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EGYPT

[geogeaphy and statistics.

Population according to Occupation. now seen in Egypt. Birds are fairly numerous, and include eagles, vultures, kites, owls, as well as several kinds of plover; sand Males. Females. Total. grouse and pigeons are abundant, the latter being kept for their dung, which is used as manure. Quails arrive irom the north about September, and return in the spring, passing through Egypt in Agriculturists. 2,049,643 2,049,643 February and March. Aquatic birds are very numerous—pelicans, Exercising professions or storks, cranes, herons, geese, and duck. trades .... 35,825 1,049,583 1,013,758 Area and Population.—The total area of Egypt proper, includServants .... 35,346 113,377 148,723 ing the Oases in the Libyan Desert, the regions between the Nile Without profession, over 10 and the Red Sea, and El-Arish in Syria, but excluding the Sudan, years of age . 147,398 3,118,902 3,266,300 is about 400,000 square miles ; but the cultivated and settled Without profession, under 10 area, that is, the Nile Valley and Delta, covers only 12,980 square years of age . 1,623,674 1,596,482 3,220,156 miles. Canals, roads, date plantations, &c., cover 1900 square miles ; 2850 square miles are comprised in the surface of the Nile, marshes, lakes, and desert. Egypt is divided into 6 governorships and 14 provinces, of which The population is generally divisible into— (1) The fellahin, or the peasant population of the Nile Valley ; 6 belong to Lower Egypt and 8 to Upper Egypt. The governorships are : Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, Suez (2) The Beduin, or nomad Arabs of the desert ; (3) The Nuba or Berberin, inhabitants of the Nile Valley Canal, Suez, El-Arish. Lower Egypt includes the provinces of : Behera, Gharbieh, between Assuan and Dongola. The first of these includes both the Moslem and Coptic inhabit- Menufieh, Dakahlieh, Kaliubieh, Charkieh. Upper Egypt: Gizeh, Beni Suef, Fayum, Minia, Assiut, Girgeh, ants, who have probably changed but little since ancient Egyptian times, in spite of their conquest at different periods by various Keneh, Assuan. The following tables give the population of each governorship and nations, each of whom has left but little mark on the inhabitants, province, with the number of persons per square mile in each :— except the change of religion. The Beduin, or the Arabs of the desert, are of two different classes : first, the Arabic-speaking tribes, who have probably immiArea p grated from Arabia and Syria, and who occupy the deserts as far in Square Population, PS 18sf.S, 1882. I897. 97 Miles. south as latitude 26° N.; secondly, the tribes who occupy the desert from Kosseir to Suakin, namely, the Hadendoa, Bisharin and the Ababda tribes, who speak a language of their own, and are probably Governorships, the descendants of the Blemmyes, who occupied these parts in Lower Egypt— ancient times. 570,062 95,010 374,838 6 Cairo The population according to the census of 1897 was 9,734,405, 319,766 4,568 231,396 76 Alexandria compared with 6,813,919 in 1882, being an increase of 43-5 per 9,722 43,751 43,616 Damietta 44 cent, in 15 years. In the two following tables are given the numbers 50,179 21,296 Suez Canal for Upper and Lower Egypt, as well as the number of foreigners 10| 24,970 11,1751 Suez resident in the country ; while in others are given the division by 16,991 2,936 El Arish 4 sex and mode of life, taken from the census of 1897 :— Provinces. Increase Lower Egypt— percent, in 1897. 1882. 631,225 677 401,730 932 Behera. 15 Y ears. 554 936,276 1,297,656 2340 Gharbieh 1,352 864,206 646,013 639 Menufieh 791 588,644 736,708 931 Dakahlieh 41-5 5,676,109 Population of Lower Egypt 4,008,746 1,055 371,465 271,391 352 Kaliubieh 45 4,058,296 Population of Upper Egypt 2,805,173 826 749,130 471,139 905 Charkieh 43 9,734,405 6,813,919 Total population Upper Egypt— 1,085 401,634 283,833 370 Gizeh 43 9,621,831 6,723,033 Egyptians 314,454 627 219,573 501 Beni Suef 24 112,574 90,886 Foreigners 752 371,006 228,709 493 Fayum 548,632 315,803 711 772 Minia 42-8 1,225,365 857,617 Town population 932 782,720 563,049 840 Assiut Number of towns, villages, 1,090 688,011 521,413 631 Girgeh 18,141 37 13,247 and hamlets, &c. 1,308 711,457 486,827 544 Keneh Assuan 240,382 158,265 Nubia Total. Females. Males. 1 Without Arabs, who were included in the figures for 1897. Government and Administration.—The Central Govern4,947,850 4,786,555 9,734,405 Total population ment consists of the Khedive, together with a Council of six Ministers of State, under the presidency of a Prime Mode of Life. Minister. To these is added the British Financial Adviser, Sedentaries— who attends all meetings of the Council of Ministers, but Natives of fixed residence 4,550,504 4,420,159 8,970,663 has not a vote; on the other hand, no financial decision may Natives settled among 49,741 be taken without his consent. The Ministries are those of 24,699 25,042 Beduins 112,574 48,325 64,249 Foreigners the Interior, Finance, Public Works, Justice, War, and Public Instruction, and in each of these are prepared the Total. 4,639,795 4,493,183 9,132,978 drafts of decrees, which are then submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval, and on being signed by the Khedive Semi-Sedentaries— become law. The control of the different parts of the Beduins resident in the 290,075 country is carried on by governors of the governorships, 142,619 villages 147,456 Beduins among native and mudirs of the provinces, each of whom is under, the 240,880 116,577 124,303 sedentary population Ministry of the Interior. The provinces are further divided into districts, each of which is under a mamur, who in 530,955 259,196 271,759 Total. his turn supervises and controls the omda, or head-man, of each village in his district. Nomad— 70,472 Justice.—In Egypt there are four judicial systems (1) 34,176 36,296 Beduin. the Mekhemehs or courts of the religious law, concerned