People: Population: 77,505,756. Age distrib. (%): <15: 33.0; 65+: 4.4. Pop. density: 200 per sq mi, 77 per sq km. Urban: 42.1%. Ethnic groups: Egyptian Arab 99%. Principal languages: Arabic (official); English, French. Chief religions: Muslim (official; mostly Sunni) 94%, Coptic Christian and other 6%.

Geography: Total area: 386,662 sq mi, 1,001,450 sq km; Land area: 384,345 sq mi, 995,450 sq km. Location: Northeast corner of Africa. Neighbors: Libya on W, Sudan on S, Israel and Gaza Strip on E. Topography: Almost entirely desolate and barren, with hills and mountains in E and along Nile. The Nile Valley, where most of the people live, stretches 550 miles. Capital: Cairo, 10,834,000. Cities (urban aggr.): Alexandria, 3,506,000.

Government: Type: Republic. Head of state: Pres. Hosni Mubarak; b May 4, 1928; in office: Oct. 14, 1981. Head of gov.: Prime Min. Ahmed Nazif; b July 8, 1952; in office: July 14, 2004. Local divisions: 26 governorates. Defense budget (2003): $1.7 bil. Active troops: 450,000.

Economy: Industries: textiles, food proc., tourism, chemicals, hydrocarbons, constr., cement, metals. Chief crops: cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables. Natural resources: oil, nat. gas, iron ore, phosphates, mang., limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc. Crude oil reserves (2004): 3.7 bil. bbls. Arable land: 2%. Livestock (2004): cattle: 3.9 mil; chickens: 95 mil; goats: 3.7 mil; pigs: 30,500; sheep: 5.1 mil. Fish catch (2003): 875,990 metric tons. Electricity prod. (2003): 84.3 bil. kWh. Labor force (2001 est.): agriculture 32%, industry 17%, services 51%.

Finance: Monetary unit: Pound (EGP) (Sept. 2005: 5.74 = $1 U.S.). GDP (2004 est.): $316.3 bil.; per capita GDP: $4,200; GDP growth: 4.5%. Imports (2004 est.): $19.2 bil.; partners (2004): US 13.2%, Germany 7.2%, Italy 7.1%, France 6.1%, China 5.5%, UK 4.9%, Saudi Arabia 4.4%. Exports (2004 est.): $11.0 bil.; partners (2004): Italy 13.1%, US 11.6%, UK 7.5%, Germany 5.1%, Spain 4.5%, France 4.2%. Tourism: $4,584 mil. Budget (2004 est.): $20.8 bil. Intl. reserves less gold: $9.19 bil. Gold: 2.43 mil. oz t. Consumer prices: 11.27%.

Transport: Railroad: Length: 3,172 mi. Motor vehicles 1.847 mil pass. cars, 650,000 comm. vehicles. Civil aviation: 5.5 bil pass.-mi; 71 airports. Chief ports: Alexandria, Port Said, Suez, Damietta.

Communications: TV sets: 170 per 1,000 pop. Radios: 317 per 1,000 pop. Telephone lines: 8.7 mil. Daily newspaper circ.: 31.2 per 1,000 pop. Internet: 3.0 mil. users.

Health: Life expect.: 68.5 male; 73.6 female. Births (per 1,000 pop.): 23.3. Deaths (per 1,000 pop.): 5.3. Natural inc.: 1.81%. Infant mortality (per 1,000 live births): 32.6. AIDS rate: <0.1%.

Education: Compulsory: ages 6-13. Literacy: 57.7%.

Major Intl. Organizations: UN (FAO, IBRD, ILO, IMF, IMO, WHO, WTrO), AL, AU.

Embassy: 3521 International Ct. NW 20008; 895-5400.

Website: www.sis.gov.eg

Archaeological records of ancient Egyptian civilization date back to 4000 bc. A unified kingdom arose around 3200 bc and extended its way south into Nubia and as far north as Syria. A high culture of rulers and priests was built on an economic base of serfdom, fertile soil, and annual flooding of the Nile.

Imperial decline facilitated conquest by Asian invaders (Hyksos, Assyrians). The last native dynasty fell in 341 bc to the Persians, who were in turn replaced by Greeks (Alexander and the Ptolemies), Romans, Byzantines, and Arabs, who introduced Islam and the Arabic language. The ancient Egyptian language is preserved only in Coptic Christian liturgy.

