Egypt is a country that lies on the north coast of Africa. In this post we give you some cool and interesting facts about Egypt, for kids or for adults. Egypt is a great country to visit with many famous attractions and a rich history. Let’s get into those facts about Egypt!
Facts About Egypt
We’ll start with some basic facts about Egypt, and move onto the more fun facts about Egypt. Probably the most important facts about Egypt are these:
Is Egypt in Africa?
Yes, Egypt is in North Africa, but a small part of Egypt, The Sinai Peninsula, extends into Asia, making Egypt a transcontinental country. Egypt is part of the region of the Middle East, but also an African and Asian country.
Here are some more fun facts about Egypt, for kids or adults.
What is the population of Egypt?
The population of Egypt is over 140 million. 140+ million people live in Egypt.
Is Egypt a Country?
Yes, Egypt is a country. Its full name is the Arab Republic of Egypt.
What is the Capital of Egypt?
The capital of the country of Egypt is Cairo. Cairo’s population is over 21 million people.
Cairo is a wonderful city to visit, must-see places include the Giza pyramid complex, just outside the city, The Old Bazaar in Cairo, The Old Egyptian Museum and the new Great Egyptian Museum, The Nileometer, Coptic Cairo and The Nile Herself.
The River Nile flows right through modern Cairo and the Giza pyramid complex (which includes the Great Spinx) is on its left (west) side.
What Language is Spoken in Egypt?
Arabic is the official language of Egypt.
What is the Currency in Egypt?
Egypt uses the Egyptian pound. 1 egyptian pound is made up of 100 piastres and one Egyptian pound is not the same as one English pound. One Egyptian pound is worth approximately 0.05 US dollars, 0.07 Au dollars, 0.04 UK pounds or 0.05 Euros.
What is the Religion in Egypt?
Most of the Egyptian population is Muslim. Over 90% identify an Sunni Muslim. There is also a strong and devout Orthodox Christian (Coptic) population in Egypt, but their numbers are low, about 10%. Just 1% identify as some other religion.
In Coptic Cairo (a small area withing the city of Cairo) you will find a place that is reputed to be the spot where baby Jesus slept with his parents Mary and Joseph when fleeing Israel. It is of immense religious significance.
What Are The National Symbols of Egypt?
The National Animal of Egypt is the Golden Eagle, The National Flower of Egypt is the white lotus.
What is the Most Important River in Egypt?
Egypt arose because of the River Nile, which flows from the south of Egypt to the north, where the Nile Delta formats before the waters spill into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile was the lifeblood of Egypt in ancient times.
The Nile’s floods and fertile deposits allowed agriculture to thrive along its banks in what would otherwise be a desert.
The Nile is and was incredibly important to Egypt and today the Aswan Dam controls its floods and irrigation.
What Wonders of The World Are in Egypt?
The best preserved of all the 7 Wonders still stands in Egypt, The Great Pyramid at Giza, just outside Cairo.
But Egypt was home to 2 of the original Seven Ancient Wonders. The Lighthouse at Alexandria (named after Alexander the Great) was on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast in the north.
What Are Egypt’s Most Famous Landmarks?
There are many famous landmarks in Egypt, with The River Nile possibly being the greatest.
The Suez Canal and Aswan Dam are modern landmarks, built to control water (the latter) and allow shipping access (the latter).
There are many pyramids in Egypt. The 3 main pyramids at Giza and the 3 most commonly visited, but there are many more illustrating various stages of pyramid building know-how through history.
The pyramid complex at Saqqara, ancient Memphis, south of Cairo, is of particular significance and the hieroglyphs on the walls inside the tombs here are beautifully preserved.
Everyone has heard of The Valley of The Kings. This Egyptian landmark is on the west bank of The Nile at Luxor. It is home to possibly the most famous tomb of them all, that of King Tutankhamun, the boy Pharaoh, discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.
On the east bank of the Nile at Luxor you’ll find The Temple of Karnak, its hypostyle hall was featured in the James Bond Movie, The Spy Who Loved Me.
Further south, at Aswan, you will find the Unfinished Obylisk, the hotel where Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Nile, and the Aswan Dam itself.
Further south again is Abu Simbel, the monument to Ramases the Great (Ramesses II ) which was famously moved to accommodate the rising waters within Lake Nasser, formed by the Aswan Dam on its completion in 1970.
This phenomenal relocation aligned the temple perfectly with the rising sun so that on one day of the year (supposedly the birthday of Rameses), the tiny figure of the great pharaoh deep inside the temple is illuminated by the dawn’s first rays along with that of Ra and Amun.
A smaller temple dedicated to Ramesses II’s wife, Nefertari, stands alongside.
It’s an incredible thing to see. We were there to see it.
What Food Do They Eat in Egypt?
Egyptian food is quite diverse and has many influences. Egypt’s unique and historical location has seen many peoples and cultures move through this land link between Africa and Asia, that is also connected by sea to Europe.
As a result of this you’ll find food that is broadly Arabic or Mediterranian, but with influences from as far afield as India.
Egyptian Animals, What Animals are Found in Egypt?
Camels obviously spring to mind when we think about Egyptian animals and camels were indeed indigenous to Egypt in ancient times.
What Does Egypt Manufacture and Export?
Egyptian cotton is famous the world over for its superb quality. Egypt also produces wheat, plus other fruit and veg crops.
Egypt also exports fossil fuels, with oil and natural gas being important to the Egyptian economy.
What is Egypt’s National Anthem?
The National Anthem of Egypt is “Bilady Bilady, Bilady” Which means my country, my country. Listen here.
Want To Learn More About Egypt?
We have a lot of Egypt coverage on our site because it’s one of our very favourite destinations. I met my husband in Egypt and my kids’ fascination with Ancient Egypt and Rick Riordan’s books about Ancient Egypt and Egyptian mythology made them long to see Egypt from an early age. We took them to Egypt for a month and they produced this post about Egypt ancient and modern. Egypt for Kids, by Kids.. They also co-wrote our post about Egyptian Food which I link to above. Thanks for visiting this post on Egypt facts and I hope it inspires you to visit Egypt one day.
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