Egypt: window on the Arab world. (World).

Egypt has the largest middle class and the best-educated population among Arab countries. But poverty and unemployment persist. Can Egypt lead the Arab world into the 21st century?

Safaa (sa-FAH), 12, gathers green clover beneath the hot sun. Beads of sweat collect on her forehead as she rushes back and forth, laying heaps of clover before three buffaloes and a donkey.

Safaa lives on a farm in Kafr al Gabal, a small village in the Nile River valley. "I have to work in the field all morning, before I go to school at noon," she says. "My family cannot afford to hire someone to work in my place."

Twenty-five million people live and farm in the Nile valley. Their day typically begins just after sunrise. That's when Safaa milks the buffaloes. She then returns to the kitchen to bake bread and cook breakfast for her parents and four siblings.

After the meal, Safaa mounts her donkey and leads the buffaloes to a tiny plot of land. Her older brothers work at nearby factories, so they cannot help with morning chores.

The family grows mostly clover. What their own animals do not eat, they sell to other farmers who raise animals.

Shortage of Farmland

Most of Egypt is desert, so only 2 percent of the land can be farmed. Because of the shortage of land and the large number of rural families, farm plots average just two acres.

This has made use of agricultural machinery difficult. As families have grown, the plots have become increasingly inadequate.

Today, Egypt's farms do not yield enough crops to feed a rapidly growing population, so food must be imported from Europe, Japan, and the U.S.

In recent years, Egypt's economy has faltered (weakened). The government has failed to develop new infrastructure (roads and other public works) to keep pace with increasing demand. Economic reform is at a standstill, and unemployment is rising.

To help support their families, many Egyptians have taken on additional jobs. Safaa, for example, sells milk from house to house after school. But she hasn't given up on her dreams.

"I am sure that in 10 years Egypt will be better off, and I will not have to work in the fields or sell milk," she says. "I want to be a teacher, and someday I will have my own house. I will teach people the value of hard work."

Some Egyptian youths are not as lucky. Nadia Rizk, 16, lives near Giza, a suburb of Cairo. Like an estimated 50 percent of Egyptians, Nadia is illiterate.

"I cannot read or write, and I never went to school," she says. "My parents [needed] me to work." Nadia helps support her family by weaving rugs, a traditional Egyptian craft. Even so, annual school fees of $10 are still out of reach.

The Mother of the World

Egyptians call their country "the mother of the world," since it was the birthplace of one of the greatest civilizations (see pp. 9-11).

Today, as in ancient times, most Egyptians live on only 10 percent of the land--along the Nile River and its delta (mouth). The Nile flows north from Sudan through the middle of the country; bringing water and life to Egyptians.

Cairo, Egypt's capital and the largest city in Africa, suffers from overcrowding and pollution. But its history, broad boulevards, and narrow medieval lanes make it popular among tourists.

Cairo lies only nine miles north of the Giza plateau, which is home to pyramids and many historic mosques (places of worship for Muslims). About 90 percent of Egyptians are Muslims, followers of the Islamic religion. Cop tic Christians form the country's largest minority.

Like Jews and Christians, Muslims believe in one God. They also believe that God, or Allah, revealed his holy word to the prophet Muhammad, who lived from about A.D. 570-632.

Muslims must perform strict acts of worship, which include praying five times a day and caring for the needy. During the holy month of Ramadan, they fast each day.

In Egypt, Ramadan takes on a different flavor than in any other country. Each evening special dishes are prepared for iftar, the breaking of the fast. Cities and towns are decorated with fawanis (lanterns) of all sizes and colors. As the last rays of sunlight sink beneath the horizon, the booms of four ancient cannons announce the breaking of the fast. Thousands of lanterns shine outside in the darkness, as families share their first meal of the day.

Can Egypt Lead Again?

Egypt is the most populous Arab country--one in three Arabs live there. (An Arab is a descendant of early Semitic people who lived on the Arabian peninsula.) It also has the best-educated population and the largest middle class of any Arab nation.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Egypt led the Arab world. But in recent decades, it has not served as a model for freedom and democracy; Newspapers, for example, cannot discuss human rights abuses or criticize Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president since 1981.

