us/egypt/47.htm).As far as population, Egypt is the most densely populated country of Northern Africa. Egypt is one of the most populated countries not only in the African continent but also in the Middle East and in the Arab world. According to the 2006 census conducted by government's statistics agency, the population of Egypt has sprung up to 72.6 million with a growth rate of 2.0% each year in the past decade (Egypt: (http://www.mapsofworld.com/egypt/egypt-population.html). Egypt is a republic; its government is headed by the president. Egypt has been considered a key link to foreign affairs in the Middle East for many years and is also critical to keeping peace between the Arab World and Israel; moreover, Egypt and Israel are receiving half of U.S. foreign financial aid (Blakenship: 4). Egypt has been a key link to Middle East politics and military operations during crisis for many years. Since the early 1970s, the U.S. has built close ties with Egypt as a political stepping stone to the rest of the Arab world, as well as to ensure the availability and security of the Suez Canal, and as an effort to keep peace with Israel (Ibid.: 10).

As far as the economy, agriculture has been the mainstay of the Egyptian economy throughout its history. In 1991 the Public...

The ban on the privatization of utilities has been relieved, but this has not stirred much interest. The banking sector is controlled by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), and since the sector is currently over-banked it is quite a restrictive market to get into. Egypt's tourism industry was greatly damaged following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This led international organizations to commit to $10.3bn in grants and loans in February 2002, to help cover the losses expected from 2002 to 2004 (Oxford Business Group, Egypt: (http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/country.asp?country=3).
Blankenship, Mary S. "Egypt's Political Instability and Challenges Facing U.S. Central Command." Naval War College: Newport, RI. 1994

Egypt Geography." Library of Congress. http://countrystudies.us/egypt/47.htm

Egypt Population." Maps of the World. http://www.mapsofworld.com/egypt/egypt-population.html

Egypt." Oxford Business Group. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/country.asp?country=3

Mekhail, Rania. "Market Brief: Water Treatment Needs in Egypt." http://commercecan.ic.gc.ca/scdt/bizmap/interface2.nsf/vDownload/IMI_2432/$file/X_8795122.DOC.