Egypt: Capital, Flag and Fun Facts

About Egypt

Egypt is in the northeast corner of Africa, and its Sinai Peninsula reaches into Asia. Most of the country is desert, and nearly everyone lives along the green banks of the Nile River. It is famous for its pyramids, pharaohs and ancient temples.

About Cairo

Cairo sits on the Nile River in northern Egypt, just south of where the river fans out into its delta. It is a huge, busy city close to the Giza pyramids, and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fun facts about Egypt

1. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
2. In the 1960s, the temples of Abu Simbel were moved to save them from the rising Nile waters.
3. Twice a year, sunlight reaches the innermost room of the Great Temple at Abu Simbel.
4. In Wadi Al-Hitan, the 'Valley of the Whales', fossil whales still show small back legs.
5. The Suez Canal in Egypt links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
6. Ancient Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphs and made paper-like sheets from the papyrus plant.