Economy

Before I went to Egypt, I made sure to research their economy so I could get an understanding of how they make their money. I learned that Egypt's exports primarily consist of crude oil and petroleum.  They export about $24 billion worth of goods per year, which also includes cotton, metal products, chemicals and agricultural goods.  

 

As seen in this chart, the exports continued to increase every year between 2003 and 2009.  

The top 4 countries that Egypt exports goods to (in order) are Italy, India, United States, and Saudi Arabia. Another major way that Egypt makes money is from tourism, so they do a great job especially with transportation (taxi, bus, subway).  After landing in Egypt, I took a subway from the airport into the city, which showed me really how easy getting around was.  I learned that the main railway runs along the Nile River, where most of the civilization started.  This showed me how the geography has impacted Egypt over time, because settling along the Nile River eventually led to the main subway and railway stations being based along the Nile.

This map shows the impact that colonization along the Nile River has had on the future of the country.  This shows how the olive tree evolved into the lexus: and went from colonization to railroads.

Knowing some background about a country is always essential to traveling as a political act, which is why I was glad about doing so before visiting this beautiful country.  I was glad I took the time to learn about how Egypt makes their money, and how the country developed over time the way it did.