|
The Arab Republic of Egypt is probably one of the oldest tourist locations
in the world; its marvels attracted the early Greeks, Romans, emperors and
monarchs. These days however, Egypt has far more to offer than the Pyramids,
Sphinx and other monuments. It remains true culture country but in addition
to its visual beauty, Egypt has luxury hotels and restaurants, sparkling
nightlife, Nile cruises and superb scuba diving in the Red Sea. The last
remaining Wonder of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Giza, built over
4,000 years ago, still holds many mysteries.
With an area of around 1 million square kilometres, Egypt is the world’s
30th largest country, over 4 times the size of the United Kingdom. Its
capital is Cairo, with a population of around 7 million the largest city in
the Arab world. The population of modern-day Egypt has grown considerably.
In 1800 there were only 2.5 million inhabitants; by 2010 this number had
risen to over 80 million. The country has to import vast amounts of food in
order to feed its population. The area devoted to agriculture is only around
3% of the total area of the country and is limited to the Nile Valley and
Nile Delta plus a few oases. Farming accounts for about 15% of the country’s
economy but much of the food produced is exported.
As much of the land is
arid with insufficient water for efficient artificial irrigation, this
import/export situation is unlikely to change. The construction of the Aswan
Dam has also had a lasting effect: the Nile now seldom breaks its banks and
the cultivation areas are no longer provided with the fertilizing Nile
sludge. This has caused a reduction in areas that can be cultivated, but at
least these areas can now be harvested more than once a year. Parts of the
Sahara Desert to the west of the Nile are also being turned into arable
land.
On 25 January 2011, a huge number of people began staging continuous mass
demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak's regime, aimed at removing
Mubarak from power. Mubarak, who had ruled with an iron fist for 30 years,
stepped down on 11 February 2011 and fled Cairo. On 13 February 2011, the
Egyptian military, which had taken control in the interim, announced that
both the constitution and Egyptian parliament were to be dissolved and a
general election held in September. This was subsequently postponed until
November 2011, with a presidential election expected to take place in March
or April 2012.
|
