The population of Egypt in its ethnic composition is the most homogeneous among the inhabitants of the North African states. This country is considered the largest of all Arab countries and the second among African (after Nigeria) countries.
Ethnic groups
98% of the inhabitants are Egyptians. Various, including Arabic-speaking, ethnic minorities assimilate with them and settle on the periphery of the ethnic Egyptian territory. These groups are small not only in comparison with the Egyptians, but also with people from other African and Arab countries. The population of Egypt includes several large, after the Egyptians, groups: the Sinai and the Nubians. The former are a transitional ethnic group. They inhabit the Sinai Peninsula, especially coastal areas. Palestinian refugees live in these areas, the Egyptians are mainly people of military professions, employees, workers who come to these areas for a certain period. The Nubians are also a very peculiar ethnic group. It was formed in the 2nd half of the 20th century, after the Mahas, Kunuz and local Arab-Nubian tribes were evicted from Nubia.
The population of Egypt. Berber and Bisharin groups
Representatives of the latter ethnic group are the northernmost of the Beja tribes. Within the state borders, only a part of the Bisharins are settled, the number of which is 20 thousand. They still lead a semi-nomadic or nomadic life, driving flocks of sheep and herds of camels to desert pastures from Lake Nasser and back. Today, among the Bisharins, a large percentage of the inhabitants are city dwellers. The number of Berbers, also included in the population of Egypt, is no more than a thousand people. They live on the border with Libya, the Mediterranean coast and in the Siwa oasis.
Disputes over nation
For about half a century, the question of whether the Egyptians are considered a separate nation or are adjacent to the pan-Arab one has been unresolved. Until relatively recently, the lower strata of the townspeople and the fellahs had a vague idea of their nationality. Today, opinions are significantly divided. So, for example, some Muslims talk about their belonging to the Egyptian nation, while the other claims that the Arabs, including the Egyptians, are elements of one ethnic group. The majority of residents still hesitate or seek to find compromise formulations. It should be noted that this issue is not only of academic importance. This dispute also concerns both Egyptian and Arab nationalism, pan-Islamism, current political, linguistic and other problems that concern Egypt itself. Population (2013, namely its beginning, in terms of the number of births does not differ muchfrom 2012) today has about 84 million people. At the same time, the standard of living of people is quite low. Despite the fact that the country has introduced a system of compulsory six-year education, rural children, for example, during the harvest or sowing period, are often deprived of the opportunity to study. And the peasants today make up about 55% of the total population of Egypt.
