Egypt

Muslim militants attempting to bring down the government in Egypt struck again in November 1997, with terrorists killing 58 tourists at the ancient sites of Luxor. Similar, if less deadly, attacks have been regular events since the Islamic insurgency took its current form in 1992.

Militants have targeted tourists for attack in an apparent attempt to destabilize a key source of income for the government of long-time President Hosni Mubarak.

More than 1,100 people have been killed during the five-year campaign of violence, including militants, police officers and minority Coptic Christians. A government crackdown on extremists in the mid-1990s provoked protests from human rights groups, who said that official tactics were brutal and often indiscriminate.

Egypt's ground-breaking official relations with the Jewish state of Israel are but one of many Mubarak government policies that militants would like to reverse through the creation of an Islamic state.

Land and People | History |
| Travel | Financial | Weather

DEMOGRAPHICS

Population:
64,791,891
Average life span:
60 male, 64 female
Average income ($US):
$630
GDP per capita ($US):
$2,760
Literacy rate:
51%

THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE

Capital:
Cairo
Size:
386,900 square miles (1,002,000 square km)
Government type:
Republic
Political leaders:
President Hosni Mubarak
Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri
Religions:
Muslim (94%, mostly Sunni); Coptic Christian and others (4%)
Languages:
Arabic (official); English; French

MODERN HISTORY

FINANCIAL

Monetary unit:
Pound

CNN currency converter

CNN TRAVEL INFORMATION

CNN WEATHER INFORMATION

Forecasts:
--Cairo
--Giza
--Luxor
Forecast and satellite maps:
--Africa forecast map
--Middle East satellite image
--Africa satellite image