3 Nations on the Road to Modernization Today’s Nation: Egypt

Egypt - The Basics  Slightly more than 3x size of N. Mexico  77 million people – –Most populous nation in the “MidEast” –2 nd most populous in Africa  Currency – Egyptian Pound (EGP)  Internet country code –.eg

History  Egyptian history dates back to about the 4 th century  Conquered by the Arabs in the 7 th c.  Was part of the Ottoman empire from about 1500 to about 1800  British controlled from 1882 to 1922  Monarchy until military/socialist revolution brings Nasser to power in 1954  “Revolution” brings change in

The Land  99% of the population lives on about 4% of the land –Near the Nile Valley –About 40% are still farmers  Egypt controls both the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal –Vital crossing points for travelers/traders

The People  Sunni Muslim (95%) –Some Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians  Ethnicity –Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers) 99%  Primarily speak Arabic language

Cairo  Capital of Egypt –Considered the home of the Great Pyramids of Giza  Population: over 16 million –About 12% of Egypt’s population

Cairo

Egypt Since Independence (1952)  Controlled by 3 leaders –Gamal Abdel Nasser –Anwar Sadat –Hosni Mubarak –**The military, and the first democratically elected president for a short time  Each made a contribution to Egypt’s post- independence history…

Abdel Nasser (1954 – 1970)  President of Egypt after independence –Increased power of government by seizing industries –Took control of the Suez Canal back from Britain –Built the Aswan High Dam with funds from US and USSR Benefits (irrigation, control Nile, hydroelectric power Costs (fertile soil no longer carried by Nile, reduced river life and coastal erosion)  Goal was to expand agricultural output and end foreign dependence

Anwar Sadat (1970 – 1981) –Nasser had trouble convincing foreign nations to invest in Egypt They were suspicious of his socialist policies, and feared they would lose money  Anwar Sadat was his successor **First to make peace with Israel –Had an “open-door” economic policy Welcomed foreign investment –Assassinated in 1981 by Muslim extremists who opposed his ties with west and peace with Israel

Hosni Mubarak ( )  Egypt’s next president –Attempted to balance the needs of large population with need to pay off foreign debt  Cut social programs; Islamist groups (Muslim Brotherhood) begin to help the poor; win support –Some Muslim extremists used terrorism to fight Mubarak’s regime  Foreign policy- supports peace with Israel but remains close with Arab neighbors –Receives a great deal of aid from US during this time –Tough balancing act, since many of his people do not like the US influence in Egyptian affairs

Modern Politics and Challenges

The Lotus Revolution 2011  A series of events in 2011 that swept Mubarak out of power after 30 years, and brought in both democracy and military rule. –Lotus is known as the flower representing resurrection, life and the sun of ancient Egypt. The country has been somewhat unstable since then, with elected leaders being overthrown/replaced, and military rule attempting to bring peace and order to the country

The Lotus Revolution (part of the “Arab Spring”)  evolution-in-cairo/ evolution-in-cairo/

The Lotus Revolution (part of the “Arab Spring”)  oreign-affairs-defense/egypt-in- crisis/timeline-whats-happened-since- egypts-revolution/ oreign-affairs-defense/egypt-in- crisis/timeline-whats-happened-since- egypts-revolution/