Egypt - EG - EGY - EGY - Africa
Egypt Images
Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1979, is located on the west bank of the Nile. The Valley, containing 65 tombs, was used for burials from approximately 1539 B.C. to 1075 B.C. On 4 November 1922, one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world occurred when British archaeologist Harold Carter discovered the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. This was the first Egyptian royal tomb found still largely intact. Over 5,000 items such as chariots, gold jewelry, and a gold throne were found providing valuable information on the religion, rituals, and culture of the ancient Egyptians.
A remarkably detailed satellite image of Egypt vividly displays the winding Nile River and its distinctive delta. The Sinai peninsula and Red Sea are on the right. Photo courtesy of NASA.
One of the fascinating aspects of viewing Earth at night is how well the lights show the distribution of people. In this view of Egypt, we see a population almost completely concentrated along the Nile Valley, just a small percentage of the country's land area. The Nile River and its delta look like a brilliant, long-stemmed flower in this astronaut photograph of the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. The Cairo metropolitan area forms a particularly bright base of the flower. The smaller cities and towns within the Nile Delta tend to be hard to see amidst the dense agricultural vegetation during the day. However, these settled areas and the connecting roads between them become clearly visible at night. Likewise, infrastructure and urbanized regions along the Nile River also become apparent. Another brightly lit region is visible along the eastern coastline of the Mediterranean, the Tel-Aviv metropolitan area in Israel (image right). To the east of Tel-Aviv lies Amman, Jordan. The two major water bodies that define the western and eastern coastlines of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba, are outlined by lights along their coastlines (image lower right). The city lights of Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca, and Nicosia are visible on the island of Cyprus (image top). Scattered blue-grey clouds cover the Mediterranean Sea and the Sinai, while much of northeastern Africa is cloud-free. The thin yellow-brown band tracing the Earth's curvature at image top is airglow, a faint band of light emission that results from the interaction of atmospheric atoms and molecules with solar radiation at approximately 100 km (60 mi) altitude. Photo courtesy of NASA.
The Nile Delta of Egypt, irrigated by the Nile River and its many distributaries, is some of the richest farm land in the world and home to over half of Egypt's population. The capital city of Cairo lies at the apex of the delta in the middle of the scene. Across the river from Cairo one can see the three large pyramids and sphinx at Giza. The Suez Canal is just to the right of the delta; the Mediterranean Sea is at the top of the view. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
The Nile Delta of Egypt, irrigated by the Nile River and its many distributaries, is some of the richest farm land in the world and home to over half of Egypt's population. The capital city of Cairo lies at the apex of the delta in the lower left. To the west of the river and near the delta apex one can see the three large pyramids and sphinx at Giza. The Suez Canal is just to the right of the delta; the rear of the space shuttle appears in the lower portion of the view. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
The Nile River in Cairo at dusk.
A view of Cairo from the Nile with the Cairo Tower, a free standing TV tower on Gezira Island, in the foreground.
The Sultan Hassan and Ar-Rifai Mosques as seen from the Citadel with Cairo in the background. The Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrasah (religious school) is a masterpiece of Mamluk architecture that was begun in 1356 and completed in 1363. It contains the burial chamber of the Sultan's two sons and is featured on the Egyptian hundred-pound note. The Ar-Rifai Mosque was built between 1869 and 1912. It houses the tomb of King Farouk, Egypt's last reigning monarch, and other members of the Egyptian royal family, as well as the tomb of the last shah of Iran.
Cruising through Cairo on the Nile. The 187 m high Cairo Tower (concrete TV tower) on the far right is 48 m higher than the Great Pyramid at Giza.
The Muhammad Ali Mosque (The Alabaster Mosque) was commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha, considered the founder of modern Egypt, in memory of his eldest son Tusun Pasha who died in 1816. Located in the Citadel of Cairo, the mosque is one of the biggest Ottoman-style mosques built in the first half of the 19th century and is the most visible mosque in Cairo. Muhammad Ali Pasha died 2 August 1849 and was buried in the mosque’s courtyard.
Built in the style of the Ottomans, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali was erected by its eponymous benefactor between 1830 and 1848 in memory of Tusun Pasha, Muhammad's eldest son who died in 1816. The mosque is located in the Citadel of Cairo; Muhammad Ali is buried in the mosque's courtyard.
Octagonal ablution fountain in the courtyard of the Muhammad Ali Mosque in Cairo.
Sailboats on the Nile in Cairo.
A felucca, an Egyptian sailboat, on an evening cruise on the Nile.
The upper portion of an obelisk on view on the grounds of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Entrance to funerary complex of Pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara.
Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara built by the architect Imhotep in the 3rd Dynasty (2649-2575 B.C.). It was the first stone pyramid in the world and was made up of a series of six buildings or mastabas (benches) placed on top of each other.
Ruins of the Pyramid of Unis at Saqqara. Much of the stone outer covering was taken to be used in other constructions.
The Great Pyramid of Giza, built for the Pharaoh Khufu, is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that survives. Constructed of an estimated 23 million limestone blocks, it took some 20 years to build and it was completed in about 2540 B.C. Some of the white casing stones that covered the completed pyramid can still be seen at its base. Thousands of skilled laborers participated in the pyramid's construction; they lived and died near the building site.
The Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khafre at Giza. Unlike the pyramids, the Sphinx was not assembled piece by piece, but was carved from a single mass of limestone.
This photo shows a number of the ruins at Giza. To the left is the Valley Temple with a causeway stretching to the Pyramid of Khafre. The Great Sphinx lies before the Pyramid and the remains of the Temple of the Sphinx lie in front of the sphinx itself.
