I.              BASIC FACTS

Official Name

:

Arab Republic of Egypt

Capital

:

Cairo (Population: Approx. 17 million)

Area

:

1.001 million sq km

Population

:

79 million approx.

Literacy Rate

:

74.25% (of total adult) (in June 2006)

Time

:

Three-and-a-half hours behind IST

Main Cities

:

Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Port Said, Suez, Luxor, Aswan, Asyut, Ismailia

Religion

:

Islam (Almost 89% Egyptians are Sunni Muslim; 1% Shia

Muslim and about 10% Coptic Christian minority)

Neighbours

:

North: Israel and Palestine [Gaza Strip]; South: Sudan;

West: Libya; East: Red Sea.

Language

:

Arabic is the official language. English and French are widely

spoken among the educated.

Currency

:

Egyptian Pound (1 LE =100 Piasters); 1 US$ = LE 5.94 [July 2011]

Political System

:

Presidential form of government.

Parliament

:

Bicameral

People's Assembly (Majlis Al-Sha’ab)

[504 elected members, 10 nominated by President]

Majlis Al-Shura (Consultative Council)

[260 elected members, 130 nominated by President]

Both the Houses were dissolved on 13 February 2011; elections are expected to be held by November 2011.

Administration

:

27 Governorates each with a Governor appointed by the President.

Head of State

:

President handed power to Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) on 11 February 2011.

SCAF Chairman Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi represents Egypt both inside and outside the country.  

Prime Minister

:

Dr Essam Sharaf (Since 3 March 2011)

Foreign Minister

:

Mohamed Kamel Amr (Since 21 July 2011)

Indian Community

:

Approx. 3500, mostly professionals and businessmen; a few students in Al-Azhar University)

GDP (at current prices)

:

US$ 208 bn (2009-10)

GDP (at constant prices)

:

US$ 152 bn (2009-10)

Real GDP growth rate

:

5 % (FY 2009-10)

Per Capita Income

:

US $ 2016/-

Average Inflation rate

:

10.66% (as in June 2010)

Unemployment

:

9.12 % (1^st Quarter 2010)

Exports

:

US$ 25.17 bn (FY 2008-09); US$ 25.38 bn (FY 2009-10)

Imports

:

US$ 50.34 bn (FY 2008-09); US$ 46.17 bn (FY 2009-10)

Trade Balance

:

US$ – 25.17 bn (FY 2008-09); US$ – 20.79 bn (FY 2009-10)

Suez Canal revenues

:

US$ 4.72 bn (FY 2008-09); US$ 4.54 bn (FY 2009-10)

Tourism revenues

:

US$ 8.7 bn (2009- 2010)

Number of tourists Arrivals

:

15 mn (2009-2010)

Remittances   

:

US$ 7.6 bn (FY 2008-09); US$ 9.75 bn (FY 2009-10)

Principal exports

:

Liquefied natural gas, petroleum products;                 Urea, iron or non-alloy steel products, wood tar, copper items, insulated electrical wires, cotton, wooden  furniture, polyethylene and marble.

Principal imports

:

Wheat, light oil & preparations, petroleum, semi    finished products of iron or non-alloy steel, other ferrous waste & scrap, unwrought forms of gold, refined copper cathodes, corn, articles of iron & steel.

Main trading partners

:

USA, China, Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India.

Financial

Total Exports

% Change

Total Imports

% Change

Total

% Change

Year

to Egypt

from Egypt

Trade

Year

2002-03

262

-

466

-

728

2003 - 04

155

-41%

453

-3%

608

-16%

2004 - 05

246

+59%

438

-3%

684

+13%

2005 - 06

364

+48%

930

+112%

1,294

+89%

2006 - 07

427

+18%

1,534

+ 65%

1,961

+52%

2007 - 08

1,209

+183%

2,171

+41%

3,380

+72%

2008 - 09

1,293

+7%

1,170

-46%

2,463

-27%

2009 - 10

1459

+13%

1434

+23%

2893

+17%

July 2010 -Feb’ 2011

975

-

787

-

1762

-

Financial Year

US$ Million

2002 - 03

  349

2003 - 04

  357

2004 - 05

  343

2005 - 06

  870

2006 - 07

                       1,457

2007 - 08

                       2,014

2008 - 09

                         999

2009 -10

 945

July 2010-Feb’ 2011

577

Major Indian Exports

:

Diesel, Cuts of Boneless Bovine Frozen Meat, Cotton Yarn, Other synthetic filament yarn (other than sewing thread),   Chemical vapour deposition apparatus for semiconductor production 

Major Indian Imports

:

Crude Petroleum, Coke and Semi-Coke of Coal, Cotton,    LNG, Anhydrous Ammonia.