EGYPT

Egypt’s official language is Modern Standard Arabic; however, the Masry (Egyptian) dialect is quite distinct. Of the several regional dialects, Masry is the most widely understood. This is for several reasons, but the most important is that much of Arabic popular culture flows from Egypt. Egypt developed the first film industry in the Arab world and continues to be the biggest media producer [i]. It is for this reason that Egypt is referred to as Hollywood el Shark (of the East). Masry also has words that don’t have their roots in Arabic and these come from the indigenous language [ii] of Egypt, Coptic.

You will find the coastal city of Alexandria, the sleepy town of Aswan, and the antiquated and historic Luxor. In the capital, Cairo, there is the bustle of a busy, crowded city. You will find the stranger who helps you with grocery bags; the grandma sitting in her balcony drinking tea out of a glass and people-watching; the doorman out-front greeting his children as they return from school; the grilling of corn on a random corner; an array of sidewalks, but mainly roads that both pedestrians and cars have to share; a vibrancy that is all together overwhelming, enchanting, and warm.

As a Muslim (Sunni) majority country, Egypt is also home to the largest Christian minority in the region, the Copts, and the chief center for Muslim and Arabic scholarship in the region, Al-Azhar University [iii]. Al-Azhar is one of the oldest universities in the world and, since its founding, has shaped the way Islam is practiced by Muslims worldwide. Egypt is also home to the Coptic Orthodox papacy. The seat of the papacy was founded in the first century in Alexandria. The sitting pope is referred to as the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark the Apostle.

Egypt is a republic. The current president (as of 2020) is Abdel Fatah El-Sisi. Egypt underwent a revolution during the 2011 Arab Spring that led to the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak, whose tenure was three decades long. However, after a short stint by President Mohamed Morsi and his own misuse of power, the country came to be once again ruled by a military figurehead in 2014 and adopted a new constitution. Its legislative branch is currently a unicameral parliament, but is due to become a bicameral legislature after the House Representatives voted to establish an upper house – the Senate [iv].

Egypt uses the Egyptian pound, which is a legacy of British presence in Egypt. Egypt’s economy is a mixed economy. Egypt exports [v] things like crude oil and petroleum products, gold, and agricultural goods. Part of the economy also relies on remittances that come from the Suez Canal, tourism, and expats. Unemployment in Egypt hit its peak relative to its past the year Hosni Mubarak was toppled (2011) and proceeded to get worse (13.15% in 2013) until it began to improve in 2016 [vi]. The current unemployment rate is 7.7%, with youth (ages 15-29) making about 30% of that statistic.

Egypt gained independence in 1922 and was a British protectorate (different from a colony) until 1956. When Gamal Abdel Nasser came to power in 1954, he adopted the politics of Nasserism [vii], his personalized brand of socialism, and pan-Arabism to inform the politics of the nation and the region. He and Egypt were symbols of resistance for the Global South in its fight against colonialism (e.g. the Bandung Conference). Nasser’s successor, Anwar Sadat [viii] (1970), shifted Egypt’s international posture from Russia (then the USSR) to the United States and adopted economic models, accordingly. We see these dynamics still at play in Egypt’s modern-day foreign policy.

Situated in the eastern-most part of North Africa and south of the Mediterranean, Egypt is bordered by Libya, Gaza, and Sudan. While its landmass is vast, the population is concentrated in the land surrounding the Nile River. It is often divided into two parts: Upper Egypt in the South and Lower Egypt in the North. This is determined by the Nile’s flow. Southern Egypt's landscape is low mountains and desert while Northern Egypt has expansive valleys near the Nile and desert to the east and west. North of Cairo is the triangular Nile River Delta [ix], which is completely covered with farms.