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Egypt
AfricaNorthern Africa
1 Million km²
Quick Facts
Capital
Cairo
Area
1,002,450 km²
Language
Arabic
Currency
Egyptian Pound (EGP)
Calling Code
+20
Drives On
Right
Internet
.eg
Timezone
EET (UTC+2)
Script
Arabic
Government
Presidential Republic
Independence
1922
Map tiles by CARTO. Data by OpenStreetMap.
Egypt is where civilization got serious. Five thousand years ago, while most of the world was still figuring out agriculture, Egyptians were building pyramids with mathematical precision, performing surgery, and developing a writing system of extraordinary beauty. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, and it's still standing there in the Cairo suburbs, calmly defying explanation.
Modern Egypt is a country of 107 million people packed along a narrow ribbon of green on either side of the Nile - the river that made everything possible. Step away from the riverbanks and you're in desert almost immediately. Cairo is one of the world's great megacities, overwhelming and addictive in equal measure. The food is hearty and cheap, the history is literally underfoot, and the call to prayer from a thousand minarets at sunset is one of those sounds you don't forget.
Largest Cities in Egypt
1
Cairo
Capital and largest city in the Arab world, a chaotic, magnificent sprawl where pharaonic monuments meet medieval mosques
21,300,000
2
Alexandria
Mediterranean port founded by Alexander the Great, once home to the ancient world's greatest library
5,400,000
3
Giza
Home to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, technically a separate city but merging seamlessly into Cairo's western edge
4,400,000
4
Port Said
Strategic city at the northern entrance of the Suez Canal, a duty-free zone with a cosmopolitan history
760,000
5
Luxor
Open-air museum built on the ruins of ancient Thebes, with the Valley of the Kings just across the Nile
507,000
6
Aswan
Southernmost major city on the Nile, gateway to Nubia and home to the High Dam that tamed the annual floods
350,000
Famous People from Egypt
Cleopatra VII
PoliticsLast active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, whose intelligence and political skill made her one of history's most famous leaders
Naguib Mahfouz
LiteratureFirst Arabic-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1988), chronicler of Cairo street life
Ahmed Zewail
ScienceWon the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1999) for pioneering femtochemistry, observing atoms during chemical reactions
Mohamed Salah
SportOne of the world's best footballers, Liverpool FC star and all-time top scorer for the Egyptian national team
Om Kalthoum
MusicThe most famous Arab singer of the 20th century, whose concerts could last over four hours and stopped traffic across the Middle East
Zahi Hawass
ScienceWorld's most famous Egyptologist, led major discoveries including the Valley of the Golden Mummies
Imhotep
ScienceHistory's first named architect and physician, designed the Step Pyramid at Saqqara around 2650 BCE
Nefertiti
PoliticsQueen of Egypt during its wealthiest period, her iconic bust is one of the most copied works of ancient art
Traditional Cuisine of Egypt
Koshari
Egypt's national dish - a layered mountain of rice, lentils, pasta, and chickpeas topped with spicy tomato sauce and crispy onions
Ful Medames
Slow-cooked fava beans mashed with olive oil, lemon, and cumin, eaten for breakfast by millions of Egyptians every morning
Ta'ameya
Egyptian falafel made with fava beans instead of chickpeas, giving it a distinctive bright green interior
Molokhia
Viscous green soup made from jute leaves, cooked with garlic and coriander, served over rice with chicken or rabbit
Shawarma
Marinated meat slow-roasted on a vertical spit, shaved into flatbread with tahini, pickles, and garlic sauce
Mahshi
Vine leaves, peppers, and zucchini stuffed with herbed rice and sometimes minced meat, a staple of Egyptian family cooking
Umm Ali
Bread pudding made with puff pastry, milk, nuts, and raisins - Egypt's most beloved comfort food dessert
Basbousa
Semolina cake soaked in sweet syrup and topped with almonds, found in every bakery and at every celebration
Nature & Landmarks in Egypt
Nile River
RiverThe world's longest river at 6,650 km, the lifeblood of Egyptian civilization for over 5,000 years
Sahara Desert
DesertThe world's largest hot desert covers about 97% of Egypt's land area, stretching endlessly west of the Nile Valley
Sinai Peninsula
MountainBiblical peninsula between Africa and Asia, home to Mount Sinai (2,285 m) and some of the Red Sea's best diving
Red Sea Coast
CoastWorld-class diving and snorkeling along coral reefs teeming with marine life, from Hurghada to Sharm El-Sheikh
White Desert
DesertSurreal landscape of chalk-white rock formations sculpted by wind into mushroom shapes and towers in the Western Desert
Siwa Oasis
LandmarkRemote oasis near the Libyan border where Alexander the Great consulted the Oracle of Amun in 331 BCE
Valley of the Kings
LandmarkRoyal burial ground near Luxor containing 63 tombs including Tutankhamun's, carved deep into limestone cliffs
Lake Nasser
LakeOne of the world's largest artificial lakes, created by the Aswan High Dam and stretching 550 km into Sudan
Sports in Egypt
Football
Record seven-time African Cup of Nations champions, the most successful national team in African football history
Squash
Global squash superpower with Egyptian players dominating both the men's and women's world rankings for years
Handball
Perennial African champion and World Championship regular, one of the strongest handball nations outside Europe
Weightlifting
Consistent Olympic and World Championship medal winners, particularly in lighter weight categories
Did You Know?
1
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World and was the tallest structure on Earth for nearly 4,000 years
2
Ancient Egyptians invented the 365-day calendar, one of the earliest forms of paper (papyrus), and black ink
3
About 97% of Egypt is desert - virtually the entire population lives on just 3% of the land along the Nile
4
The Suez Canal is 193 km long and handles about 12% of global trade, making it one of the world's most important waterways
5
Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid
6
Cairo is known as the City of a Thousand Minarets for its extraordinary concentration of Islamic architecture
7
Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted over 3,000 years - longer than the time between the fall of Rome and today
8
The Rosetta Stone, which unlocked the secret of hieroglyphics, was found by French soldiers in 1799 near the city of Rashid
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Test Your Knowledge of Egypt
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