Egypt: Population Indicators

Madison Fisher

Egypt: Population Indicators

Population Indicator for Egypt

Figure 1

Population Indicator for United States 

Figure 2

            Population is a very important part of each country. It is one of the most important aspects when trying to understand the different statistics and measurements used to figure out the population geography.

            One of the most common ways to measure change population is through the rate of natural increase or RNI. This measurement provides the annual growth rate for a country as a percentage (Rowntree). The way to find this number is by subtracting the deaths to the number of births in a given year. Some demographics use the crude birth or death rate for larger populations. This calculation is produced by dividing the gross number of births and deaths by the total population, giving you a certain number per 1000 of the population (Rowntree). Egypt’s RNI is at a 2.0 while the United State’s RNI is 0.5.

            The next indicator is the Total Fertility Rate or the TFR. This number measures the fertility of a statistically, average group of women in their childbearing years (Rowntree). The TFR will be higher if women marry at an early age and then have multiple children over a span of years. If women marry later and have few children though, the TFR will be lower. The TFR in Egypt is 2.9 and in the United States it is 1.9. Egypt is shown to have a higher TFR than the US showing that women have kids earlier and over longer periods of time.

            The best indicator of population measurements is through the younger and older populations. These statistics are shown through the percentage of the population under 15 and the percentage of population over age 65. In Egypt there are 32 kids under the age of 15 and only 4 that are above the age of 65. In the United States there are 20 kids under the age of 15 and 13 above the age of 65. This is showing that Egypt has a greater number of kids and the older generations are dying off, while in the US there is almost an equal balance of kids and older people.

            Net Migration Rates are an important statistic because is shows the amount of immigration and emigration is occurring. When the figure is positive, it means more people are entering the country, immigration, rather than leaving, emigration. When the number is negative, more people are leaving than entering. This demographic indicates the number of migrants per 1000 of the base population (Rowntree). The countries where they depend on migrants to work in their labor force will have the highest migration rate. The Net Migration Rate for Egypt is -0.5 and in the US it is 3.1. This shows that the US is having more people immigrate into their country while Egypt is having more that are emigrating.

            The last indicator of a population would be a population pyramid. This is the best because it measures the population’s age as well as the gender structure. If the country has a higher number of young people compared to the old, then it shows population growth. When there is no- growth or slow- growth, then there will be a larger number of older people then there will be of the young. This indicator can capture the structural changes in time if it transitions from fast to slow growth (Rowntree). These also indicate if there is a lack of males or females in a country and also cultural preferences for one sex. As shown in the figures, Egypt’s population pyramid shows rapid growth while the Untied States is showing slower growth.

      

                    






 


Figure 3 

                                                                            

   

Figure 4 

Works Cited

Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.

All Figures found in

Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print. 

Figure 1

Pg. 23

Figure 2

Pg. 226

Figure 3

Pg. 24

Figure 4

Pg. 231

Egypt: Globalization and Trade Agreements

Madison Fisher 

Globalization and Trade Agreements

Figure 1: Map of environmental Issues in Egypt 

         Globalization is defined as the increasing interconnectedness of people and places through converging economic, political and cultural activities (Rowntree). The economic advantage to globalization is the increase in trade agreements, but many people do not see globalization as having a negative impact on the environment. For example, in Cairo, Egypt there is a demand for housing since globalization has increased tourism, creating more demand for products and services. This in time causes stress on the environment due to the rapid increase in transportation of goods to and from the region. Another example of the negative effects of globalization on the environment is Egyptian cotton. If that is in demand, it has to be shipped and causes pollution for whatever means of travel.  Since it is in high demand, more cotton will need to be grown using natural resources to make the materials needed but if there are not enough natural resources that the environment is providing, then it will become much more difficult to produce what is needed.

            Another issue is the negative impacts on trade agreements for the environment. While most might see trading as a positive thing, there are many negative impacts that can occur. Since Egypt exports petroleum, for example, it is considered one of the members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Because petroleum makes up some of the exports, foreign corporations want to form partnerships to get what resources they can. When this happens, recessions occur because of the constant need for that product or resource (Rowntree).

            Many of the issues currently in Egypt dealing with globalization and trade agreements have to do with salinization, water management, oil pollution and desertification (Egypt). First, salinization is the buildup of toxic salts in the soil and is prevalent in arid regions (Rowntree). This is dangerous to Egypt’s environment because it makes it difficult to grow or produce different resources with land quality being so poor. Next is the Egyptian water supply being polluted especially along the Aswan High Dam. This dam has caused issues because irrigation has increased the salinization and water cannot be “flushed” from the fields. Another issue surrounding the water deals with more costly fertilizers to protect the soil, collapse of a fishing industry in the Mediterranean and the filling of sediments in a Lake behind the dam (Rowntree). Lastly, Oil pollution is affecting the reefs, beaches and habitats of animals that the country may attempt to catch and sell or eat as their food source.