The Pyramids of Khufu (left) and Khafre on the Giza Plateau outside of Cairo. The former, also known as the Great Pyramid, is the largest of the pyramids and is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still extant.
A view of a corner of the Khafre pyramid reveals its stair-step construction. The Great Pyramid of Khufu appears in the distance.
Temple ruins before the Pyramid of Khafre.
The Pyramid of Khafre retains a bit of the original outer limestone covering at its peak.
The Pyramid of Khafre is the second largest pyramid of Giza. Smooth casing stones still cover most of the upper portion of the pyramid.
Pyramid of Menkaure at Giza.
The Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three kings' pyramids on the Giza Plateau. The city of Cairo appears in the background.
The Pyramid of Menkaure at Giza is flanked by the smaller pyramids of his wives.
The Great Sphinx, a reclining lion with a human head, is the oldest known monumental sculpture in the world. It is believed to have been carved about 2500 B.C. and most probably depicts the Pharaoh Khafre. The nose of the sphinx has eroded over time.
The immensity of the Sphinx becomes apparent when it is compared to a camel party riding along one of its paws.
The pyramids at Dashur, about 40 km (25 mi) south of Cairo. The gray-brown built-up area of the village of Dashur in the upper right is surrounded by the green agricultural land of the Nile Delta, which forms a distinct boundary with the tan desert to the west. It is in the desert that the monuments of the ancient rulers of Egypt are found. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
The Port of Suez - here viewed from the International Space Station - is located in Egypt along the northern coastline of the Gulf of Suez. The port and city are the southern terminus of the Suez Canal that transits through Egypt and debouches into the Mediterranean Sea near Port Said. The port serves vessels transporting general cargo, oil tankers, and both commercial and private passenger vessels. Several large vessels are visible in the Gulf of Suez and berthed at various docks around the port. Photo courtesy of NASA.
This oblique image captures a northbound convoy of cargo ships entering the Mediterranean Sea from the Suez Canal (leftmost canal branch at image center). The Canal connects Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea with the port of Suez on the Red Sea, and provides an essentially direct route for transport of goods between Europe and Asia. The Canal is 163 km (101 mi) long and 300 m (984 ft) wide at its narrowest point - sufficiently wide for ships as large as aircraft carriers to traverse it. Transit time from end to end averages 14 hours. Image courtesy of NASA.
A thick snake of tan dust slithers across Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea, and Egypt in this dramatic true-color image from 13 May 2005. The dust is so thick that it is completely opaque for well over 1,100 km (700 mi) across its south-moving front, from the border of Iraq, across the Arabian Desert of Saudi Arabia, and eastern Egypt and the green ribbon of the Nile. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
A view of the Sinai Peninsula and the Dead Sea rift area. The left side of the view is dominated by the great triangle of the Sinai peninsula, which is partly obscured by clouds. The Gulf of Aqaba is the finger of the Red Sea (bottom center) pointing north to the Dead Sea, the small body of water near the center of the view. The gulf and the Dead Sea are northerly extensions of the same geological rift that resulted in the opening of the Red Sea. The Gulf of Suez appears in the lower left corner. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
A panoramic view of the entire Sinai Peninsula and the nearby Nile River Delta and eastern Mediterranean coastal region. The Suez Canal, at the top of the scene just to the right of the Delta, connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez. The water body to the right of the peninsula is the Gulf of Aqaba. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
Looking toward Mount Sinai across the barren Sinai Peninsula, the land bridge between Asia and Africa. The peninsula is the only part of Egypt not in Africa; it separates the Mediterranean Sea to the north from the Red Sea to the south.
The Sinai Monastery of St. Catherine's located on the reputed site of the burning bush seen by Moses in the Old Testament.
![Birth House at the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. A birth house or "mammisi" was associated with the nativity of a god. The birth house at Dendera was constructed mainly by the Roman emperor Trajan, who ruled from A.D. 98 to 117.](https://dev.me/media/factbook/eg/EG_078_large.jpg "Birth House at the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. A birth house or "mammisi" was associated with the nativity of a god. The birth house at Dendera was constructed mainly by the Roman emperor Trajan, who ruled from A.D. 98 to 117.")
Birth House at the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. A birth house or "mammisi" was associated with the nativity of a god. The birth house at Dendera was constructed mainly by the Roman emperor Trajan, who ruled from A.D. 98 to 117.
Portal of the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. The temple was built between the 4th and 1st centuries B.C.
Remains of storerooms and housing at the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. Temples were constructed of stone. Living quarters, including palaces, were built of mud brick.
A streetside clothes market in Luxor with a minaret in the background.
The awesome ruins of Karnak Temple in Luxor.
Some of the beautifully decorated columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall, part of the Karnak temple complex at Thebes. The Karnak religious site was the largest in the ancient world - it is sometimes referred to as the Vatican of Egypt - and was composed of four precincts - the one to Amun-Re is the only one open to the public.
The lintels of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak also display hieroglyphs.
Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor.
Some of the 134 columns in 16 rows that previously supported the roof of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak.
Avenue of ram-headed sphinxes leading into the Temple of Karnak complex at Luxor.
Rear of the First Pylon in the Temple of Karnak showing the remains of the mud-brick rampart used to construct the pylon.
The remains of an obelisk not erected because of cracking. The obelisks of Hatshepsut and Thutmose I appear in the background at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor.
Obelisk of Hatshepsut at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor.
Approaching the pylon (gateway) of Luxor temple along the Avenue of Sphinxes, a 2.5-km (1.5-mi) long causeway linking the Karnak temple complex with Luxor temple.
