Egypt
Cairo · North Africa
Egypt is a country in Africa. Its capital city is Cairo, the official currency is the Egyptian Pound, and the main language is Arabic.
With a population of roughly 112.7 million people spread over 1,001,450 km², Egypt is the 14th most populous country in the world and the 29th largest by area. That works out at about 113 people per square kilometre.
Egypt shares land borders with Libya, Sudan, Israel and Palestine — 4 neighbours in all. Its largest urban centres are Cairo, Alexandria and Giza. The highest point in the country is Mount Catherine, at 2,629 metres.
For scale, it covers almost exactly the same area as Mauritania, while its population is closest to that of Philippines.
- Capital
- Cairo
- Region
- North Africa
- Population
- 112,700,000
- Area
- 1,001,450 km²
- Currency
- Egyptian Pound
- Main language
- Arabic
- Highest point
- Mount Catherine
2,629 m - Land borders
- 4
Egypt: things worth knowing
- Around 95% of Egyptians live on roughly 5% of the land, along the Nile and its delta.
- The Suez Canal, opened in 1869, carries a substantial share of global seaborne trade.
- The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the seven ancient wonders still standing.
Egypt in context
Africa has 54 sovereign countries in total. Egypt ranks 3rd among them by population.
See the full list of Africa countries, or browse all 195 countries.