Egypt

Cairo serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Egypt, positioned in Northern Africa. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Alexandria, Giza, Port Said — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the Arab world, a metropolis of 20 million people built around and over one of history's oldest urban sites — where Pharaonic temples and Roman ruins sit beneath medieval Islamic Cairo's 1,000 mosques and minarets, and the Giza pyramids are visible from apartment balconies in the modern suburbs.

With a population of approximately 104M, Egypt is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Arabic, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Egypt is reached via the dialling code +20. Egyptians developed the concept of the state — a centralised political unit administering millions across a large territory — 5,000 years ago along the Nile, and the continuity of Egyptian identity across dynastic, Greek, Roman, Islamic, and modern periods is one of history's most remarkable examples of cultural persistence despite repeated foreign conquest.

Egypt spans 1,002,450 km², in the Northern Africa subregion of Africa. Geographically centred around 27.0°N, 30.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Africa convention.

The official currency is the Egyptian pound (£), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Egypt's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+02:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

The emblematic dish of Egypt is Kushari. Ful medames — slow-cooked fava beans seasoned with lemon, garlic, and olive oil — has been eaten in Egypt for at least 2,000 years and remains the daily breakfast of millions, while koshari (lentils, rice, pasta, crispy onions, and tomato sauce) is Cairo's great democratic street food, consumed identically by taxi drivers and professors.

Football holds a special place in the heart of Egypt's national identity. Football dominates Egyptian sport, with Al Ahly and Zamalek competing in one of the world's most intense club rivalries within the same city — Al Ahly holding the record for most African Championship titles of any club on the continent — while Mohamed Salah's Liverpool career has generated a level of global celebrity that transforms international matches into national events.

The highest point in Egypt is Mount Catherine, rising to 2,629 metres above sea level. The Nile River system created ancient Egypt's civilisation by depositing the rich alluvial silt that made the Nile Valley the most productive agricultural land in the ancient Mediterranean world — a relationship between river and people so fundamental that the ancient Egyptian calendar was organised around the annual flood, inundation, and planting cycle.