Cairo

**Cairo** (, 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 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.

### Climate

The city of Cairo has a hot desert climate (BWh). It has a hot, sunny and dry climate all year long. The city, however, has more humidity than other cities with the hot desert climate (BWh).

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## 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

## Sources

- Hedges, Chris. "What's Doing in Cairo," _New York Times._ January 8, 1995.

## Other websites

- Cairo information  at yatb.info
- Blog about Cairo
- Places in Cairo
- Cairo -Citizendium

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Cairo
- **settlement type**: Metropolis
- **image caption**: **Clockwise from top:**
 View of the Nile, Muizz Street, Baron Empain Palace, Cairo Citadel, Talaat Harb Street, Talaat Harb Square, Ibn Tulun Mosque
- **image flag**: Flag_of_Cairo.svg
- **flag size**: 125px
- **shield size**: 60px
- **nickname**: The City of a Thousand Minarets
- **pushpin map**: Egypt#Africa#North Africa#Earth
- **pushpin label position**: left
- **pushpin relief**: yes
- **pushpin map caption**: Location of Cairo within Egypt
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision type1**: Governorates of Egypt, Governorate
- **subdivision name1**: Cairo Governorate, Cairo
- **established title**: Founded
- **established date**: 969 CE
- **established title1**: Founded by
- **established date1**: Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid dynasty
- **leader title**: Governor
- **leader name**: Atef Abd El Hamid
- **area total km2**: 214
- **area metro km2**: 17,267.6
- **elevation m**: 23
- **population total**: 19,500,000
- **population as of**: 2017
- **population density km2**: 19376
- **population urban**: 18,290,000
- **population metro**: 20,439,541
- **population blank1 title**: Demonym
- **population blank1**: Cairene
- **area code**: (+20) 2
- **website**: [http://www.cairo.gov.eg/ www.cairo.gov.eg]
- **timezone**: Eastern European Time, EET
- **utc offset**: +2