Avenue of the Sphinxes at the Temple of Luxor leading north to the Temple of Karnak. The avenue is being excavated.
Statues of Ramses II at the Temple of Luxor.
Reliefs on the walls at the Temple of Luxor.
The Syrian Gates - entrance to the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.
Pylons of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu. The reliefs describe the pharaoh's military campaigns.
Left pylon of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu showing the pharaoh's military victories.
The pharaoh's toilet at the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.
Walls of the inner court of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.
Reliefs in the inner court of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu still display some of their original colors - after more than 3,000 years!
Statues in the hypostyle hall of the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.
![One of a pair of 30-meter (50-ft) statues of Amenhotep III that once stood before the pharaoh's mortuary temple in the Theban Necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor. The rest of the temple was dismantled, and the materials used for other construction projects. The statues were called the "Colossi of Memnom" by Egypt's late Ptolemaic (Greek) rulers who associated them with the myth of Memnon.](https://dev.me/media/factbook/eg/EG_081_large.jpg "One of a pair of 30-meter (50-ft) statues of Amenhotep III that once stood before the pharaoh's mortuary temple in the Theban Necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor. The rest of the temple was dismantled, and the materials used for other construction projects. The statues were called the "Colossi of Memnom" by Egypt's late Ptolemaic (Greek) rulers who associated them with the myth of Memnon.")
One of a pair of 30-meter (50-ft) statues of Amenhotep III that once stood before the pharaoh's mortuary temple in the Theban Necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor. The rest of the temple was dismantled, and the materials used for other construction projects. The statues were called the "Colossi of Memnom" by Egypt's late Ptolemaic (Greek) rulers who associated them with the myth of Memnon.
The second of a pair of 30-meter (50-ft) statues of Amenhotep III in the Theban Necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor.
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir al-Bahri showing high cliffs in the background.
Djeser-Djeseru (the Holy of Holies) is Pharaoh Hatshepsut's mortuary temple in the temple complex of Deir el-Bahri near Luxor. Pharaohs of the 11th and 18th Dynasty's built their temples here. Hatshepsut's temple (the best preserved) was built into the cliff side on top of a series of colonnaded terraces in the classical Theban form; it includes a pylon, courts, a hypostyle hall, sun court, chapel, and sanctuary.
Stairway and ramp leading up to Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahri. Hatshepsut lived between 1508-1458 B.C. She was the eldest daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and married her half brother, Thutmose II. When he died, she became pharaoh. Her 22-year reign is known for bringing prosperity to her subjects.
Statues of Hatshepsut as the god Osiris before the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir al-Bahri.
Head of the goddess Hathor on one of the colonnades at Djeser-Djeseru, Pharaoh Hatshepsut's mortuary temple.
View along the Nile River at sunset south of Luxor. The land is green close to the river where is can be irrigated. Otherwise, it is desert.
Views along the Nile River at sunset south of Luxor.
Pylon at the temple complex of Edfu. The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, was built between 237 and 57 B.C.
The temple complex of Edfu is one of the best preserved temple sites in Egypt, having been buried in sand for centuries. It is the second largest temple complex in Egypt.
Pylons of the Temple of Horus at Edfu. The temple is mainly from the Ptolemaic period.
Left pylon of the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Right pylon of the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Reliefs showing the god Horus defeating his uncle Seth at the Temple of Horus at Edfu. The reliefs probably were damaged by early Christians to remove faces and hands.
Reliefs showing the god Horus defeating his uncle Seth at the Temple of Horus at Edfu. The reliefs probably were damaged by early Christians to remove faces and hands.
The reproduction of a barque used to transport the god Horus in religious processions around the town of Edfu and on boats north to Dendera to visit the god Hathor. The barque is in the inner sanctuary of the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Birthing house or mammisi at the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Typical cruise boats on the Nile River and on Lake Nasser. On the river, the traffic is so heavy that passengers disembark by walking through other boats. There are relatively few boats on Lake Nasser.
Houses along the Nile. Feluccas remain the most common form of transportation along the river.
View along the Nile River south of Edfu.
View along the Nile River south of Edfu.
View along the Nile River south of Edfu.
A felucca glides along the Nile River south of Edfu.
The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic Period. The southern part is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, and the northern part is dedicated to Haroeris as a manifestation of Horus the falcon god.
Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo. It was built between the 2nd century B.C. and the 1st century A.D. It is an unusual temple dedicated to two gods - to Haroeris as a manifestation of Horus represented as a falcon or a falcon-headed man and to Sobek depicted as a crocodile or as a crocodile-headed man. The temple has two of almost everything. The northern part is a temple of Haroeris. The southern part is a temple dedicated to Sobek.
Columns from the southern part of Kom Ombo showing the crocodile god Sobek. Parts of the temple have been reconstructed.
Inscriptions on a wall at Kom Ombo showing the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Horus.
A vivid sunset behind some of the ruins at Kom Ombo.
Relief at the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo showing gods. Almost all remains at the temple are from the Ptolemaic period.
Relief at the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo showing Haroeris being crowned by gods.
The Aswan High Dam (top of photo) is 4 km (2.5 mi) across and 111 m (364 ft) high. Completed in 1971, it was constructed to supply cheap hydroelectric power to both Egypt and Sudan by impounding, controlling, and regulating the flood waters of the Nile River in Lake Nasser, the world's second largest artificial lake. The lake extends over 800 km (500 mi) in length, covers an area of some 5,200 sq km (2,000 sq mi) and is as much as 107 m (350 ft) deep at the face of the dam. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
Aswan Dam (upper center of image) and Lake Nasser along the Nile River. The dam controls the flow of the Nile River forming Lake Nasser. The light-colored areas in the lake are where the sun is reflecting off the surface of the water. These areas are fairly calm and not disturbed by wind gusts, enabling the sun glint to show water current patterns on the surface. The Aswan runway is seen as a dark set of lines just west of the Aswan Dam. Click on photo for higher resolution. Image courtesy of NASA.
