The Arab Republic of Egypt is located in the North-Eastern and South-Western corners of Africa and Asia respectively. It is bounded to the North by the Mediterranean Sea, from the East by Palestine and Israel, from the South by Sudan, and from the West by Libya.
Egypt’s borders run about 1,085 km from North to South and about 1,255 km from east to west encompassing an almost square-shaped total area of about 1 million square kilometres. The average altitude is 50 ft below sea level; the highest point being Mount St. Catherine at a high of 8,668 ft and the lowest the Qattara Depression at 436 ft below sea level. The Nile Delta is the only delta in Egypt and is 100 miles long, 155 miles wide and triangular in shape. There are five major oases in Egypt: Farafra, Bahria, Dakhla, Khargah and Siwa oases.
Egypt is divided into four major zones:
The Nile Valley and Delta extends from north of the valley to the Mediterranean Sea and is divided into Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt: extending from Wadi Halfa to the south of Cairo and from North Cairo to the Mediterranean Sea. The River Nile in the North is divided into two branches, Dumiat (Damietta) and Rashid (Rosetta) which embrace the highly fertile agricultural lands of the Delta. The River Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching for around 4,187 miles. Egyptians depend primarily on the Nile as a source for water to drink and to irrigate their crops.
The Western Desert Extends from the Nile Valley in the East to the Libyan borders in the west, and from the Mediterranean in the north to Egypt's Southern borders. It is divided into: The Northern section, which includes the coastal plane, the northern plateau and the Great Depression, Natroun Valley and Baharia Oasis; and the Southern section, which includes Farafra, Kharga, Dakhla, and El-Owainat in the far south.
The Eastern Desert extends from the Nile Valley in the West to the Red Sea, Gulf of Suez, and Suez Canal in the East, and from Lake Manzala on the Mediterranean in the North to Egypt's border with Sudan in the south. The Eastern Desert is marked with the Eastern Mountains that extend along the Red Sea with peaks that rise to about 3000 feet above sea level. This desert is rich with Egyptian natural resources; which include various ores such as gold, coal, and oil.
The Sinai Peninsula is almost triangular in shape, with its base at the Mediterranean to the North and its tip southward at Ras Mohammed, the Gulf of Aqaba lies to the East and the Gulf of Suez and Suez Canal to the West.
The Nile Valley and the Delta occupy about 33,000 square kilometres, which account to less than 4% of the total area. The Western Desert occupies an area of about 671,000 square kilometers, the Eastern Desert occupies about a quarter of the total area of Egypt at 225,000 square kilometers, and The Sinai Peninsula occupies about 61,000 square kilometres. On January 1, 2006, Egypt's total population was estimated at approximately 73,671,661 (2006 Census), as recent reports of the CAPMAS stated that the population reached 73,671,661 including the number of Egyptian citizens abroad (January 2006 est.).
Administratively, Egypt is divided into 26 Governorates, each headed by a Governor who is appointed by the President. Within their districts, local government units establish and manage all public utilities, provide services, and designate industrial areas. Local popular councils are elected bodies that work closely with local government administrative units at various levels. Economic Profile Egypt’s economy mainly relies on four sources of income: tourism, remittances from Egyptians working abroad, revenues from the Suez Canal and oil.
Judicial authority is exercised through four categories of courts: the Supreme Constitutional Court, which is the highest judicial body, the Court of Cassation, the seven Courts of Appeal in the various Governorates, and the Summary Tribunals in the districts. The political structure is based on a multi-party system. There are currently 14 active political parties representing various stands across the political spectrum. The National Democratic Party currently holds the majority of seats in the People's Assembly.
The UNDP Human Development Index (2006) ranks Egypt 111 out of 177 countries. Egypt's growing population which, according some estimates, may exceed 100 million people by 2020 continues to place a burden on limited resources. Although Egypt is doing well in improving certain social and economic indicators and a recent report concluded that the country is potentially on track to meet the Millenium Development Goals, progress still needs to be made in many other areas.
The national authorities are determined to combat poverty which according to different sources of information remains high. Recent estimates from the World Bank show that 23% of the population live below the national poverty line with more than 12% of children under the age of 5 suffering from malnutrition.
However, reaching the ultra poor has proved difficult. Improved targeting of assistance is required to reach the most vulnerable groups in Egyptian society, such as women in rural areas. Many poor women do not have ID cards, which makes it difficult for them to access services. Although women are granted full constitutional rights on an equal basis with men, they still have difficulties in participating in the economic life, accessing education and health services, while their active participation in politics is severely limited.
The National Council for Human Rights was established in June 2003 to preserve human rights, raise people's awareness on human rights norms and guarantee the practice of human rights in Egypt.
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