Much of Egypt’s culture today can be traced back to ancient traditions and festivals since many Egyptians’ families have lived in the country for generations. Egypt's economy was highly centralized during the rule of former President Gamal Abdel NASSER but has opened up considerably under former President Anwar EL-SADAT and current President Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK. Another key contributor to Egypt’s economy is the country’s tourism industry. The ancient Egyptians were wonderful traders. Ships sailed up and down the Nile River, bringing goods to various ports. Ancient Egypt for Kids Economy and Trade. Egypt: Background . Mainly the economy consisted of exchanging gold and wheat. Making Money in Ancient Egypt . The country also has a thriving economy. Most of ancient Egypt’s income was based on agriculture, but trade also had an important role in the budget. Egypt had a unique place on the map of the ancient world. Agriculture, hydrocarbons, manufacturing, tourism, and other service sectors drove the country’s relatively diverse economic activity. It is perfectly located on two continents, and has access to many trading networks, which it utilizes to forge relationships with many countries. If you go to Egypt, you should know that the economy is made up of trading still in most towns. Egypt's economy was highly centralized during the rule of former President Gamal Abdel NASSER but opened up considerably under former Presidents Anwar EL-SADAT and Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK. The industry employs about 12% of Egypt’s labor force and accounts for 11% of Egypt’s Gross Domestic Product. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Egypt Economy 2020 information contained here. They traded gold, papyrus, linen, and grain for cedar wood, ebony, copper, iron, ivory, and lapis lazuli (a lovely blue gem stone.) The money to the people of the ancient Egyptians is the way of trading and that is how they survive for many years. The economy was made up of the trading of gold and wheat. Economic growth in Egypt has been held back by a severely limited amount of arable land (less than 5% of the total area) as well as a large and rapidly growing population. Although the economy wasn’t as complicated then as it is now, there are many practices that continue to be relevant/used in today’s world. In the late 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, Egypt’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP) rose markedly, as the government sought to raise domestic production and foreign trade. Egypt’s economy began to become more resilient, primarily because of new oil and natural gas discoveries but also because Western aid increased. Cairo from 2004 to 2008 aggressively pursued economic reforms to attract foreign investment and facilitate GDP growth. The Great Pyramids of Giza, are the country’s star attraction. The Civilization of Egypt Used many forms of commerce, as well as agriculture, to maintain themselves economically. After 1945, a large proportion of funds and energy were devoted to preparing the Egypt's main economic activities were the exchange of gold and wheat, agriculture, livestock, fishing and handicrafts. NOTE: 1) The information regarding Egypt on this page is re-published from the 2020 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. Egypt, as a unified country, is believed to have been created about 3,200BCE, though it is known that a civilization existed here since the Neolithic period (8,800-4,700BCE) and perhaps as far back as the Palaeolithic period, though much of the dating of this period was done by uncalibrated radiocarbon dating methods.