Intense sunglint turns the waters of Lake Nasser to silver. Image courtesy of NASA.
The old dam in Aswan was built by the British between 1898 and 1902 using blocks of granite. It can hold up to 5.35 billion cu m (7 billion cu yd) of water.
The Aswan High Dam was completed in 1971 with the assistance of the Soviet Union. The body of water behind it, Lake Nasser, can hold up to 210,000 billion cubic yards of water. The dam doubled Egypt's power generating capabilities.
The Soviet-Egyptian stylized lotus monument commemorating the construction of the dam.
Elephantine Island is in the middle of the Nile River in Aswan. The rocks on the island resemble the rumps of a herd of elephants.
The first pylon of the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in the Nile near Aswan.
The second pylon of the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in the Nile near Aswan. This is the entrance to the temple. The original Philae Island was flooded by the waters of Lake Nasser behind the Aswan High Dam. The island of Agilqiyya was reconfigured to have similar topography to the old island of Philae and is sometime referred to as the New Philae Island. The Temple of Isis was moved to the island to escape the rising waters of the lake.
The West Colonnade in the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in the Nile near Aswan. It was built during the Roman period.
The birthing house of mammisi at the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in the Nile near Aswan.
Typical cruise boat on the Nile River and on Lake Nasser.
Pylons of the Temple of Isis and the Nubian solar and fertility deity, Madulis, at Kalabshah. It is the largest free-standing Nubian temple. Construction began in A.D. 23 during the reign of the Roman Emperor Octavius Augustus. The temple was moved 48 km (30 mi) north when the High Dam was built.
Hypostyle hall at the Temple of Isis and the Nubian solar and fertility deity, Madulis, at Kalabshah.
One of eight sphinxes leading to the Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
One of eight sphinxes leading to the Temple of Amun (Ra-Harakhte) and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
Camels at the Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
Pylon of the Temple of Dakka at Wadi el Seboua dedicated to the ibis-headed Thoth, the god of wisdom. Moved to this location in the 1960s because of the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
Hypostyle hall of the Temple of Meharakka at Wadi el Seboua dedicated to the gods Isis (Hathor) and Serapis. It is the only temple to have a winding staircase.
Chapel at the Temple of Meharakka at Wadi el Seboua dedicated to the gods Isis (Hathor) and Serapis.
Inner wall at the Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
Statues of Ramses II in the Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua.
Pylons of Temple of Amun and Amun Ra at Wadi el Seboua (Arabic for Valley of the Lions). The temple was constructed in honor of Ramses II by Setau, the Nubian viceroy of Kush (Nubia).
The Temple of Amada is the oldest surviving temple in the Nubian region. It was originally built by Thutmosis III (1479 B.C. to 1425 B.C.) and later remodeled by his son Amenhotep II.
Camels at the Temple of Amada.
Temple of Ramses II at el Derr in Nubia. Carved into the rocks, the site was dedicated to the god Ra-Harakhte (Ra and Horus). The structure was moved to this location in the 1960s because of the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
Relief at the Temple of el Derr showing Ramses II and the god, Ra-Harakhte (Ra and Horus).
Presenting gifts to the god Horus wearing the double crown (white crown of Upper Egypt, red crown of Lower Egypt). The paint on this tomb wall remains vivid.
Tomb of the Penut, the viceroy of Kush (Nubia) dug into a hill. Moved to this location in the 1960s because of the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
Ruins of a Byzantine church at Kasr Ibrim in Lake Nasser. Kasr Ibrim originally was a major city perched on a cliff above the Nile River but the flooding of Lake Nasser transformed it into an island. Kasr Ibrim was the site of military fortifications from the times of the pharaohs.
Statues of the Pharaoh Ramses II at Abu Simbel, a twin temple to the Temple of Queen Nefertari in Nubia (southern Egypt) that was carved out of a mountainside in the 13th century B.C. The temple complex was meant to proclaim the might of Egypt to its southern neighbors and to reinforce the status of Egypt's religion in the region. Considered to be one of the most beautiful sites in Egypt, it is a popular tourist destination.
The temples at Abu Simbel were moved to higher ground in the 1960s to save them from the flooding caused by the completion of the Aswan Dam. The carvings on the Great Temple shown here (completed about 1265 B.C.) dwarf mere humans.
Right pylon of the Temple or Ramses II at Abu Simbel. The figures at the base of the colossi are the mother, wife and children of Ramses II. The figure above the entrance is the god, Ra-Harakhte (Ra and Horus).
A closer view of one of the statues of Ramses at Abu Simbel shows Nefertari, his wife, at his knee.
Left pylon of the Temple or Ramses II at Abu Simbel. It was decided not to place the fallen head in its original position during the reconstruction.
The Temple of Queen Nefertari at Abu Simbel. The temple was dedicated to the god, Hathor. The temple stands 100 m (328 ft) to the right of the Temple of Ramses II. It is fronted by six colossal 10-meter (33-foot) statues of Ramses II and Nefertari. It was unusual that the two statues of the queen were the same height as the four statues of the king. It also was unusual that a temple was dedicated to a queen.
