Al-Qahira

Cairo القاهرة
City
Clockwise from top: View of the Nile, Muizz Street, Baron Empain Palace, Cairo Citadel, Talaat Harb Square, Ibn Tulun Mosque
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): The City of a Thousand Minarets
Cairo Show map of Egypt Cairo Show map of Africa Location of Cairo within Egypt
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
Governorate	Cairo
Founded	969 AD
Founded by	Jawhar al-Siqilli
Government
• Governor	Atef Abd El Hamid
Area
• City	528 km2 (204 sq mi)
• Urban	6,740 km2 (2,600 sq mi)
• Metro	250,000 km2 (100,000 sq mi)
Elevation	23 m (75 ft)
Population (2017)
• City	9,500,000
• Density	19,376/km2 (50,180/sq mi)
• Urban	18,290,000
• Metro	20,439,541
• Demonym	Cairene
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
Area code(s)	(+20) 2
Website	www.cairo.gov.eg
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Historic Cairo
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iii, vi
Designated	1979
Reference no.	[1]
State Party	Egypt
Region	Arab States

Cairo (/ˈkaɪroʊ/ KYE-roh; Arabic: القاهرة‎‎ al-Qāhirah,  pronunciation , Coptic: ⲕⲁϩⲓⲣⲏ Kahire) is the capital and largest city of Egypt. The city's metropolitan area is the largest in the Middle East and the Arab world, and 15th-largest in the world, and is associated with ancient Egypt, as the famous Giza pyramid complex and the ancient city of Memphis are located in its geographical area. Located near the Nile Delta, modern Cairo was founded in 969 CE by Jawhar of the Fatimid dynasty, but the land composing the present-day city was the site of ancient national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Cairo has long been a center of the region's political and cultural life, and is titled "the city of a thousand minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture. Cairo is considered a World City with a "Beta +" classification according to GaWC.