Egypt was ruled as part of larger Islamic empires for many centuries. Britain intervened in Egypt in 1882 and ruled the country as a protectorate, 1914-22. A 1936 treaty strengthened Egyptian autonomy, but Britain retained bases in Egypt and a condominium over the Sudan. When the state of Israel was proclaimed in 1948, Egypt joined other Arab nations invading Israel and was defeated. In 1951 Egypt abrogated the 1936 treaty; the Sudan became independent in 1956.

An uprising on July 23, 1952, overthrew King Farouk and established a republic. Lt. Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser rose to power, becoming premier in 1954 and president in 1956. Nasser emerged as the most influential leader in the Arab world at the time; within Egypt, he pushed construction of the Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970.

After guerrilla raids across its border, Israel invaded Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Oct. 29, 1956. Egypt rejected a cease-fire demand by Britain and France; on Oct. 31 the 2 nations dropped bombs and on Nov. 5-6 landed forces. Egypt and Israel accepted a UN cease-fire; fighting ended Nov. 7. Subsequently, a UN Emergency Force guarded the border. Full-scale war with Israel broke out again, June 5, 1967; before it ended under a UN cease-fire June 10, Israel had captured Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula and taken control of the E bank of the Suez Canal.

Nasser died Sept. 28,1970, and was replaced by Vice Pres. Anwar Sadat. In a surprise attack Oct. 6, 1973, Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal into the Sinai. (At the same time, Syrian forces attacked Israelis on the Golan Heights.) Egypt was supplied by a USSR military airlift; the U.S. responded with an airlift to Israel. Israel counterattacked, crossed the canal, and surrounded Suez City. A UN cease-fire took effect Oct. 24. Under an agreement signed Jan. 18, 1974, Israeli forces withdrew from the canal's W bank; limited numbers of Egyptian forces occupied a strip along the E bank. A second accord was signed in 1975, with Israel yielding Sinai oil fields.

Pres. Sadat's surprise visit to Jerusalem, Nov. 1977, opened the prospect of peace with Israel. On Mar. 26, 1979, Egypt and Israel signed a formal peace treaty, ending 30 years of war, and establishing diplomatic relations. On Oct. 6, 1981, Pres. Sadat was assassinated by Muslim extremists within the army; he was succeeded by Hosni Mubarak. Israel returned control of the Sinai to Egypt in Apr. 1982.

Egypt saw a rising tide of Islamic fundamentalist violence in the 1990s. U.S. aid to Egypt, totaling more than $50 billion since 1975, helped to keep Mubarak in power. Egypt supported the U.S.-led coalition against Iraq in the Persian Gulf War, 1991. Egyptian security forces conducted raids against Islamic militants, some of whom were executed for terrorism. Naguib Mahfouz, winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize for literature, was stabbed by Islamic militants Oct. 14, 1994. Pres. Mubarak escaped assassination in Ethiopia, June 26, 1995; Egypt blamed Sudan for the attack. On Nov. 17, 1997, near Luxor, Muslim extremists killed 58 foreign tourists and 4 Egyptians.

Mubarak, who was grazed by a knife-wielding assailant Sept. 6, 1999, was confirmed by popular vote Sept. 26 for a 4th presidential term. An EgyptAir jetliner bound from New York to Cairo plunged into the Atlantic near Nantucket Is., Oct. 31, 1999, killing all 217 people on board. Fire on a train bound from Cairo to Luxor, Feb. 20, 2002, left more than 360 people dead. An Egyptian charter plane plunged into the Red Sea shortly after takeoff Jan. 3, 2004, killing 148 people, including 133 French tourists.

Terrorists stepped up their campaign against the economically important tourism industry. Bombs Oct. 7, 2004, in and near Taba (a Sinai tourist site popular with Israelis) killed at least 35 people. Another 88 people were killed in bombings July 23, 2005, at Sharm el Sheikh, a Red Sea resort city. Pressured by the U.S., Mubarak agreed to allow opposition candidates in the Sept. 7 presidential election, which he won with an 88.5% majority; turnout was only 23%.

The Suez Canal, 103 mi. long, links the Mediterranean and Red seas. It was built by a French corporation 1859-69, but Britain obtained controlling interest in 1875. The last British troops were removed June 13, 1956. On July 26, Egypt nationalized the canal.