The Temple of Queen Nefertari at Abu Simbel. The temple was moved to this location in the 1960s because of the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1979, is located on the west bank of the Nile. The Valley, containing 65 tombs, was used for burials from approximately 1539 B.C. to 1075 B.C. On 4 November 1922, one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world occurred when British archaeologist Harold Carter discovered the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. This was the first Egyptian royal tomb found still largely intact. Over 5,000 items such as chariots, gold jewelry, and a gold throne were found providing valuable information on the religion, rituals, and culture of the ancient Egyptians.
A remarkably detailed satellite image of Egypt vividly displays the winding Nile River and its distinctive delta. The Sinai peninsula and Red Sea are on the right. Photo courtesy of NASA.
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Special Notes
Egypt Factbook Data
Diplomatic representation from the US
embassy: 5 Tawfik Diab St., Garden City, Cairo
mailing address: 7700 Cairo Place, Washington DC 20512-7700
telephone: [20-2] 2797-3300
FAX: [20-2] 2797-3200
email address and website:
ConsularCairoACS@state.gov
https://eg.usembassy.gov/
consulate(s) general: Alexandria
Age structure
15-64 years: 60.27% (male 33,921,778/female 32,102,087)
65 years and over: 5.36% (2023 est.) (male 2,976,765/female 2,893,639)
For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page.
Geographic coordinates
Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Heliports
Natural hazards
Area - comparative
more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Military service age and obligation
note: conscripts are estimated to comprise over half of the military, as well as a considerable portion of the Central Security Force
Background
The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations in Egypt. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. Arab conquerors introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and ruled for the next six centuries. The Mamluks, a local military caste, took control around 1250 and continued to govern after the Ottoman Turks conquered Egypt in 1517.
Completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 elevated Egypt as an important world transportation hub. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but the country's nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Egypt gained partial independence from the UK in 1922 and full sovereignty in 1952. British forces evacuated the Suez Canal Zone in 1956. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have reaffirmed 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 meet the demands of Egypt's fast-growing population as it implements large-scale infrastructure projects, energy cooperation, and foreign direct investment appeals.
Inspired by the 2010 Tunisian revolution, Egyptian opposition groups led demonstrations and labor strikes countrywide, culminating in President Hosni MUBARAK's ouster in 2011. Egypt's military assumed national leadership until a new legislature was in place in early 2012; later that same year, Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed MORSI won the presidential election. Following protests throughout the spring of 2013 against MORSI's government and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian Armed Forces intervened and removed MORSI from power in July 2013 and replaced him with interim president Adly MANSOUR. Simultaneously, the government began enacting laws to limit freedoms of assembly and expression. In 2014, voters approved a new constitution by referendum and then elected former defense minister Abdel Fattah EL-SISI president. EL-SISI was reelected to a second four-year term in 2018 and a third term in December 2023.
Environment - current issues
Environment - international agreements
signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Population below poverty line
note: % of population with income below national poverty line
Household income or consumption by percentage share
highest 10%: 27.5% (2019 est.)
note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
Exports - commodities
Exports - partners
Administrative divisions
Agricultural products
Military and security forces
note 1: the Public Security Sector Police are responsible for law enforcement nationwide; the Central Security Force protects infrastructure and is responsible for crowd control; the National Security Agency is responsible for internal security threats and counterterrorism along with other security services
note 2: in addition to its external defense duties, the EAF also has a mandate to assist police in protecting vital infrastructure during a state of emergency; military personnel were granted full arrest authority in 2011 but normally only use this authority during states of emergency and “periods of significant turmoil”
Budget
expenditures: $100.318 billion (2020 est.)
Capital
geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Thursday in October
etymology: from the Arabic "al-Qahira," meaning "the victorious"
Imports - commodities
Climate
Coastline
Constitution
amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by one fifth of the House of Representatives members; a decision to accept the proposal requires majority vote by House members; passage of amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote by House members and passage by majority vote in a referendum; articles of reelection of the president and principles of freedom are not amendable unless the amendment "brings more guarantees;" amended 2019
Exchange rates
Exchange rates:
19.16 (2022 est.)
15.645 (2021 est.)
15.759 (2020 est.)
16.771 (2019 est.)
17.767 (2018 est.)
Executive branch
head of government: Prime Minister Mostafa MADBOULY (since 7 June 2018)
cabinet: Cabinet ministers nominated by the executive branch and approved by the House of Representatives
elections/appointments: president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for 3 consecutive terms); election last held on 10 to 12 December 2023; next to held in 2029); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of Representatives
election results: Abdel Fattah EL-SISI reelected president in first round; percent of valid votes cast - Abdel Fattah EL-SISI (independent) 89.6%, Hazam OMAR (Republican People’s Party) 4.5%, Farid ZAHRAN (Egyptian Social Democratic Party 4%, Abdel-Samad YAMAMA 1.9%
Fiscal year
Flag description
note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band; Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band; and Yemen, which has a plain white band
Illicit drugs
major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics
Independence
Industries
Judicial branch
judge selection and term of office: under the 2014 constitution, all judges and justices selected and appointed by the Supreme Judiciary Council and approved as a formality by the president of the Republic; judges appointed for life; under the 2019 amendments, the president has the power to appoint heads of judiciary authorities and courts, the prosecutor general, and the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court
subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; courts of limited jurisdiction; Family Court (established in 2004)
Land boundaries
border countries (4): Gaza Strip 13 km; Israel 208 km; Libya 1,115 km; Sudan 1,276 km
Land use
arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
forest: 0.1% (2018 est.)
other: 96.3% (2018 est.)
