Transcript Chapter 17 Section 1 Egypt

CHAPTER 17
SECTION 1
EGYPT
EGYPT
Nicknamed “Gift of the
Nile”
Very little rainfall.
Almost all desert.
Size of Texas and N.M.

A) The Land
3 major land areas in Egypt.
 1) Nile River Valley
 2) Sinai Peninsula
 3) Desert Areas
 Most of Egypt has a desert climate
where it is very hot in the summer
and mild in the winter.

Nile River
1) Nile River Valley
Nile river supplies 85% of the
countries water supply.
 Nile river is the world’s longest
river (4,160 miles long)

2) Sinai Peninsula
It is in SW Asia.
 Human made waterway called the
Suez Canal separates Sinai
peninsula from rest of Egypt.
 Egyptians and Europeans built this
canal in 1860’s.
 Used for ships to pass between Red
& Mediterranean Seas.

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
3) Deserts
Libyan desert covers 2/3 of Egypt’
land areas.
 Oases are found in deserts.
 Libyan & Arabian deserts are part of
the Sahara Desert.
 Sahara desert is the size of the U.S.
 Sahara is an Arabic word meaning
desert.

SAHARA DESERT
B) The Economy
Developing economy.
GDP: 537.8 billion (#27)
Agriculture, Services, and
Industry are Egypt’s main
economic activities.
1) Agriculture
2% of Egypt’s land is used for
farming.
 Best farmland is in the Nile River
Valley.
 Farmer’s grow cotton, grains,
vegetables, sugarcane, dates and
fruit.
 Cotton is the leading agricultural
export.

2) Aswan High Dam
In 1968 this dam was built to stop the
floods in the Nile River Valley.
 Advantage: Farmers used to be only to
plant crops once a year before the dam
was built.
 Advantage: After dam was built, farmers
can plant crops 2-3 times a year.
 Disadvantage: The dam stops rich silt that
fertilizes farms; so farmers must rely on
expensive fertilizers.

Aswan High Dam
3) Industry
Aswan high dam provides
hydroelectric power.
 Largest industrial cities are Cairo
(capital city) and the seaport of
Alexandria.
 Produce food products, textiles, and
consumer goods.
 Oil ranks as the most important
natural resource.

C) The People
Population: 84 million (#15)
 Ethnic group: Egyptian 99%
 Language: Arabic (official)
 Religion: Islam (90%) *Mostly Sunni
 Life Expectancy: 73 years (#122)
 Literacy Rate: 72% (Boys are 17%
higher than girls)

The People: Continued
Most people live within 20 miles of
the Nile river.
 99% of the people live on 3.5% of
the land.
 The Nile river valley is one of the
most densely populated areas in
the world.

1) Rural Life
Rural means that you live in the
country.
 43% of people live in rural areas.
 Egyptian farmers are called Fellahin.
 Fellahins (farmers) raise enough crops
to support their family.
 Fellahins raise enough crops to
support their family.

2)City Life
Cairo is a huge and rapidly growing
city.
 Leading center of Muslim world.
 Very high birth rate.
 People moving to Cairo for work.
 Students attend split sessions.

Cairo
3) Influences of the Past
Egyptians use hieroglyphics.
 Egyptians created a calendar to
keep track of dates for farming.
 Egyptians are excellent at building
Monuments such as the Great
Sphinx and pyramids.

4) Government
Became a republic in 1953.
 Very important president was Gamal
Abdel Nasser (1954-1970)
 Under Nasser, Egypt became the most
powerful country in Arab world.
 Lots of protests
 New Constitution passed in 12/22/12.
 They have a president and a prime
minister. (Both elected summer 2012)

Current Events: Updated: March 21, 2011

Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world,
erupted in mass protests in January 2011, as the revolution
in Tunisia inflamed decades worth of smoldering grievances
against the heavy-handed rule of President Hosni Mubarak.
After 18 days of angry protests and after losing of the
support of the military and the United States, Mr. Mubarak
resigned on Feb. 11, ending 30 years of autocratic rule.
The military stepped forward and took power. It quickly
suspended unpopular provisions of the constitution, even
while cracking down on continuing demonstrations. On
March 20, a set of constitutional amendments that pave the
way for elections was overwhelmingly approved in a
referendum that drew record numbers of voters.