, however, were lifted in the mid-1990s and, as a result of higher cultivation costs, cotton exports have dropped from 121,500 metric tons in 1993-94 to only 45,000 metric tons in 1996-97.

In an attempt to reverse this trend, the government moved to raise the purchase price of cotton above international market levels. This was coupled with a move to import lower-grade cotton in March 1996 to allow for the export of better-quality cotton, and the full liberalization of the cotton trade in 1998-99. Higher price incentives have led to increased production and higher export deliveries, but the cotton trade is threatened by dwindling acreage.

Wheat and rice outputs have grown dramatically since the early 1990s, particularly since 1994 when all subsidies for fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides were lifted. The result has been self-sufficiency in several important commodities. Today, 95 percent of the wheat and rice crops are used to satisfy domestic consumption but, despite increased output, Egypt continues to be a large importer of food, especially agricultural products. Imports of wheat rose by 8 percent in 1996-97 and have generally accounted for more than a quarter of total imports.

Egypt’s agricultural sector remains one of the most productive in the world, despite the small area of arable land and irregular and insufficient water supplies. Farmers do not have to pay for water used in irrigation. Since the construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile river, the sector’s development has been hindered by the problems of waterlogged soil and soil with high salt content. Drainage efforts have proved insufficient to counter the harmful effects of these 2 factors to the sector’s performance. Since the mid-1980s, the government has attempted to reclaim the desert for cultivation and has managed to successfully reclaim some 1 million acres of desert. Plans are underway to reclaim an additional 3.5 million acres by the year 2017 with the South Valley Development project near Lake Nasser. These efforts, however, are countered by the fast pace of urban and industrial expansion, which has been claiming an average of 31,000 acres a year.

Rivers and lakes
The Nile enters Egypt from Sudan and flows north for 1,545 km (960 mi) to the Mediterranean Sea. For its entire length from the southern border to Cairo, the Nile flows through a narrow valley lined by cliffs. Lake Nasser, a huge reservoir formed by the Aswan High Dam, extends south across the Sudan border.

Aswan High Dam, a dam across the Nile River in southern Egypt, located near the city of Aswan. The dam impounds Lake Nasser, one of the largest reservoirs in the world.

Natural Resources
Egypt has a wide variety of mineral deposits, some of which, such as gold and red granite, have been exploited since ancient times. The chief mineral resource of contemporary value is petroleum, found mainly in the Red Sea coastal region, at Al ‘Alamayn (El ‘Alamein) on the Mediterranean, and on the Sinai Peninsula. Other minerals include phosphates, manganese, iron ore, and uranium. Natural gas is also extracted.

Plants and Animals
The vegetation of Egypt is confined largely to the Nile Delta, the Nile Valley, and the oases. The most widespread of the few indigenous trees is the date palm. Others include the sycamore, tamarisk, acacia, and carob. Trees that have been introduced from other lands include the cypress, elm, eucalyptus, mimosa, and myrtle, as well as various types of fruit trees.

The alluvial soils of Egypt, especially in the delta, sustain a broad variety of plant life, including grapes, many kinds of vegetables, and flowers such as the lotus, jasmine, and rose. In the arid region’s alfa grass and several species of thorn are common. Papyrus, once prevalent along the banks of the Nile, is now limited to the extreme south of the country.

Birdlife is abundant, especially in the Nile Delta and the Nile Valley. The country has 153 known species of birds. Many species of insects live in Egypt. Beetles, mosquitoes, flies, and fleas are especially numerous.

In 2004 the agricultural sector (including fishing) contributed 15 percent of the GDP the most important crops include cotton, cereal grains, fruits and vegetables, and animal fodder. Egypt’s area of cultivable land is small but highly fertile. It is located for the most part along the Nile and in the Nile Delta. Yields are high, and almost every piece of land grows at least two crops a year. The country ceased to be self-sufficient in cereals at the beginning of the 20th century, although it still exports some poultry, fruits, vegetables, sugar, and rice. It now imports about a quarter of the cereals it needs and a much higher proportion of the meat and dairy products.

Fishing
Fishing is a significant industry in Egypt. Large quantities of fish live in the Nile, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea.

Climate
Hot dry summers from May to October and mild winters from November to April characterize Egypt’s climate. Rainfall is very low, irregular and unpredictable. Annual rainfall ranges between a maximum of about 200 mm in the northern coastal region to a minimum of nearly zero in the south, with an annual average of 51 mm. Sinai receives somewhat more rainfall than the other desert areas (about 120 mm annually in the north) so the region is dotted with numerous wells and oases (MWRI, 2005). Summer temperatures are high, reaching 38°C to 43°C with extremes of 49°C in the southern and western deserts. The northern areas on the Mediterranean coast are cooler, with 32°C as a maximum.

 

Egypt Delegate

Dr. Mahmoud Mohamed Ali Abdelhakim
Chief Researcher, CVO and Chairman
General Organization for Veterinary Services (GOVS)
Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation
1st Nadi Elsaid st, Dokki, Giza
12618 Cairo
EGYPT