Legal system
Legislative branch
Senate (Majlis Al-Shiyoukh) (300 seats; 100 members directly elected in single seat constituencies, 100 directly elected by closed party-list vote, and 100 appointed by the president; note - the upper house, previously the Shura Council, was eliminated in the 2014 constitution, reestablished as the Senate, following passage in a 2019 constitutional referendum and approved by the House of Representatives in June 2020
House of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nowaab) (596 seats; 448 members directly elected by individual candidacy system, 120 members - with quotas for women, youth, Christians and workers - elected in party-list constituencies by simple majority popular vote, and 28 members appointed by the president; members of both houses serve 5-year terms
elections: Senate - first round held on 11-12 August 2020 (9-10 August for diaspora); second round held on 8-9 September (6-7 September for diaspora) (next to be held in 2025)
House of Representatives - last held 24-25 October and 7-8 November 2020) (next to be held in 2025)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nation's Future Party 100, independent 100; composition - men 260, women 40, percent of women 13.3%
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nation's Future Party 316, Republican People's Party 50, New Wafd Party 26, Homeland Defenders Party 23, Modern Egypt Party 11, Reform and Development Party 9, Al-Nour Party 7, Egyptian Conference Party 7, Egyptian Freedom Party 7, Egyptian Social Democratic Party 7, Tagammu 6, Justice Party 2, Etradet Geel Party 1, independent 124; composition - men 428, women 164, percent of women 27.5%; note - total Parliament percent of women 22.8%
Literacy
total population: 73.1%
male: 78.8%
female: 67.4% (2021)
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or the equidistant median line with Cyprus
continental shelf: 200 nm
International organization participation
National holiday
Nationality
adjective: Egyptian
Natural resources
Geography - note
Economic overview
Pipelines
Political parties and leaders
Arab Democratic Nasserist Party [El Etehad el Masri el ARABI]
Congress Party [Omar Al-Mokhtar SEMIDA]
Conservative Party [El Mohafezin]
Democratic Peace Party [Ahmed FADALY]
Egyptian National Movement Party [Gen. Raouf EL SAYED]
Egyptian Social Democratic Party [Farid ZAHRAN]
El Ghad Party [Moussa Mostafa MOUSSA]
El Serh El Masry el Hor [Tarek Ahmed Abbas NADIM]
Eradet Geel Party [Tayseer MATAR]
Free Egyptians Party [Essam KHALIL]
Freedom Party [Mamdouuh HASSAN]
Justice Party
Homeland’s Protector Party [Lt. Gen. (retired) Galal AL-HARIDI]
Modern Egypt Party [Nabil DEIBIS]
My Homeland Egypt Party [Gen. Seif El Islam ABDEL BARY ]
Nation's Future Party (Mostaqbal Watan) [Abdel Wahab Abdel RAZEQ]
National Progressive Unionist (Tagammu) Party [Sayed Abdel AAL]
Reform and Development Party [Mohamad Anwar al-SADAT]
Republican People’s Party [Hazam OMAR]
Revolutionary Guards Party [Magdy EL-SHARIF]
Wafd Party [Abdel Sanad YAMAMA]
Ports and terminals
oil terminal(s): Ain Sukhna terminal, Sidi Kerir terminal
container port(s) (TEUs): Port Said (East) (4,764,583) (2021)
LNG terminal(s) (export): Damietta, Idku (Abu Qir Bay), Sumed
Gulf of Suez - Suez
Suffrage
Telecommunication systems
domestic: fixed-line roughly 10 per 100, mobile-cellular 95 per 100 (2021)
international: country code - 20; landing points for Aletar, Africa-1, FEA, Hawk, IMEWE, and the SEA-ME-WE-3 & 4 submarine cable networks linking to Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia ; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat); tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel (2019)
Terrain
Government type
Country name
conventional short form: Egypt
local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
local short form: Misr
former: United Arab Republic (short-lived unification with Syria)
etymology: the English name "Egypt" derives from the ancient Greek name for the country "Aigyptos"; the Arabic name "Misr" can be traced to the ancient Akkadian "misru" meaning border or frontier
Location
Map references
Irrigated land
Diplomatic representation in the US
chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400; [1] (202) 895-5408
FAX: [1] (202) 244-5131; [1] (202) 244-4319
email address and website:
consulate@egyptembassy.net
https://www.egyptembassy.net/
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
Internet country code
Major infectious diseases
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Refugees and internally displaced persons
stateless persons: 10 (2022)
GDP (official exchange rate)
note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Trafficking in persons
trafficking profile: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Egypt, and Egyptians are exploited abroad; Egyptian children are subjected to sex trafficking and domestic service, street begging, drug trafficking, quarrying, and agricultural work in Egypt; traffickers, and some parents, force children, including Egyptian and Syrian children, to beg in the streets or exploit girls in sex trafficking; parents, husbands, and siblings subject women and girls to sex trafficking or forced domestic service to supplement family incomes; child sex tourism occurs primarily in Giza and Cairo, where individuals from the Arabian Gulf, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, purchase women and girls for “temporary” or “summer” marriages for commercial sex, as well as forced labor; parents force underage girls into permanent marriages where they are coerced into domestic servitude or commercial sex, and some husbands coerce their wives into sex trafficking or domestic servitude; some Egyptians attempting to migrate to Europe through Libya were subject to sex trafficking and forced labor; Egyptian children are exploited in sex trafficking and forced begging in Europe, and adults are forced into labor, construction, agriculture, domestic work, and low-paying service jobs in the region; men and women trafficked from South and Southeast Asia and East Africa are subjected to forced labor in domestic service, construction, and begging in Egypt; male refugees and migrants are vulnerable to forced labor; foreign domestic workers primarily from Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and parts of West Africa are highly vulnerable to forced labor; women and girls, including refugees and migrants from Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East are subjected to sex trafficking in Egypt; refugees and migrants from South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen who live in Egypt are at risk of trafficking; undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers, transiting Egypt from the Horn of Africa en route to Europe, face trafficking along the migration route (2023)
Credit ratings
Moody's rating: B2 (2019)
Standard & Poors rating: B (2018)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Total renewable water resources
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male: 14 years
female: 14 years (2018)
Urbanization
rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Broadcast media
Drinking water source
rural: 99.7% of population
total: 99.7% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.3% of population
rural: 0.3% of population
total: 0.3% of population (2020 est.)
