FAX: (2) 797-2000

FAX: (202) 244-4319, 5131

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Daniel C. KURTZER

embassy: 5 Latin America St., Garden City, Cairo

mailing address: Unit 64900, APO AE 09839-4900

telephone: (2) 795-7371

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with the national emblem (a shield superimposed on a golden eagle facing the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band; also similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars, and to the flag of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band

Egypt Economy

Economy - overview: A series of IMF arrangements - along with massive external debt relief resulting from Egypt's participation in the Gulf war coalition - helped Egypt improve its macroeconomic performance during the 1990s. Sound fiscal and monetary policies through the mid-1990s helped to tame inflation, slash budget deficits, and build up foreign reserves, while structural reforms such as privatization and new business legislation prompted increased foreign investment. By mid-1998, however, the pace of structural reform slackened, and lower combined hard currency earnings resulted in pressure on the Egyptian pound and sporadic US dollar shortages. External payments were not in crisis, but Cairo's attempts to curb demand for foreign exchange convinced some investors and currency traders that government financial operations lacked transparency and coordination. Monetary pressures have since eased, however, with the 1999-2000 higher oil prices, a rebound in tourism, and a series of mini-devaluations of the pound. The development of a gas export market is a major plus factor in future growth.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $247 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,600 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17%

industry: 32%

services: 51% (1999)

Population below poverty line: 22.9% (FY95/96 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.4%

highest 10%: 25% (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2000)

Labor force: 19.9 million (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 29%, services 49%, industry 22% (FY99)

Unemployment rate: 11.5% (2000 est.)

Budget: revenues: $22.6 billion

expenditures: $26.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99)

Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals

Industrial production growth rate: 2.1% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 64.685 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 76.59%

hydro: 23.41%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 60.157 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats

Exports: $7.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals

Exports - partners: EU 35%, Middle East 17%, Afro-Asian countries 14%, US 12% (1999)

Imports: $17 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels

Imports - partners: EU 36%, US 14%, Afro-Asian countries 14%, Middle
East 6% (1999)

Debt - external: $31 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $2.25 billion (1999)

Currency: Egyptian pound (EGP)

Currency code: EGP

Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds per US dollar - market rate - 3.8400 (January 2001), 3.6900 (2000), 3.4050 (1999), 3.3880 (1998), 3.3880 (1997), 3.3880 (1996)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Egypt Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 3,971,500 (December 1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 380,000 (1999)

Telephone system: general assessment: large system; underwent extensive upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access and cellular service are available

domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay

international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel and a signatory to Project Oxygen (a global submarine fiber-optic cable system)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999)

Radios: 20.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 98 (September 1995)

Televisions: 7.7 million (1997)

Internet country code: .eg

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 50 (2000)

Internet users: 300,000 (2000)

Egypt Transportation

Railways: total: 4,955 km

standard gauge: 4,955 km 1,435-m gauge (42 km electrified; 1,560 km double track) (2000)

Highways: total: 64,000 km

paved: 50,000 km

unpaved: 14,000 km (1996)

Waterways: 3,500 km

note: including the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches), used by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 16.1 m of water

Pipelines: crude oil 1,171 km; petroleum products 596 km; natural gas 460 km

Ports and harbors: Alexandria, Al Ghardaqah, Aswan, Asyut, Bur
Safajah, Damietta, Marsa Matruh, Port Said, Suez

Merchant marine: total: 181 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,336,678 GRT/1,982,220 DWT

ships by type: bulk 23, cargo 61, container 2, liquefied gas 1, passenger 61, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 15, short-sea passenger 3 (2000 est.)

Airports: 90 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 69

over 3,047 m: 12

2,438 to 3,047 m: 35

1,524 to 2,437 m: 17

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 21

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 2 (2000 est.)

Egypt Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command

Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 18,562,994 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 12,020,059 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 712,983 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.04 billion (FY99/00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.1% (FY99/00)

Egypt Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: Egypt asserts its claim to the "Hala'ib Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 sq km under partial Sudanese administration that is defined by an administrative boundary which supersedes the treaty boundary of 1899

Illicit drugs: a transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian heroin and opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US; popular transit stop for Nigerian couriers

@El Salvador

El Salvador Introduction

Background: El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost the lives of some 75,000 people, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.

El Salvador Geography

Location: Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between
Guatemala and Honduras

Geographic coordinates: 13 50 N, 88 55 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 21,040 sq km

land: 20,720 sq km

water: 320 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries: total: 545 km

border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Coastline: 307 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 NM

Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season
(November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m

Natural resources: hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land

Land use: arable land: 27%

permanent crops: 8%

permanent pastures: 29%

forests and woodland: 5%

other: 31% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes; Hurricane Mitch damage

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note: smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

El Salvador People

Population: 6,237,662 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.68% (male 1,198,623; female 1,151,584)

15-64 years: 57.27% (male 1,693,865; female 1,878,254)

65 years and over: 5.05% (male 142,345; female 172,991) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.85% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 28.67 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.03 years

male: 66.43 years

female: 73.81 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.34 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 20,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,300 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Salvadoran(s)

adjective: Salvadoran

Ethnic groups: mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9%

Religions: Roman Catholic 86%

note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador

Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write

total population: 71.5%

male: 73.5%

female: 69.8% (1995 est.)

El Salvador Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador

conventional short form: El Salvador

local long form: Republica de El Salvador

local short form: El Salvador

Government type: republic

Capital: San Salvador

Administrative divisions: 14 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La
Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa
Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan

Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution: 23 December 1983

Legal system: based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet: cabinet selected by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004)

election results: Francisco FLORES Perez elected president; percent of vote - Francisco FLORES (ARENA) 52%, Facundo GUARDADO (FMLN) 29%, Ruben ZAMORA (CDU) 7.5%, other (no individual above 3%) 11.5%

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve three-year terms)

elections: last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2003)

election results: percent of vote by party - ARENA 36.1%, FMLN 35.14%, PCN 8.76%, PDC 7.08%, CD 5.32%, PAN 3.75%, USC 1.47%, PLD 1.29%; seats by party - ARENA 28, FMLN 31, PCN 14, PDC 5, CD 3, PAN 1, independent 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly)

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party or PDC
[Rene AGUILUZ]; Democratic Convergence or CD (includes PSD, MNR,
MPSC) [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general]; Democratic Party or PD
[Jorge MELENDEZ]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN
[Fabio CASTILLO]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Kirio Waldo
SALGADO, president]; National Action Party or PAN [Gustavo Rogelio
SALINAS, secretary general]; National Conciliation Party or PCN
[Ciro CRUZ Zepeda, president]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA
[Walter ARAUJO]; Social Christian Union or USC (formed by the merger
of Christian Social Renewal Party or PRSC and Unity Movement or MU)
[Abraham RODRIGUEZ, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders: labor organizations -
Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or SIES; Federation of the
Construction Industry, Similar Transport and other activities, or
FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS;
National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of
El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant
Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union
of Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations -
National Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran
Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial
Association or ASI

International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO,
G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL,
OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez

chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: (202) 265-9671

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco

consulate(s): Boston

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Rose M. LIKINS

embassy: Boulevard Santa Elena Final, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador

mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023

telephone: 278-4444