2. the great library of alexandria Alexandria, Egypt 3rd century B.C. Presided over by King Ptolemy II Destroyed 700 years later “Marked the end of Egypt’s place as a center of global learning” (Khanna 191) Largest in the world 700,000 scrolls Today Norwegian designed restoration Houses the Anna LindhInstitue - “Cutting edge facilities for [3D] molecular imaging” (Khanna 191) 1 of 4 World Wide Web mirror sites University research centers
3. Geography & its importance The Nile River: World’s second longest river Flows south to north “Today even the poorest Nile basin countries are building hydroelectric dams” (Khanna 192) 99% of population and usable land runs along the Nile If another nation were to threaten the Nile, Egypt would consider it war Important Areas: “Arab Pillar, forming one corner of a triangle with Turkey and Iran” (Khanna 192) Sinai Peninsula – Where Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel (inhabited it in 1956-1973) come together Suez Canal – 120 miles long and at the North end is Port Said Can take ferry to Africa or Asia EASILY 10% of the worlds sea trade uses Suez Canal = $5 billion annually to Egypt
4. Cairo – a country within a country “It is the cultural, economic, and political hub” (Khanna 194) Pop. - Around 20 million people 1,000 years ago it controlled transcontinental markets & trade Now: Perfect example of how Arabs are rising above being third-world countries even without “sophisticated discipline of their Pharaonic and Islamic forebears” (Khanna 195) “New Cairo” – Population grows around 1 million per year Low-rise suburban developments Unemployment rates were sky high
5. Egypt’s Relationship with isrAEL Located to the west of Israel “Much of Egypt’s diplomatic clout has rested on its position as the Arab’s main interlocutor with Israel, against whom it has also sacrificed the most blood.” (Khanna 193) 1979- Peace Treaty generated by Anwar Sadat created a “cold peace” Unemployed Egyptians went to Israel to get jobs at tourist resorts in Sanai Peninsula 2005- Israel (basically) gave Egypt the Gaza Strip, which is still an unstable area that Egyptian controls
6. Egypt’s relationship with china The Suez Canal is turning into a route for large ships to trade with China (new biggest customer/merchant) Egypt buys Chinese weapons for military “China is projected to replace the United States as Egypt’s top trading partner through its investments in the Suez canal, cement factories, electronics companies, and convention centers.” (Khanna 194) The Arab world likes Chinese principles, such as honor, and Chinese representatives have begun learning Arabic and also taking Arabic names Egyptians even buy products that China makes that are unique to Egyptian culture, such as the Egyptian flag and Arabic chanting Ramadan lanterns.
7. Sources Book: The Second World Khanna, Parag. The Second World. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2008 UNC: Alexandrian Library Picture http://www.ils.unc.edu/dpr/path/alexandria/ Wikipedia: Map of Egypt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Egypt_Map.jpg Wikipedia: Cairo Picture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zad-Cairo.jpg How Stuff Works: Israel Map http://history.howstuffworks.com/asian-history/history-of-israel.htm/printable Travel Pod: Suez Canal Trade Ship Picture http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/danharriet/1/1239771600/ship-entering-suez-canal.jpg/tpod.html
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