Natural Resources: Yesterday and Today

When you think of Egypt’s natural resources, the first thing that comes to mind is the Nile River.  Due to this being a major water source, the development of urbanization flourished in this area.  In ancient times and today, agriculture plays a big part due to the Nile River; however, in today’s culture the Nile is also used for hydroelectric power.

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Paper was made in Egypt from the papyris plant.  Although some believe that paper originated in Egypt, there are those that believe it originated in Greece; however, the papyris plant is readily available in Egypt versus Greece.  It is believed to have been produced as early as 3000 B.C. in Egypt.  Whether the use of the papyris plant was first used for writing in Egypt which is debated, it definitely was used for trade.

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Of course, there is also oil and natural gas which is a big part of their economy today.  “The petroleum industry accounts for approximately 40% of export earnings.”[4] In the 1990s the government controlled much of the economy.  Moving into 2005 the private sector began to branch out from manufacturing into land; however, the government still remained in control.  The decline of crude oil production has resulted in an increase of natural gas.  The “energy development in Egypt rests upon the ability of the private sector to generate the required capital, while helping to open new markets for natural gas exports.”[5]  The government controls the exporting, but the private sector is responsible for developing the market.

Bibliography:

Jourdan, Francesca. "THE PAPYRUS AND ITS ORIGINS." The Bibliography of Ancient Egypt. N.P., 1999. http://www.ptahhotep.com/articles/Papyrus.html.

Algarhi, Amr Saber. Oil and Natural Gas in Egypt. The American University in Cairo Department of Economics. December 2005, p. 19. http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/literature/papyrus.htm.

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[1] ElectarL, PeterX, RyanW, SandraS. Mechanism of Hydroelectric Power

[2] http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/literature/papyrus.htm

[3] http://www.nawpublishing.com/images/loose/clip_image044_000.jpg

[4] "Egypt." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (July 24, 2015).http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2586700094.html.

[5] Algarhi, Amr Saber. Oil and Natural Gas in Egypt. The American University in Cairo Department of Economics. December 2005, p. 19. http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/literature/papyrus.htm.