1. City in Georgia (USA); zip code 31728.
2. City in Illinois (USA); zip code 62914.
3. The capital of Egypt and the largest city in Africa; a major port just south of the Nile Delta; formerly the home of the Pharaohs; Also called: El Qahira, Egyptian capital, capital of Egypt.
4. Town in West Virginia (USA); zip code 26337.
5. Unincorporated community in New York (USA).
6. Village in Missouri (USA); zip code 65239.
7. Village in Nebraska (USA); zip code 68824.
8. Village in Ohio (USA).
Capital of Egypt, on the east bank of the river Nile 13 km/8 mi above the apex of the delta and 160 km/100 mi from the Mediterranean; the largest city in Africa and in the Middle East; ; metropolitan area (1987) 13,300,000. An earthquake in a suburb of the city Oct 1992 left over 500 dead.
history.
El Fustat (Old Cairo) was founded by Arabs about AD 642, Al Qahira about 1000 by the Fatimid ruler Gowhar. Cairo was the capital of the Ayyubid dynasty, one of whose sultans, Saladin, built the Citadel in the late 1100s.
Under the Mamelukes 1250–1517 the city prospered, but declined in the 16th century after conquest by the Turks. It became the capital of the virtually autonomous kingdom of Egypt established by Mehmet Ali 1805. During World War II it was the headquarters of the Allied forces in N Africa.
features.
Cairo is the site of the mosque that houses the El Azhar university (972). The Mosque of Amr dates from 643; the 12th-century Citadel contains the impressive 19th-century Mohammed Ali mosque. The city is 32 km/20 mi N of the site of the ancient Egyptian center of Memphis. The Great Pyramids and Sphinx are at nearby El Gîza. The government and business quarters reflect Cairo’s position as a leading administrative and commercial center, and the semiofficial newspaper al Ahram is an influential voice in the Arab world. Cairo’s industries include the manufacture of textiles, cement, vegetable oils, and beer. At Helwan, 24 km/15 mi to the S, an industrial center is developing, with iron and steelworks powered by electricity from the Aswan High Dam. There are two secular universities: Cairo University (1908) and Ein Shams (1950).