What Is the Capital of Egypt? Cairo

Q: What time zone is Cairo in?

Cairo is on UTC+2 — UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Friday in October.

Q: Which capital is closest to Cairo?

Among the capitals of neighbouring countries, Jerusalem (Israel) is the closest, 425 km away in a straight line.

Cairo at a glance

Name origin

The ancient Egyptian name of the original city was Khere-ohe or Kheri-aha; the modern city's name may also derive from the Arabic al-qahir, meaning "the victorious;" this is an Arabic name for the planet Mars, which was in the ascendant on the day in 969 A.D. when construction on the new part of the city began.

Time zone

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Friday in October.

Coordinates

30 03 N, 31 15 E · IANA time zone Africa/Cairo

Location of Egypt

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula

Largest cities in Egypt

1

Cairo Capital

22.2 million

2

Alexandria

5.6 million

3

Bur Sa'id

778,000

Urban-area population · CIA World Factbook (public domain)

Capitals of neighbouring countries

Capitals closest to Cairo

Straight-line distance between capitals.

Frequently asked questions about Cairo

What is the capital of Egypt?

The capital of Egypt is Cairo. About 22.2 million people live in the Cairo urban area — 18.7% of the country's population.

Is Cairo the largest city in Egypt?

Yes — Cairo is also the largest urban area of Egypt (22.2 million).

What time zone is Cairo in?

Cairo is on UTC+2 — UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Friday in October.

Where does the name Cairo come from?

The ancient Egyptian name of the original city was Khere-ohe or Kheri-aha; the modern city's name may also derive from the Arabic al-qahir, meaning "the victorious;" this is an Arabic name for the planet Mars, which was in the ascendant on the day in 969 A.D. when construction on the new part of the city began.

Which capital is closest to Cairo?

Among the capitals of neighbouring countries, Jerusalem (Israel) is the closest, 425 km away in a straight line.

Data: CIA World Factbook (public domain); population: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0).

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