Facts and figures about your holiday destination

Today, approximately 80 million people live in Egypt, around 45% of them in cities. The capital, Cairo, with more than 20 million inhabitants, is the largest city in Africa and the entire Arab world. Since 1952, the population has more than doubled, with an additional 1 million inhabitants every year. A child is born almost every 26 seconds. At first glance, such statistics might seem unremarkable for such a large country, but given the unique geographical conditions, they carry significant weight. Only 4% of the total land area is arable and inhabited; the vast majority is desert. Thus, on an area smaller than Switzerland, an average of around 2.000 people per square kilometer are crammed together, and in the Nile Valley and Delta, this figure rises to nearly 2.500, making Egypt one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Egyptians are cheerful, helpful, and rather laid-back people. One phrase encapsulates their lives:
"Inshallah." – "If Allah wills." You'll have to get used to that.

The Bedouin are a typical feature of Egypt. Around 50.000 nomads still live there today. The tribes proudly move with their herds from pasture to pasture. There they pitch their tents made of black goat-hair blankets and eventually move on again.

Economy
In Egypt, approximately 42% of the workforce is employed in agriculture. Many former farmers have migrated to the cities, seeking their fortune in industry, as unskilled laborers, or in other service sector jobs. Since the land reforms of the Nasser era, a farmer's land holdings have been limited to 100 feddans (42 hectares).
Most fellahin farms are no larger than one feddan. Almost all farmers are organized in one of the 5.000 cooperatives, which handle the purchase of seeds, fertilizer, and machinery, as well as the marketing of the harvest. Wheat, cotton, rice, maize, millet, barley, sugarcane, and onions are cultivated. The export of petroleum, yarn, and textiles also plays a significant role. However, over 36% of food must be imported. Tourism is one of the country's most important sources of income.