Cairo

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).[4]

القاهرة
Towers on the Nile.jpg
مسجد أحمد ابن طولون1.jpgMuizz Street - Egypt.jpg
CairoTalaatHarbToEast.jpgQalaa from Azhar Park.jpgBaron Palace.jpg
Flag of Cairo
 
Coordinates: 30°2′40″N 31°14′9″E / 30.04444°N 31.23583°E / 30.04444; 31.23583Coordinates: 30°2′40″N 31°14′9″E / 30.04444°N 31.23583°E / 30.04444; 31.23583
Country Egypt
GovernorateCairo
Founded969 CE
Founded byFatimid dynasty
Government
 • GovernorAtef Abd El Hamid[1]
Area
 • Metropolis214 km2 (83 sq mi)
 • Metro
17,267.6 km2 (6,667.1 sq mi)
Elevation
23 m (75 ft)
Population
 (2017)
 • Metropolis19,500,000
 • Density19,376/km2 (50,180/sq mi)
 • Urban
18,290,000
 • Metro
20,439,541
 • Demonym
Cairene
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
Websitewww.cairo.gov.eg
Official nameHistoric Cairo
TypeCultural
Criteriai, iii, vi
Designated1979
Reference no.[3]
State PartyEgypt
RegionArab States
The town center of Cairo, seen from the Cairo tower.
A map of Egypt. Cairo is the light green spot.

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.[5] 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
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 88.0
(31.11)
93.6
(34.22)
100.2
(37.89)
109.8
(43.22)
118.0
(47.78)
115.5
(46.39)
108.7
(42.61)
110.1
(43.39)
110.7
(43.72)
106.0
(41.11)
99.3
(37.39)
86.4
(30.22)
118.0
(47.78)
Average high °F (°C) 66.0
(18.89)
68.7
(20.39)
74.3
(23.5)
82.9
(28.28)
90.0
(32.22)
93.0
(33.89)
94.5
(34.72)
93.6
(34.22)
90.7
(32.61)
84.6
(29.22)
76.6
(24.78)
68.5
(20.28)
81.95
(27.75)
Daily mean °F (°C) 56.5
(13.61)
58.8
(14.89)
62.4
(16.89)
70.2
(21.22)
76.1
(24.5)
81.1
(27.28)
81.7
(27.61)
81.3
(27.39)
79.0
(26.11)
73.9
(23.28)
66.0
(18.89)
59.0
(15)
70.5
(21.389)
Average low °F (°C) 48.0
(8.89)
49.5
(9.72)
52.9
(11.61)
58.3
(14.61)
63.9
(17.72)
68.2
(20.11)
72.0
(22.22)
71.8
(22.11)
68.9
(20.5)
63.3
(17.39)
57.4
(14.11)
50.7
(10.39)
60.41
(15.782)
Record low °F (°C) 34.2
(1.22)
38.5
(3.61)
41.0
(5)
45.7
(7.61)
54.1
(12.28)
61.0
(16.11)
64.8
(18.22)
66.0
(18.89)
58.1
(14.5)
54.1
(12.28)
41.4
(5.22)
37.0
(2.78)
34.2
(1.22)
Precipitation inches (mm) 0.20
(5.1)
0.15
(3.8)
0.15
(3.8)
0.04
(1)
0.02
(0.5)
0.00
(0)
0.00
(0)
0.00
(0)
0.00
(0)
0.03
(0.8)
0.15
(3.8)
0.23
(5.8)
0.97
(24.6)
Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN) (1971–2000),[6][7]

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.[8]

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.[4]

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 Egyptian museum

The great pyramids of Giza and the step pyramid of Sakkara are just outside of the city.[4]

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.[4]

Famous Cairenes

People from Cairo are called 'Cairenes'.

Notes

  1. "محافظ القاهرة يرفض تطوير المستثمرين الحدائق.. ويؤكد: "هيسحلوا الغلابة"". Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  2. "Cairo | national capital, Egypt". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  3. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "Historic Cairo – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Hedges, Chris. "What's Doing in Cairo," New York Times. January 8, 1995.
  5. Demographia World Urban Areas & Population Projections (PDF), Demographia, April 2009, retrieved 9 July 2009
  6. "Weather Information for Cairo". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  7. "Cairo (A) Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  8. Beeson, Irene. "Cairo, a Millennial," Saudi Aramco World. September/October 1969, pp. 24, 26-30.

References

Other websites