ears of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,468,678 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,337,944
(2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 132,978
(2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $720 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (FY98)

Transnational Issues Ecuador

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: significant transit country for cocaine originating in
Colombia and Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production
of illicit narcotics; important money-laundering hub; increased activity
on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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Egypt

Introduction

Egypt

Background: Nominally independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired
full sovereignty following World War II. The completion of the Aswan High
Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored
place of the Nile river in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A
rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable
land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and
stress society. The government has struggled to ready the economy for
the new millennium through economic reform and massive investment in
communications and physical infrastructure.

Geography Egypt

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Libya and the Gaza Strip

Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 1,001,450 sq km land: 995,450 sq km water: 6,000 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

Land boundaries: total: 2,665 km border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km,
Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km

Coastline: 2,450 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive
economic zone: 200 NM

Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m highest
point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
manganes