EGYPT

Hosni Mubarak
President

(pronounced "HAHS-nee moo-BAR-ak")

"Our goal is to create an equal society, not a society of privilege and class distinctions. Social justice is the first rule for peace and stability in society."

The Arab Republic of Egypt is located in North Africa but is commonly referred to as part of the Middle East. It is bounded at its northeastern tip by Israel, on the east by the Red Sea, on the south by Sudan, on the west by Libya, and on the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Even though the total area of Egypt is 1,002,000 sq km (386,900 sq mi), the cultivated and settled areas of the Nile Valley, delta, and oases, cover only about 35,580 sq km (13,740 sq mi). About 90% of the country is desert, and rainfall averages only 20.3 cm (8 in) per year.

The population of Egypt was estimated in 2002 at 70.7 million and is growing at a rate of almost 2% annually. The official language is Arabic, although French and English are widely spoken. Islam is the primary religion (and the religion of the state) and is considered to be the faith of about 90% of the population. Approximately 7% of the Egyptian people are Coptic Christians, the remainder being Roman Catholics, Protestants, or Greek Orthodox, with a small number of Jews.

The Egyptian unit of currency is the pound . Egypt's major exports are crude and refined petroleum, as well as cotton. The per capita gross domestic product (GDP) has been estimated at US $3,700 and is estimated to be growing at a rate of 2.5% annually.