The Impact of Geography on the Development of Egypt

Developing countries face many different dilemmas. Some are self-inflicted, while others are placed before them. We will look at two of those countries that are going through underdevelopment. The African countries of Egypt and Eritrea are the two we will be comparing because I have always been fascinated with Egypt, and I am concerned with the struggles of Eritrea. At the end of the comparison, we will know why both these countries are struggling to develop. Geography of Eritrea Eritrea has a population of about 5,187,948 people and is a coastal African country that is adjacent to the Red Sea.

Its neighboring countries are Sudan, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. With a population of about 800,000 people, the city is the capital of Asmara.

Once a hamlet of the Tigre people, Asmara became the capital of the Italian colony of Eritrea in 1900 and remained a small colonial town until 1934. It was the main base for the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, and the town rapidly expanded as the leading city in Italian East Africa. Asmara was under British administration from 1941 until Eritrea’s federation with Ethiopia in 1952 and was the site of Kagnew, a U.S. telecommunications base from 1942 to 1977. It became the capital of Eritrea in 1993.

Geography of Egypt

Egypt’s specific geography isolated Egypt from some of the parts of the first Old World. In the formative years of Egyptian society, separation was an asset. It allowed the society to grow and flourish. Subsequently, Egypt’s strong farming made likely one of the empire’s important geographic characteristics. The waters of the Nile River were the resentment of different cultures and helped connect the Egyptians to peoples around the Mediterranean. Egypt is the most populous Arab country at a little more than 82 million people and is the third most populous country in Africa. Since 1996, Egypt’s population has grown from 62 million to more than 93.5 million. That’s 50% more people in just 20 years. Today, this includes Syrian refugees.

Ethnicity: In Eritrea

There are nine different cultural groups with various cultures, languages, and modes of living. Despite their various ethnicity and religious (primarily Christian& Muslim) differences, the people of Eritrea were able to invent a unified place and waged the 30-year battle for liberation from Ethiopia. The battle culminated in 1993 in the creation of the government of Eritrea, achieved through the UN-supervised vote.

Ethnicity: In Egypt

Spreading across the southernmost lands of Egypt, the Nubian culture remains one of Egypt’s oldest and richest cultures. In ancient Egypt, the Nubian culture, including its dance and music culture, is known to be greatly inspired by the Nubians’ proximity to all that nature preaches. The history of the Nubians is closely linked with that of ancient Egypt. Ancient Egypt conquered Nubian territory, incorporating them into its provinces. The Nubians, in turn, were to conquer Egypt in its 25th Dynasty. However, relations between the two peoples also show peaceful cultural interchange and cooperation, including mixed marriages. Today, people of Nubian descent primarily live in southern Egypt, especially in the Luxor and Aswan area, and in northern Sudan, particularly in the region between the city of Wadi Halfa on the Egyptian-Sudanese border and Al Dabbah. Additionally, several groups known as the Hill Nubians live in the northern Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan state, Sudan. The main Nubian groups from north to south are the Halfaweyen, Sikut, Mahas, and Dongola.

Misuse of resources and lack of in Eritrea. The administration of Eritrea has announced that it is investing in three priority fields: food safety and agricultural industry, infrastructure growth, and human resources growth. However, Eritrea’s economic circumstances remain difficult as the result of the global economic slowdown, the tough macroeconomic condition, and limited personal and human capital. But income from the production sector, if done prudently, creates chances for improving the revenue-spending ratio. Misuse of resources in Egypt. One of the biggest misuses of resources would have to be water in Egypt. It is to the point that they have passed a law based on a presidential decree because of illegal irrigation coming off the Nile River.

Now, with the newly passed law in October 2018, violators will face imprisonment if they violate the law. It is to the point that poor make-shift irrigation PVC pipes with leakage are wasting the water from the illegal taps. The good thing about this law is it paved the way for setting Egypt up with a new irrigation system for the country. The natural resources of Egypt have had a hard time being in MRQ (Modern Regulatory Quality). This includes proper stringent licensing and keeping accurate track of revenue. These resources include but are not limited to water, natural gas, petroleum, iron ore, and crude oil, which is on the decline in Egypt. Without proper documentation and record keeping, it is not clear how much money is being made due to possible corruption. However, Egypt has been working to clear this corruption from its government since 1996.

