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
:
Summer: Two-and-a-half hours behind IST
Winter: 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 5.68 [July ‘10]
Political System
:
Presidential form of government.
Parliament
:
Bicameral
People's Assembly (Majlis
Al-Sha’ab)
[Current
Assembly has 444 elected members and 10 additional members nominated by the
President. In the next Assembly to be elected in November 2010, 64 seats
(reserved for women) will be added, thereby taking the total number of elected
members to 504.]
Majlis
Al-Shura
(Consultative Council) [176 elected members, 88
nominated by President]
Administration
:
29 Governorates each with a Governor appointed by the President.
Head of State
:
Mohamed Hosni Mubarak (Since Oct. 1981) (In September 2005
President Mubarak was elected for a fifth consecutive six-year term)
Prime Minister
:
Ahmed Nazif (Since July 2004) (Reappointed in December 2005 for a fresh
term)
Foreign Minister
:
Ahmed Aboul Gheit (Since July 2004)
Indian Community
:
Approx. 3000, mostly professionals and businessmen; a few students in
Al-Azhar University)
Climate
:
Hot dry summers (Max. Temp about 40º C) and moderate winters (Min.
Day-time Temp about 15º C). Average annual rainfall is less than 50 mm except on
the coastal strip (100-200 mm).
II. ECONOMIC INDICATORS [FY:
1 July - 30 June]
GDP (at
current prices)
:
US $ 179.11 bn (FY 2008-09)
GDP (at
constant prices)
:
US $ 144.13 bn (FY 2008-09)
Real GDP growth rate
:
4.7
% (FY 2008-09); 5.01 % (FY 2009-10)
Per Capita Income
:
US $ 2016/- (Source: UN); US $ 1800 (Source: World Bank)
Average Inflation rate
:
10.66% (as in June 2010)
Unemployment
:
9.1 % (third quarter of FY 2009-10)
Exports
:
US$ 25.17 bn (FY 2008-09); US$
16.96
bn (July 2009- Mar'10)
Imports
:
US$ 50.34 bn (FY 2008-09); US$
35.5
bn (July 2009- Mar'10)
Trade Balance
:
US$ – 25.17 bn (FY 2008-09); US$ –
18.53
bn (July 2009- Mar'10)
Suez Canal revenues
:
US$ 4.72 bn (FY 2008-09); US$
3.36
bn (July 2009- Mar'10)
Tourism revenues
:
US$ 10.4 bn (FY 2008-09); US$
8.72
bn (July 2009- Mar'10)
Number of tourists Arrivals
:
12.53
mn
(2009)
Remittances
:
US$ 7.6 bn (FY 2008-09); US$ 6.27
bn (July 2009- Mar'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.
III. INDIA-EGYPT BILATERAL TRADE
(million US$)
|
Financial
|
Total Exports
|
%
Change
|
Total Imports
|
%
change
|
Total
|
% %
change
|
|
Year
|
to
Egypt
|
|
from
Egypt
|
|
Trade
|
|
|
2002 - 03
|
261.59
|
|
466.03
|
|
727.62
|
|
|
2003 - 04
|
155.11
|
-41%
|
453.19
|
-3%
|
608.30
|
-16%
|
|
2004 - 05
|
246.40
|
+59%
|
438.32
|
-3%
|
684.72
|
+13%
|
|
2005 - 06
|
363.57
|
+48%
|
930.04
|
+ 112%
|
1,293.61
|
+89%
|
|
2006 - 07
|
427.43
|
+18%
|
1,534.28
|
+ 65%
|
1,961.71
|
+52%
|
|
2007 - 08
|
1,209.22
|
+183%
|
2,171.38
|
+ 41.5%
|
3,380.60
|
+72%
|
|
2008 – 09
|
1,293.43
|
+6.9%
|
1,169.80
|
-46.15%
|
2,463.23
|
-27.13%
|
|
July'09- Mar’10
|
1,112.39
|
|
1,045.62
|
|
2,158.01
|
|
India’s
Import of
Petroleum Products from Egypt:
|
Financial Year
|
US $ million
|
|
2002 - 03
|
348.65
|
|
2003 - 04
|
357.45
|
|
2004 - 05
|
343.28
|
|
2005 - 06
|
870.14
|
|
2006 - 07
|
1,456.60
|
|
2007 - 08
|
2,014.21
|
|
2008 - 09
|
999.52
|
|
July’ 09-Mar’10
|
863.51
|
Major Indian Exports
:
Frozen meat, single cotton yarn, Light oils & preparations, Durum wheat,
Black Tea (fermented), Other yarn, Other articles of
Iron or Steel, Seeds of Cumin.
Major Indian Imports
:
Petroleum (crude), Light oils, Natural Gas, Coke and Semi-coke of Coal or
of Peat, Mineral, fertilizers of Urea, Calcium phosphates, non-alloy steel,
Cotton(not carded or combed)
July, 2010