National anthem
lyrics/music: Younis-al QADI/Sayed DARWISH
note: adopted 1979; the current anthem, less militaristic than the previous one, was created after the signing of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel; Sayed DARWISH, commonly considered the father of modern Egyptian music, composed the anthem
Major urban areas - population
International law organization participation
Physicians density
Hospital bed density
National symbol(s)
Mother's mean age at first birth
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Demographic profile
Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world and the third-most-populous country in Africa, behind Nigeria and Ethiopia. Most of the country is desert, so about 95% of the population is concentrated in a narrow strip of fertile land along the Nile River, which represents only about 5% of Egypt’s land area. Egypt’s rapid population growth – 46% between 1994 and 2014 – stresses limited natural resources, jobs, housing, sanitation, education, and health care.
Although the country’s total fertility rate (TFR) fell from roughly 5.5 children per woman in 1980 to just over 3 in the late 1990s, largely as a result of state-sponsored family planning programs, the population growth rate dropped more modestly because of decreased mortality rates and longer life expectancies. During the last decade, Egypt’s TFR decline stalled for several years and then reversed, reaching 3.6 in 2011, and is under 3 as of 2022. Contraceptive use has held steady at about 60%, while preferences for larger families and early marriage may have strengthened in the wake of the recent 2011 revolution. The large cohort of women of or nearing childbearing age will sustain high population growth for the foreseeable future (an effect called population momentum).
Nevertheless, post-MUBARAK governments have not made curbing population growth a priority. To increase contraceptive use and to prevent further overpopulation will require greater government commitment and substantial social change, including encouraging smaller families and better educating and empowering women. Currently, literacy, educational attainment, and labor force participation rates are much lower for women than men. In addition, the prevalence of violence against women, the lack of female political representation, and the perpetuation of the nearly universal practice of female genital cutting continue to keep women from playing a more significant role in Egypt’s public sphere.
Population pressure, poverty, high unemployment, and the fragmentation of inherited land holdings have historically motivated Egyptians, primarily young men, to migrate internally from rural and smaller urban areas in the Nile Delta region and the poorer rural south to Cairo, Alexandria, and other urban centers in the north, while a much smaller number migrated to the Red Sea and Sinai areas. Waves of forced internal migration also resulted from the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and the floods caused by the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970. Limited numbers of students and professionals emigrated temporarily prior to the early 1970s, when economic problems and high unemployment pushed the Egyptian Government to lift restrictions on labor migration. At the same time, high oil revenues enabled Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other Gulf states, as well as Libya and Jordan, to fund development projects, creating a demand for unskilled labor (mainly in construction), which attracted tens of thousands of young Egyptian men.
Between 1970 and 1974 alone, Egyptian migrants in the Gulf countries increased from approximately 70,000 to 370,000. Egyptian officials encouraged legal labor migration both to alleviate unemployment and to generate remittance income (remittances continue to be one of Egypt’s largest sources of foreign currency and GDP). During the mid-1980s, however, depressed oil prices resulting from the Iran-Iraq War, decreased demand for low-skilled labor, competition from less costly South Asian workers, and efforts to replace foreign workers with locals significantly reduced Egyptian migration to the Gulf States. The number of Egyptian migrants dropped from a peak of almost 3.3 million in 1983 to about 2.2 million at the start of the 1990s, but numbers gradually recovered.
In the 2000s, Egypt began facilitating more labor migration through bilateral agreements, notably with Arab countries and Italy, but illegal migration to Europe through overstayed visas or maritime human smuggling via Libya also rose. The Egyptian Government estimated there were 6.5 million Egyptian migrants in 2009, with roughly 75% being temporary migrants in other Arab countries (Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates) and 25% being predominantly permanent migrants in the West (US, UK, Italy, France, and Canada).
During the 2000s, Egypt became an increasingly important transit and destination country for economic migrants and asylum seekers, including Palestinians, East Africans, and South Asians and, more recently, Iraqis and Syrians. Egypt draws many refugees because of its resettlement programs with the West; Cairo has one of the largest urban refugee populations in the world. Many East African migrants are interned or live in temporary encampments along the Egypt-Israel border, and some have been shot and killed by Egyptian border guards.
Contraceptive prevalence rate
GDP - composition, by end use
government consumption: 10.1% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 14.8% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 0.5% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 16.3% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -28.5% (2017 est.)
Dependency ratios
youth dependency ratio: 53.2
elderly dependency ratio: 7.7
potential support ratio: 13 (2021 est.)
