ABSTRACT
The geographical distribution of the population of Egypt has been determined by the course of the Nile. Co-operative farming in the Nile Valley has by no means prevented the sub-division of landholdings and the emergence of a considerable degree of landlessness. Responsibility for the main inter-city paved roads in Egypt lies with the Road and Bridge Authority. Urban roads and earth roads come under the local governments. An objective of the local authorities is to convert all earth roads to paved roads. It is implicitly reasoned that this will assist poverty alleviation by making markets available all the year round and speeding up market trips. Road maintenence is financed both by national budget and by a special tax on gasoline collected by the oil companies. The level of road expenditure under the RBA during the late sixties and early seventies was kept to a minimum. The low overall level of road expenditure in the late sixties was experienced in Fayoum.