Government Corruption in Eritrea

The President of Eritrea has been the president since 1993. He has had 25 years to shape and mold the country the way he sees fit. He has stayed in power by dividing the people, as most dictators use this tactic to stay in power. No matter what issue comes up, he always denies it. He denies that there is corruption in the government and that there are bribes being taken, yet still, there is no improvement in the country’s status as the world’s least developed country.

President Isaias Afwerki is from the Tigrigna ethnic group. Even they find him to be repulsive as a leader. The divide-and-conquer tactic he frequently runs is for keeping the Tigrignas and the Christians from trusting one another. This makes it easier to rule when two of your biggest groups are constantly fighting with one another and not in unity against the corrupt government. President Afwerki has not gained public support by doing what’s good for the country but stays in power by using such tactics as intimidation, murder, imprisonment, coercion, and even torture. People had fled this country as Eritrea has been the leading refugee source nation since at least the decades when its 30-year struggle for freedom from Ethiopia started. Since reaching freedom in 1993, Eritreans kept migrating to Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Egypt, or Zion because of the need for fundamental human rights or governmental independence, educational and job opportunities, or to seek asylum because of militarization. Eritrea’s huge diaspora has been the source of critical remittances, funding its struggle for independence and offering 30 percent of the nation’s GDP annually since it turned independent.

Government Corruption in Egypt

Government corruption starts with businesses in Egypt. There is bribery and extortion to gain favor for businesses. There is a lot of nepotism as well. Nepotism has long been a part of the Egyptian culture for years. There are a lot of unqualified people holding positions they are not qualified for through sheer family or friend relationship status. This is one of the reasons why I believe there is so much corruption as well. Egypt does have a strict Penal Code, but without proper enforcement, it is sort of obsolete. That also brings us to the police in Egypt. The people in Egypt have zero faith in the police or any security forces due to the high number of times that power was abused. 3 out of 5 people say they had to pay a bribe in order to get the services they needed. This is one of the hardest things to get rid of and is like a cancer that is eating away at the very fabric of Egyptian society.

Judicial System Eritrea

A big problem with this system is that President Afwerki’s office has a big influence on the courts. Some people of Eritrea have stated that they have been treated unfairly, especially in the civil courts. There have been times when they were also made to sell their dwellings to high-ranking military or security officials. The problem with that is they were made to sell their dwellings for far less than what they were worth. It is hard to report this to the very police who are doing this, to the police force that protects its own no matter what.

Judicial System Egypt

The Egyptians have a problem with the judicial system in place. Complaints range from long and drawn-out settlements to non-enforcement of settlements won. The only way that most people get their settlements enforced is through bribery. Even then, it is not guaranteed that they will get their settlement. 1 out of 5 Egyptians do not trust the courts, judges, and magistrates because of corruption. In closing, we have looked at the geography, ethnicity, misuse of resources, government corruption, and corruption in the judicial system of both countries.

In the end, corruption affects both countries, big and small, and the people of both countries suffer due to either no trust in the government or fear. Eritrea has a long way to go in getting rid of the corruption in its government. It will not get better until their corrupt president is removed. Egypt, on the other hand, must gain the trust of its people back by showing them that they are a different government from the old.

References

1. Abdi, H. (2018). Ethnic identities and political dynamics in Eritrea. African Journal of Political Science.
2. Al-Jazeera. (2018). Water crisis in Egypt: The dwindling resource.
3. Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) (2021). Egypt's population statistics. Cairo: Government of Egypt.
4. Dereje, M. (2019). A history of the Nubian people: Relations with ancient Egypt. African Cultural Studies.
5. El-Mahdy, R. (2020). Governmental corruption in Egypt: An inside look. Middle Eastern Studies Journal.

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