Works Cited

Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.

"Egypt." Egypt. Ed. Peter Saundry. N.p., 8 May 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.

Figure 1 

Pg:219-Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.

Egypt: Gross National Product

Madison Fisher

Gross National Product

Figure 1 

 Figure 2 

        To first understand Gross National Product (GNP), one must first know Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and how the two are connected but not the same. GDP is the value of all final goods and services produced within its borders. This is used as the traditional way of measuring a country's economy (Rowntree). GNP or Gross National Income (GNI) as it is now referred to as, is the GDP plus trade and other forms of income. This way of measuring a country's economy is not the best because it does not account for all the non-market activity, such as household work, and changes of natural resources, such as trees in forests. The fault that many people make is assuming that the GNI is consistent from year to year, but it is just a glance at how an economy is doing at a certain time. Therefore one can conclude that it is not an acceptable indicator for how the well-being or vitality of a country will have.

       All countries have different GNI, so to better help make comparisons between countries, there is a Gross National Income per Capita. This is where you divide the GNI by the country's population (Rowntree). The last term that is used in the understanding of GNI is the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) that accounts for the strengths and weaknesses for currency. When this adjustment is not accounted for, the GNI is just based on the market exchange rate and it might be inflated or deflated primarily depending on the strength or weakness of a country( Rowntree). There are shortcomings mentioned in social well-being and some of the categories in that section are Human Development Index (HDI), Poverty and Mortality, Adult Literacy and Gender Inequality.

            Egypt's GNI in 2013 was 890,333,119,901, so there has been an increase since 2010(GNI, PPP). In the Human Development Index, Egypt is one of the few countries that has a medium HDI ranking as shown in Figure 1.47 on page 38. This means that Egypt has medium life expectancy, literacy, and educational attainment, gender equality and income (Rowntree). The next category is Poverty and Mortality, which Egypt shows a 22.41/ 1000 infant mortality rate (Africa). When dealing with reading and writing, the literacy rate is at 73.9%, with females being at 65.8% and males being at 81.7% (Africa). Gender Inequality, being one of the most prevalent things in foreign countries is crazy in Egypt. The rate of unemployment for women is at 54.1%, while it is only at a measly 14.7% for males (Africa). This is due to the fact that many countries want to know the position of women to men to prove that gender inequality is in fact a common thing that occurs. 

       As shown, GNP is proven to have many shortcomings to measuring a country at one point in time. Other measures are needed to make economic development and the well-being of citizens. 

Works Cited 

"Africa:Egypt." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 22 June 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.

"GNI, PPP (current International $)." Data. World Bank Group, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

Rowntree, Lester. "Chapter 1: Concepts of World Geography." Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. 37-40. Print.

Figure 1 and 2

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.MKTP.PP.CD

Egypt: Problems With Food Production

Garrett Dempsey

Problems With Food Production

Figure 1

Limited Global food production is a significant issue many countries face today. A large contributor to limited food production was The Green Revolution which turned farming into a battle to keep up with the rising population. As the population has continued to grow four main issues associated with limited global food production have become clear.

1) The first of these being local and regional problems. Due to wide spread poverty the demand for food has increased, but the lower class cannot afford it. With the poverty level of some regions people are unable to afford to produce or consume the food that is in the area.

 2) Secondly there are political problems associated with natural disasters. When a natural disaster occurs and food aid is sent to the area of need the food is not actually going to the people, but in turn the food is being distributed to allies for political reasons.

3) The next problem is globalization which occurs when more people are turning to globalized fast food other than their local and cultural foods. From this farmers are unable to sell their crops or animals to local business because the demand for them has declined.  

4) Lastly there are regions of the world that suffer the most with food shortages such as sub-Saharan Africa. Out of the 856 million of sub-Saharan Africa’s people more than one in four are undernourished making it the world’s most impacted area with food shortages (the guardian).  

Egyptian agricultural land is being lost to urbanization and weather torn lands. They face natural occurrences such as droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, and sandstorms. In 2011 Egypt lost more 11,736 hectares of agricultural land from these natural disasters (irinnews).Egypt also faces problem with supplying fresh water to its farmers which make up 32 percent of the labor force. This has forced people to center around the Nile which is the only source of fresh water in the area. The Nile has become very densely populated and is causing a strain on the resources it provides (Mongabay).

