What Eqypt has become!

Tourism ( who wouldnt want to see the pyramids?)
oil, natural gas, manufaturing

agriculture- making the most of their limited arable land (3%)

• cotton, corn, rice, wheat, fava beans

the old pattern of dealing with the Nile[ akhat ( inudation), peret ( land emerges from the flood), and shomu (water in short)] has been changed since the 1970s.

Lake Naser is a man made lake behind Eqypt's great dam. It use to be land and now it is covered by 50 feet of water.
Only 3% of their land is arable.
70 million people in Egypt- biggest population of Middle Eastern nations, third biggest African Country.
cairo; 6.7 million
NYC; 8.3 milliion
Official language; Arabic( English,French, and German are also taught to some)
Religion; around 90% Muslim, most of the rest are Christian ( Coptic), but there are major conflicts ( Egypt is 12th in religious violence, 5th worst for religious freedon). The Muslims usually beat down the christian.
Whatr is a population density map? -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0xtjEzCPkE Egyptian national anthem!
1922- end of protectorate with the United Kingdom
1953- Egypt declared a republic
1954- 1970- ruled by Gamal Nasser

• nationalizes the Suez Canal
• forms allegience with Soviet Union

1970- 1981- ruled by Anwar Sadat

• swithches allegience to the United States
• attacked Isreal over Sinai Peninsula, but later made peace
• Sadat assassinated in 1981

1981- 2011- ruled by Hosni Mubarak

• kept allience w/ Us ( helped in the Iraq War)
• accused of corruption, political persecution, human rights violations
• driven from office following mass demonstrations last month.

Egypt currently ruled by military junta, but democratic elections scheduled for September 2011.

Some want Mubarak arrested and tried for embezzling from the government. Our friend Sarah & other Egyptians say he may have stolen $50 billion- still huge amount.

Revolution is in the air ( to varying degrees) throughout the middle east and northern africa;

• Tunisia, YEmen, Algeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syri...
• ... and Libya

Libya has been ruled by Muammer Gaddafi since 1969

• he is violently opposing Libya's uprising
• Libya may descend into full civil war
• the east is controlled by rebels, but he still holds the capital (Tripoli)- so far