Cairo

Cairo is the capital of Egypt and one of Africa’s largest cities. It lies in Lower Egypt along the Nile, near the point where the river spreads toward the fertile Nile Delta. Much of the city proper is on the eastern bank, while Greater Cairo extends across a wider urban area that includes Giza and parts of neighboring governorates.

The climate is hot and dry: summers are very hot with little rain, and winters are milder. For centuries, the Nile has shaped the city’s growth, agriculture, transport and daily life. Cairo is also a major political, economic, educational and cultural center, with universities, public institutions, businesses and museums.

Cairo was formally founded in 969 CE by the Fatimid commander Jawhar al-Siqilli, although older settlements existed in the region. Its historic districts preserve traces of Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic and Islamic history. Well-known landmarks include the Citadel of Cairo, Al-Azhar Mosque, Khan el-Khalili and the Egyptian Museum.

The pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are not in Cairo proper; they are in neighboring Giza, across the Nile, within the wider metropolitan area. Population figures depend on the boundaries used: Cairo itself has around ten million residents, while the broader urban agglomeration has more than twenty million. This difference explains why sources can give different figures.