Works cited

"EGYPT: Desertification Threat to Local Food Production." IRINnews. IRIN News, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

"Egypt." Forest Data: Deforestation Rates and Related Forestry Figures. Mongabay, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.

Smith, David. "Sub-Saharan Africa Can Only Grow If It Solves Hunger Crisis – UNDP." Theguardian. The Guardian, 15 May 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

Figure 1- http://egyptianstreets.com/2014/05/08/apocalyptic-like-sandstorm-engulfs-egypts-aswan/

Egypt: Tropical Deforestation

Egypt- Tropical Deforestation

Tropical deforestation is a growing issue facing the world today and the 7 percent of the world’s landmass they cover is being threatened by 3 key factors.

1) Overpopulation is the first of these key factors that are threatening tropical forests. The current population is sitting at 7 billion and is projected to hit 8 billion by 2024. This is population increases is generating a larger demand for resources and larger urbanized areas that are pushing loggers and farmers deeper into these tropical forest regions.

2) Loggers are cutting deeper and deeper into these forests seeking more rare and valuable trees to increase profit. According to  Rhett A. Butler, a study done by scientists at from the Carnegie institute at Stanford University the specific logging of rarer trees leads to more than 60 – 123 percent more damage than deforestation itself as well at emitting 25 percent more greenhouse gasses (Mongabay). Due to over population in many areas of the world containing these forests many farmers are forced to result to the deforestation of land to make room for livestock or crops to provide for their families and support the increased demand for crops and beef.

3) Another factor to deforestation is the increased amounts of greenhouse gases associated to the reduction of tropical forests. These forests provide a vital role in balancing the atmosphere by trapping carbon dioxide. Research done by the Congressional Budget Office says that approximately 12 percent of global GHG emissions are caused when people clear forested land and destroy (CBO).  

Works cited

Image 1 - http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/rainforest-deforestation/#/pantanal-deforestation_332_600x450.jpg

Butler, Rhett A. "Logging Impact Worse than Thought in the Amazon." Mongabay. Mongabay, 1 Nov. 2005. Web. 01 Dec. 2014

Elmendrof, Douglas W. "Deforestation and Greenhouse Gases." Congressional Budget Office. Congressional Budget Office, 6 Jan. 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2014

Egypt: The Green Revolution

Ashleigh Harlow

The Green Revolution

The Green Revolution originated in the 1960s, and it has successfully boosted agricultural output.  Its effect on South Asia was undeniable. South Asia was once a food deficient area, and since the Green Revolution, it has become a self-sufficient, food producing machine. In India, the Green Revolution has more than doubled their grain production within the last 30 years. There are negative aspects to Green Revolution as well. The cost of the seeds, farming equipment, fertilizer, etc. have eliminated the poorer farmers from continuing to use their land for agricultural purposes. They simply could not afford the high costs of this form of farming. Another result of the Green Revolution is the environment is substantially harmed. These super crops require a lot of fertilizers and pesticides, which ultimately hurt the environment. As with anything, there are positive and negative attributes, and the Green Revolution is no exception. (Rowntree)

As far as Egypt is concerned, the Green Revolution is limited. The majority of the land is desert. Only five to seven percent of the land is being used for agriculture, and this is along the Nile and in delta areas. Space is limited because of the lack in rainfall. At one point in time, there was more agricultural land, but cities have built towering buildings on them. Some farmers are using hydroponic methods to produce food using water nutrients instead of soil, and they are succeeding. (Sarant) Irrigation of the desert has been successful in growing crops as recent as 2010. This advancement is known as the New Valley Project. It entails building a series of canals from Lake Nasser into the Western Desert, and it will provide additional farming land to the country. (Earth’s Snapshot) The Green Revolution is a process in Egypt, but they are making strides to produce more food and make use of their barren land.

Figure 1 Egyptian Hydroponic Farm

 Figure 2 Satellite View of Egypt's Western Desert

Works Cited

Rowntree, Les, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, and William Wyckoff. "Chapter 1: Concepts of World Geography." Globalization and Diversity Geography of a Changing World. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2014. Print.

"Earth Snapshot • Irrigated Circular Fields in Egypt’s Western Desert." <i>Earth Snapshot RSS</i>. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. &lt;http://www.eosnap.com/snapshots/irrigated-circular-fields-in-egypts-western-desert/&gt;.

