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Cairo Facts & Worksheets

The Capital City of Egypt is Cairo, and Cairo's metropolitan area is the largest in Africa, the largest in the Middle East and 15th-largest in the world. Cairo is often associated with ancient Egypt.

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The Capital City of Egypt is Cairo, and Cairo’s metropolitan area is the largest in Africa, the largest in the Middle East and 15th-largest in the world. Cairo is often associated with ancient Egypt. The famous ancient structures to be found in Cairo are The Pyramids of Giza and the ancient city of Memphis.

See the fact file below for more information on Cairo or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Cairo worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

GENERAL FACTS

  • Another name for Cairo is “The City of a Thousand Minarets.”
  • Greater Cairo is the largest city in the Middle East and Africa.
  • It was founded in 969 AD by the Fatimid Dynasty.
  • Rulers from Ancient Egypt, the Roman and Ottoman Empires, France, and Britain have ruled Cairo.
  • The current governor of Cairo is Atef Abd El Hamid.
  • The capital city of Cairo has an area of 234 square miles, while its metro has an area of 6,667.1 square miles.
  • Cairo has an elevation of 23 meters.
  • As of October 2018, Cairo’s capital city has a population of 9,500,000, while Cairo’s Metro has a population of 20,439,541.
  • People living in Cairo are called Cairene.
  • Geographically, Cairo is located near the Nile Delta.

ETYMOLOGY

  • Egyptians often refer to Cairo as Masr, the Egyptian Arabic name for Egypt itself to emphasize Cairo’s importance for the country.
  • The official name of Cairo is al-Qāhirah, which means “the Vanquisher” or “the Conqueror.”
  • The name came possibly from the fact that the planet Mars, called an-Najm al-Qāhir mean “the Conquering Star”, could be seen at the same time the city was founded.
  • The name could also possibly refer to the much awaited arrival of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu’izz who reached Cairo in 973 from Mahdia, the old Fatimid capital.
  • Ain Shams, a suburb of Cairo, is the location of an ancient city known as Heliopolis.
  • Ain Shams means “Eye of the Sun.”
  • The Coptic name of Cairo is Kashromi which means “man breaker”.

CULTURE

  • While Modern Cairo was founded by the Fatimid Dynasty in 969 AD, the land composing the present-day city was known to be the site of ancient national capitals.
  • Its remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo.
  • Cairo is renowned for being the center of Egypt’s political and cultural life.
  • Cairo is called “The City of a Thousand Minarets” because of the Islamic culture widely practiced in the city.
  • A minaret is a tower that is built into or adjacent to Mosques.
  • Cairo is the city which cradled the oldest and largest film and music industry in the Middle East.
  • However, historians disagree in determining the beginning of Cinema in Egypt.
  • Some say it happened in 1896, while others believe that it happened on 20 June 1907.
  • Al-Azhar University, the world’s second-oldest institution of higher learning, is also located in Cairo.
  • Several international media, businesses, and organizations have regional headquarters in Cairo.
  • Like other megacities, as Cairo is the largest city in Egypt, it is suffering from high levels of pollution and traffic.
  • One of the two metros in Africa, Cairo’s metro ranks fifteenth busiest in the world.
  • Cairo’s metro caters to 1 billion annual passengers.
  • The Pyramids of Giza were the tallest buildings in the world for centuries until skyscrapers were built in 1889.
  • In 2005, Cairo’s economy ranked first in the Middle East.
  • In 2010, Cairo’s economy ranked 43rd globally on Foreign Policy’s 2010 Global Cities Index.

HISTORY

  • Cairo is rooted in the ancient settlement of Memphis, which is now 24 kilometers southwest of the city.
  • Memphis was founded in 2,000 BC and ruled by King Menes.
  • The Romans built the Babylon fortress on Nile in the 1st century, which was the oldest structure in the city at the time.
  • In the 10th Century, Cairo was established as the city of Fustat by the Fatimids.
  • A period of huge construction began as well as the construction of prominent landmarks such as the Al-Azhar mosque.
  • Cairo was a key link of the east-west spice route.
  • Saladin, the first Sultan of Egypt, came from Cairo in the 12th century.
  • Saladin commissioned the construction of many more significant buildings.
  • Cairo became an important centre of Islamic learning when the Mamluks seized Egypt in the 13th century.
  • In the 16th century, the Ottomans took over the Mamluks.
  • Constantinople rose and Cairo declined.
  • Cairo was struck by the Black Death several times which caused the population to diminish by hundreds of thousands.
  • Muhammad Ali Pasha founded the modern Egyptian state in the early 19th century after resisting Napoleonic rule.
  • Under his rule, social and economic reforms followed as well as huge construction projects.
  • Because of this, boulevards and plazas inspired by Paris can still be seen around downtown Cairo.
  • After being seized by British forces and breaking free from their clutches, Cairo developed into a modern metropolis.
  • In 2011, millions protested in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to overthrow the dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Cairo Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Cairo across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Cairo worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Capital City of Egypt which is Cairo, and Cairo’s metropolitan area is the largest in Africa, the largest in the Middle East and 15th-largest in the world. Cairo is often associated with ancient Egypt. The famous ancient structures to be found in Cairo are The Pyramids of Giza and the ancient city of Memphis.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Cairo, Egypt Facts
  • Cairo or Incorrect
  • Over the Years
  • Coming Up with Cairo
  • Ruling Empires
  • Picture Narrative
  • Canvas of Cairo
  • Postcard from Cairo
  • Egyptian Cities
  • Song About Cairo
  • Cairo Collage

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Link will appear as Cairo Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 5, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.