History

A mention of Egypt’s long history brings immediately to mind the iconic images of the Pyramids at Giza and the life and loot of pharaohs like the young Tutankhamen. Ancient Egypt possessed one of the earliest urban, literate societies in the world, and had a vital influence on the cultures of ancient Israel and Greece, which in turn helped shape modern Western civilisation. Egyptian history following the decline of the 20th Dynasty, in the 11th century BC, is marked by the rule of foreign powers— Persian, Roman, Arab, Ottoman, French and finally British (to name a few). Egypt’s progress towards political autonomy gathered steam following the First World War. It was given a major boost with the Free Officers’ Revolution of 1952, and finalised in the Suez War of 1956. Under Nasser, Egypt’s first president, Egypt underwent a programme of nationalisation and strove to become a pan-Arab state. Flirting with socialism, it entered the Soviet sphere of influence. After Nasser’s death in 1970, the Egyptian state was inherited by Anwar Sadat, who changed the national agenda and eventually normalised relations with Israel. He also directed the country’s economic efforts towards the global market.

Politics

The Egyptian government is effectively a one-party system, though this order has been showing cracks. President Hosni Mubarak assumed power following the assassination of Sadat by Islamic fundamentalists in 1981, and has ruled through his National Democratic Party (NDP) for six consecutive terms. Presidential elections are conducted by referendum, where the populace casts simple Yes/No ballots for the NDP candidate. The past few years have seen growing internal and external pressure on this authoritarian system, and a constitutional amendment has been tabled to permit multi-party presidential elections.

Religion

Religious practices and gestures are ubiquitous in Egyptian daily life—the populace is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim (almost 90%). At the core of Sunni belief in Egypt is Al Azhar University, one of the most important centres of theological teaching and doctrine in the Sunni world, and the oldest continuously operating university in the world. Egypt’s Christian history dates back to 40AD, with the arrival of St Mark, and the Coptic (Eastern Orthodox) population persists to this day, comprising the largest and most visible religious minority in Egypt (9 million). The Coptic population has always been at odds with the Muslim government and the nature of the relationship is reflected in various pieces of legislation limiting Coptic activity.

Economics

In the past decades, under President Mubarak’s stewardship, the Egyptian economy has crept slowly and sporadically toward fiscal reform. A heavily subsidised, nationalised and tariffed economic landscape has stymied direct foreign investment and limited GDP growth to less than 3%. Domestic and international monetary forces pressured officials to float the overvalued Egyptian pound in late 2003, resulting in a sharp devaluation. Egypt’s chief industries are cotton, sugar cane, tourism and natural gas. The Egyptian population is hobbled by widespread under- and unemployment and limited educational opportunities.

Population

Egypt’s ethnic composition is remarkably homogeneous. Eastern Hamitic peoples (Egyptians, Bedouins and Berbers) account for 99% of the population, with the remaining 1% being made up of a smattering of Greek, Nubian, Armenian and European (primarily Italian and French) peoples. Nubians, originally from Upper Egypt and Sudan, make up the largest non-Arab demographic. Egypt’s population is geographically concentrated—99% of the population lives in the Nile Valley and along the Suez Canal, which only makes up roughly 4% of the total landmass.