Egypt is an independent state in Northern Africa, and a member of the United Nations. In formal use it is Arab Republic of Egypt. Cairo is the capital.
By land area it covers 1,002,450 km², which ranks it 31st of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Mauritania and just ahead of Tanzania. That makes it a little larger than Nigeria.
Around 116.5 million people live there, placing it 13th of 250 by population — between Japan above it and the Philippines below. Within Northern Africa alone it is the 4th largest of 7 and the 1st most populous.
Location, borders and position
Its reference point sits at 27.0° north and 30.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 3,006 km from the equator, in what geographers would call subtropical latitudes.
The Tropic of Cancer passes across it. Countries on the same parallel, far away in longitude, include Nepal and Bhutan.
4 countries share a land border with it: Israel, Libya, Palestine and Sudan. The largest of them by area is Sudan, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 73.1 million people.
It has both a coastline and land borders, which is the most common arrangement of all.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Population, density and language
Density comes out at around 116 people per square kilometre, which makes it more crowded than the typical entry on this list. The median across all 250 entries here is about 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is monolingual: Arabic. Arabic is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 24 other entries including Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and the Comoros.
The demonym is Egyptian, so residents are Egyptians.
Inside Africa it places 3rd of 59 by population, and it accounts for 43% of everyone living in Northern Africa.
Currency, domain and dialling code
The currency is the Egyptian pound (£, EGP). That currency appears nowhere else on this list.
If a quiz asks for the capital of Egypt, the answer is Cairo.
Its internet country code is .eg. Calls from overseas start with +20. In ISO terms it is eg in two letters and EGY in three.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Egypt shares borders with 4 countries:
Fun facts about Egypt
- Its capital city is Cairo.
- In land area it is a little larger than Nigeria.
- The Egyptian pound is used here and nowhere else on this list.
- Arabic is official here and in 24 other entries worldwide.
- Nepal and Bhutan sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- It is 13th of 250 by population, with about 116.5 million residents.
- Websites based there use the .eg domain.
- Population density works out at roughly 116 people per square kilometre.
Egypt — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Egypt?
- The capital of Egypt is Cairo.
- What is the population of Egypt?
- Egypt has a population of about 116.5 million, which makes it the 13th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Japan sits just above it and the Philippines just below.
- Where is Egypt located?
- Egypt is in Northern Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 27.0° north and 30.0° east, roughly 3,006 km from the equator in subtropical latitudes.
- What language is spoken in Egypt?
- The official language of Egypt is Arabic. It is also official in 24 other entries on this list.
- What currency does Egypt use?
- Egypt uses the Egyptian pound, written £ (currency code EGP). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Is Egypt a country?
- Yes. Egypt is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- How big is Egypt?
- Egypt covers 1,002,450 km², ranking 31st of 250 by land area. That makes it a little larger than Nigeria.
- Which countries border Egypt?
- Egypt borders 4 countries: Israel, Libya, Palestine and Sudan. Sudan is the largest of them by area.