Citizenship
citizenship by descent only: if the father was born in Egypt
dual citizenship recognized: only with prior permission from the government
residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years
Population distribution
Electricity access
National air transport system
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 101
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 12,340,832 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 437.63 million (2018) mt-km
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Sanitation facility access
rural: 98.2% of population
total: 98.9% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population
rural: 1.8% of population
total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups
note: data represent respondents by nationality
Religions
Languages
major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، أفضل مصدر للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Imports - partners
Communications - note
Disputes - international
Egypt-Ethiopia: Ethiopia's construction of a large dam (the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) on the Blue Nile in northern Ethiopia since 2011 has become a focal point of relations with Egypt and Sudan; Egypt has described the giant hydroelectric project as an existential threat because of its potential to control the flow of the river that is a key source of water for the country; Ethiopia completed filling the dam in 2023
Elevation
lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
mean elevation: 321 m
Current health expenditure
Military - note
key areas of concern for the EAF include Islamic militant groups operating out of the Sinai Peninsula, regional challenges such as instability in Libya and Yemen, and maritime security; since 2011, the EAF has been conducting operations alongside other security forces in the North Sinai governorate against several militant groups, particularly the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham; since 2014, it has deployed large numbers of troops along its border with Libya and provided air support to the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen; the Navy in recent years has sought to modernize and expand its capabilities and profile in the Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea, including the acquisition of helicopter carriers, modern frigates, and attack submarines; in 2020, the EAF inaugurated a large joint service military base on the Red Sea to secure the country’s southern coasts, protect economic investments and natural resources, and confront security challenges in the Red Sea region
the EAF is the largest and one of the best equipped militaries in the region; the Army’s primary combat forces include approximately 13 divisions, which are mostly armored or mechanized, complemented by some independent armored and infantry brigades; the EAF has approximately 5,000 artillery systems, plus surface-to-surface missile forces and a large special operations command, which includes airborne, airmobile, commando, special forces, and other specialized units; the Navy’s principal warships are approximately 20 frigates and corvettes, eight attack submarines, and two French-built helicopter-capable amphibious assault ships (LHDs); the Air Force has more than 300 French-, Russian-, and US-made fighter and multipurpose fighter aircraft, as well as nearly 100 US- and Russian-produced attack helicopters
Egypt is a major security partner of the US and one of the largest recipients of US military aid in the region; it also has Major Non-NATO Ally status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation
the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO) has operated in the Sinai since 1982 as a peacekeeping and monitoring force to supervise the implementation of the security provisions of the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli Treaty of Peace; the MFO is an independent international organization, created by agreement between Egypt and Israel; it is composed of about 1,150 troops from 13 countries; Colombia, Fiji, and the US are the leading providers of troops to the MFO (2023)
Military and security service personnel strengths
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
Military deployments
Terrorist group(s)
note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T
Total water withdrawal
industrial: 5.4 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 61.35 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 2.625 million tons (2013 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 12.5% (2013 est.)
Average household expenditures
on alcohol and tobacco: 4.7% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
Air pollutants
carbon dioxide emissions: 238.56 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 59.68 megatons (2020 est.)
Major aquifers
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Major lakes (area sq km)
note - largest of Nile Delta lakes
Major rivers (by length in km)
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
National heritage
selected World Heritage Site locales: Memphis and its Necropolis (c); Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (c); Nubian Monuments (c); Saint Catherine Area (c); Abu Mena (c); Historic Cairo (c); Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley) (n)
Coal
consumption: 2.31 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 86,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 2.134 million metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 16 million metric tons (2019 est.)
Electricity generation sources
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 2.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 7.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Natural gas
consumption: 58,176,781,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 5,009,100,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
imports: 83.563 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
proven reserves: 1,783,958,000,000 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Petroleum
refined petroleum consumption: 810,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 204,100 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 117,400 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 3.3 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
Remittances
7.41% of GDP (2021 est.)
7.71% of GDP (2020 est.)
note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Nuclear energy
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 3 (2023)
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 0GW
Percent of total electricity production: 0%
Percent of total energy produced: 0%
Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 0
Space program overview
note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S
Space agency/agencies
Labor force
note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
male: 15.6%
female: 59.5%
Net migration rate
Median age
male: 24.1 years
female: 24.1 years
Debt - external
$92.638 billion (2018 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$39.824 billion (2021 est.)
$38.973 billion (2020 est.)
note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Waterways
Refined petroleum products - imports
Public debt
96.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
note: data cover central government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions
Total fertility rate
Military expenditures
1.3% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2019 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2018 est.)
Unemployment rate
7.44% (2021 est.)
7.97% (2020 est.)
note: % of labor force seeking employment
Population
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
Internet users
percent of population: 72% (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
from coal and metallurgical coke: 8.728 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 112.281 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 114.128 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Area
land: 995,450 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Taxes and other revenues
note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.331 trillion (2021 est.)
$1.288 trillion (2020 est.)
note: data in 2017 dollars
Roadways
paved: 48,000 km
unpaved: 17,050 km (2019)
Airports
Infant mortality rate
male: 18.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Telephones - mobile cellular
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 95 (2021 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.21% (2021 est.)
5.04% (2020 est.)
note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Refined petroleum products - exports
Current account balance
-$18.611 billion (2021 est.)
-$14.236 billion (2020 est.)
note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Real GDP per capita
$12,200 (2021 est.)
$12,000 (2020 est.)
note: data in 2017 dollars
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)
Tobacco use
male: 48.1% (2020 est.)
female: 0.4% (2020 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
Energy consumption per capita
Death rate
Birth rate
Electricity
consumption: 149,079,120,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 360 million kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 74 million kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 33.623 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Merchant marine
by type: bulk carrier 14, container ship 6, general cargo 23, oil tanker 42, other 356
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
Imports
$94.039 billion (2021 est.)
$72.482 billion (2020 est.)
note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Exports
$58.339 billion (2021 est.)
$40.102 billion (2020 est.)
note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Telephones - fixed lines
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
male: 73.5 years
female: 76 years
Real GDP growth rate
3.29% (2021 est.)
3.55% (2020 est.)
note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Industrial production growth rate
note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Railways
standard gauge: 5,085 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
industry: 34.3% (2017 est.)
services: 54% (2017 est.)