Sarant, Louise. "Egypt's Quiet Revolution: Sustainable Agriculture | Middle East Institute." <i>Egypt's Quiet Revolution: Sustainable Agriculture | Middle East Institute</i>. Middle East Institute, 16 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. &lt;http://www.mei.edu/content/egypts-quiet-revolution-sustainable-agriculture&gt;.

Figure 1. http://www.egyptianhydrofarms.com/

Figure 2. http://www.eosnap.com/snapshots/irrigated-circular-fields-in-egypts-western-desert/

Egypt: Culture

Ashleigh Harlow

Egyptian Culture

Culture is defined as a learned and shared behavior by a group of people that gives them a distinct "way of life". Culture has two components: abstract and material. Abstract culture refers to values, religion, traditions, speech, etc., and material culture refers to physical things such as, tools, technology, housing, etc. (Rowntree)

Egypt in a Globalizing World

Egypt is ultimately becoming a part of the globalized world. Organizations have been put in place to begin improving historical locations in Egypt.The Egyptian economy is being targeted for globalization efforts as well. They are working on creating jobs, which will ultimately increase the standard of living throughout the country. Egypt’s economy began to decline in the 1980s when oil prices tanked, and the decline resulted in deficits in trade and an enormous foreign debt. In order for Egypt to rise above their deficits, higher education is a must. (Urschel) They have started to address this issue, and if it is approached correctly, it can be accomplished.  Egypt is moving toward a free-market economy, but the influence of Islam makes that a difficult task. Islamic individuals tend to be less tolerant and nondemocratic, which complicates a market system that is built on compromise. (Jamal)

Gender Roles in Egypt

In modern Egypt, women and men have different roles to play. The men are workers and financially responsible, and the women are child bearers and house keepers. Poverty, malnutrition, dependency, and illiteracy are just a few examples of the imbalance between women and men in Egypt. Women are more likely to suffer from these instances than men. (Sullivan) Women and men have the same legal rights, but the location of their jobs determines their pay scale. For instance, in a formal work setting men and women receive equal pay, but in a rural setting the women are paid less than the men. Status is another indicator that women and men are treated unequally in Egypt. Women cannot claim Egyptian nationality status over their children, only the men can. Recently, feminist groups have emerged to fight for equal rights between the two genders. (Countries and Their Cultures)

Figure 1

Language in Egypt

Arabic speech is the most common language spoken in Egypt, and English and French are the most common foreign languages spoken there. Arabic was brought to Egypt when the Muslim influence began in the country around the seventh century. The Arabic language is depicted differently between the spoken word and the language of the Koran. There are many different dialects that can be heard throughout Egypt. The most recognized one is that of the people of Upper Egypt. Although Arabic is the most widespread language, the media broadcasts in Cairo, and their broadcasts are then translated into the common Arabic language.

Egyptian Religions

Religious affiliations and traditions are crucial in Egyptian culture. The vast majority of the Egyptian population are Sunni Muslims with Coptic Christians, Jews, and other Christian denominations to follow. Although a percentage of the population is Christian, all members of Egyptian society have Islamic values. (Mahoney) The only way to distinguish between religions is Muslim dress and Christian tattoos on the right wrist. The boundaries between Egyptian religions are apparent, and neither promote intermarriage or conversion. (Countries and Their Cultures)

Figure 2

Works Cited

Rowntree, Les, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, and William Wyckoff. "Chapter 1: Concepts of World Geography." Globalization and Diversity Geography of a Changing World. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2014. Print.

Urschel, Donna. "Egypt: Yesterday and TomorrowLibrary Symposium Examines Egypt's Globalization." <i>Egypt: Yesterday and Tomorrow (May 2000)</i>. Library of Congress. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. &lt;http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0005/egypt.html&gt;.

Sullivan, Earl. "The Public Role of Women in Modern Egypt." <i>Catherine College Library</i>. Syracuse University Press, 1 Jan. 1986. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. &lt;http://www.catherinecollegelibrary.net/college/sullivan2.asp&gt;.

Jamal, Amaney, and Milner, Helen. "Economic and Cultural Sources of Preferences for Globalization in Egypt." <i>Social Science Research Network</i>. Social Science Electronic Publishing, Inc., 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. &lt;http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2300075&gt;.

"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Egypt. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Egypt.html>.

Mahoney, Jessica. "The Culture of Egypt." Travel Tips. USA Today. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <http://traveltips.usatoday.com/culture-egypt-32949.html>.

Figure 1. http://mideastposts.com/middle-east-society/feminist-activism-in-arab-world-diverse-approaches/

Figure 2. http://www.henryherald.com/news/2013/jul/09/freedom-worship-henry/