Egypt's problems have grown so large, and many of its people are so poor, that Islamic fundamentalists have gained in popularity. Fundamentalists want to replace the current government with a strict religious regime.

The September 11 terrorist attacks horrified law-abiding Muslims in Egypt. At the same time, many people were uncomfortable with the harsh criticism of Islam in the U.S.

"Islam is the religion of peace," says Safaa. "I don't know why they blame all Muslims for what some criminals did."

Most Egyptians are also frustrated with U.S. policy in the Middle East. Many resent U.S. support of Israel. Safaa says she cries when she watches news reports about children who have been killed in the crossfire between Israeli and Palestinian forces.

Some young Egyptians, however, still see the U.S. as their hope for the future. Hussein Mostafa, 15, comes from a wealthy family in Cairo. He is frustrated by the overcrowded, inferior schools there and wants to study software engineering in the U.S.

"Egypt does not have good opportunities in technology," he says.

Hussein's parents can afford to send him to the U.S. Families like Safaa's and Nadia's don't have that option. Their hopes lie squarely on the Egyptian government.

Your Turn: Word Match


1. delta           A. lantern
2. mosque          B. public works
3. infrastructure  C. weakened
4. faltered        D. mouth
5. fawani          E. place of worship

ANSWERS


1. D
2. E
3. B
4. C
5. A

RELATED ARTICLE: Egypt

Located in the northeast corner of Africa, Egypt is the world's most populous Arab country. Almost all of its people speak Arabic and consider themselves to be Arab. Much of Egypt is covered by windswept desert--except for the Nile Valley and Delta, where most Egyptians live. The country's two largest cities are Cairo, the capital located along the Nile, and Alexandria, on the Mediterranean Sea.

FACTS TO KNOW

AREA: 386,660 square miles, about the size of Texas and New Mexico combined.

POPULATION: 69,800,000; 43% urban; 57% rural.

GOVERNMENT: One political party dominates; Hosni Mubarak has been President since 1981.

ECONOMY: Only 2% of the land can be farmed, so food must be imported. Agriculture: cotton and food crops. Mining: oil, natural gas. Industries: textiles, tourism, chemicals.

RELIGION: Muslim, 90%; Coptic Christian and others, 10%.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Arabic.

LITERACY: 64%, men; 39%, women.

LIFE EXPECTANCY: 65 years, men; 68 years, women.

QUESTIONS

1. What is Egypt's capital? _____

2. What river flows north into the Mediterranean Sea? _____

3. What city is closest to 30[degrees]E longitude? _____

4. What country is on Egypt's western border? _____

5. What artificial waterway separates Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula? _____

6. What country is on Egypt's northeastern border? _____

7. What percentage of Egypt's land can be farmed? _____

8. Cairo is located on what line of latitude? _____

9. What would you find in Thebes? _____

10. What borders Egypt on the north? _____

ANSWERS


 1. Cairo
 2. the Nile
 3. Alexandria
 4. Libya
 5. the Suez Canal
 6. Israel
 7. 2 percent
 8. 30[degrees]N
 9. historic ruins
10. the Mediterranean Sea

QUICK QUIZ

Select the letter of the word, name, or phrase that best completes each sentence.

_____11. Most Egyptians live near the

A. Red Sea

B. Nile River

C. Mediterranean coast

_____12. Egypt needs to import food because

A. only 2 percent of its land can be farmed

B. most of the land is used for oil exploration

C. there are not enough people to farm the land

_____13. Hosni Mubarak is the _____ of Egypt.

A. king

B. prime minister

C. president

_____14. About 90 percent of all Egyptians are

A. Muslims

B. Coptic Christians

C. not religious

_____15. Egypt is the most _____ Arab country in the world.

A. unified

B. important

C. populous

ANSWERS


11. B
12. A
13. C
14. A
15. C