Cairo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cairo
القاهرة
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Clockwise from top:
View of the Nile, Muizz Street, Baron Empain Palace, Cairo Citadel, Talaat Harb Square, Ibn Tulun Mosque |
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Nickname(s):
The City of a Thousand Minarets
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Country | ![]() |
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Governorate | Cairo | |
Founded | 969 CE | |
Founded by | Fatimid dynasty | |
Area | ||
• Metropolis | 214 km2 (83 sq mi) | |
• Metro | 17,267.6 km2 (6,667.1 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 23 m (75 ft) | |
Population
(2017)
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• Metropolis | 19,500,000 | |
• Density | 19,376/km2 (50,180/sq mi) | |
• Urban | 18,290,000 | |
• Metro | 20,439,541 | |
• Demonym | Cairene | |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) | |
Area code(s) | (+20) 2 | |
Website | www.cairo.gov.eg | |
Official name: Historic Cairo | ||
Type: | Cultural | |
Criteria: | i, iii, vi | |
Designated: | 1979 | |
State Party: | Egypt | |
Region: | Arab States |
Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة, usually transliterated as Al-Qāhirah) is the capital and largest city in Egypt. The city name can be translated as the one who won. Cairo is sometimes called "Mother of the World" (Um al Dunya).
Cairo has 7,947,121 people. About 17,290,000 people live in its urban area. This makes it the biggest city of the Arab World. It also is the city with the biggest urban area in Africa
The city is on the Nile River.
Geography
Climate
The city of Cairo has a hot desert climate (BWh), meaning it has a hot, sunny and dry climate a year long. The city, however, has more humidity than other cities with the hot desert climate (BWh).
Climate data for Cairo | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 88.0 (31.1) |
93.6 (34.2) |
100.2 (37.9) |
109.8 (43.2) |
118.0 (47.8) |
115.5 (46.4) |
108.7 (42.6) |
110.1 (43.4) |
110.7 (43.7) |
106.0 (41.1) |
99.3 (37.4) |
86.4 (30.2) |
118.0 (47.8) |
Average high °F (°C) | 66.0 (18.9) |
68.7 (20.4) |
74.3 (23.5) |
82.9 (28.3) |
90.0 (32.2) |
93.0 (33.9) |
94.5 (34.7) |
93.6 (34.2) |
90.7 (32.6) |
84.6 (29.2) |
76.6 (24.8) |
68.5 (20.3) |
82.0 (27.8) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 56.5 (13.6) |
58.8 (14.9) |
62.4 (16.9) |
70.2 (21.2) |
76.1 (24.5) |
81.1 (27.3) |
81.7 (27.6) |
81.3 (27.4) |
79.0 (26.1) |
73.9 (23.3) |
66.0 (18.9) |
59.0 (15.0) |
70.5 (21.4) |
Average low °F (°C) | 48.0 (8.9) |
49.5 (9.7) |
52.9 (11.6) |
58.3 (14.6) |
63.9 (17.7) |
68.2 (20.1) |
72.0 (22.2) |
71.8 (22.1) |
68.9 (20.5) |
63.3 (17.4) |
57.4 (14.1) |
50.7 (10.4) |
60.4 (15.8) |
Record low °F (°C) | 34.2 (1.2) |
38.5 (3.6) |
41.0 (5.0) |
45.7 (7.6) |
54.1 (12.3) |
61.0 (16.1) |
64.8 (18.2) |
66.0 (18.9) |
58.1 (14.5) |
54.1 (12.3) |
41.4 (5.2) |
37.0 (2.8) |
34.2 (1.2) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.20 (5.1) |
0.15 (3.8) |
0.15 (3.8) |
0.04 (1.0) |
0.02 (0.51) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.03 (0.76) |
0.15 (3.8) |
0.23 (5.8) |
0.97 (24.57) |
Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN) (1971–2000), |
History
The area around the city was an important focal point of Ancient Egypt.
In 968, the Fatimids entered Egypt and they made Cairo the capital of their caliphate.
The Al Azhar mosque and university was made in 972. This became the world's oldest university. It is the most widely known seminary in the Islamic world.
In 1992, Cairo was devastated by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that caused 545 deaths, injuring 6,512, and made 50,000 people homeless, the most destructive since 1847.
Tourism
The great pyramids of Giza and the step pyramid of Sakkara are just outside of the city.
The Egyptian Museum holds the world’s largest collection of antiquities from the time of the ancient Pharaohs. Many treasures from the tomb of King Tutankhamun are in this museum.
Famous Cairenes
People from Cairo are called 'Cairenes'.
- Abu Sa'id al-Afif - Fifteenth Century Samaritian
- Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former Secretary-General of the United Nations
- Naguib Mahfouz, novelist, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988.
- Mido, Professional soccer player with Middlesbrough F.C
- Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency 2005 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
- Naguib Sawiris, 62nd richest person on earth in a 2007 list of billionaires, reaching US$10.0 billion with his company Orascom Telecom Holding
- Farouk El Baz, a great contributor to NASA
- Sir Magdi Yacoub, leading cardiologist, knight
- Constantin Xenakis (1931) Greek artist
- Voula Zouboulaki (1931) Greek actress
- Hedges, Chris. "What's Doing in Cairo," New York Times. January 8, 1995.
Geographic data related to Cairo at OpenStreetMap
Images for kids
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Excavated ruins of Fustat (2004 photo)
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The Mosque of Ibn Tulun, built by Ahmad Ibn Tulun in 876–879 AD
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The Cairo Citadel, seen above in the late 19th century, was begun by Saladin in 1176
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Map of Cairo in 1809, from the Description de l'Égypte.
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Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933). On the Way between Old and New Cairo, Citadel Mosque of Mohammed Ali, and Tombs of the Mamelukes, 1872. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum
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The river Nile flows through Cairo, here contrasting ancient customs of daily life with the modern city of today.
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Aerial view looking south, with the Zamalek and Gezira districts on Gezira Island, surrounded by the Nile
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View of the Nile and the Cairo skyline.
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Cairo University is the largest university in Egypt, and is located in Giza.
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Main entrance of the Egyptian Museum, located at Tahrir Square
See also
In Spanish: El Cairo para niños