Egypt is a country in Africa, in Middle East, with about 118.4 million people (2025) and an area of 1,001,450 square kilometres. Its capital is Cairo, and it shares land borders with 4 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of EgyptEgypt in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Egypt's 17, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 17
Egypt is a bridge disguised as a country
Egypt sits in Africa, reaches into Asia through Sinai, and controls the Suez Canal between the Mediterranean and Red Sea. Roughly 12% of global trade moves through that corridor. When the Ever Given incident blocked the canal in 2021, the world was reminded why Egypt appears in conversations about shipping, war, energy, and empire far more than its GDP alone would predict.
More on Ever Given incident
In March 2021, the container ship Ever Given blocked the canal for six days and stranded trade worth billions per day.
16 more lenses on Egypt in the app
STORY Most Egyptians live on a thin green ribbon
THREAD Egypt is still a diplomatic crossroads
NOW Egypt is betting on mega-deals and IMF reforms to stabilize its economy
STORY The Arab Spring started in Tahrir Square and the questions it raised never left
PLACE The desert is not empty; it is where Egypt is trying to expand
PLACE A nation on one river
STORY Kings of the continent
NOW The deepest run in Egypt's World Cup history
THREAD The old power in a changed region
PLACE The bridge between two seas
STORY The Cairo derby
NOW A disaster's long shadow
THREAD Stars across the Arab world
NOW The gas exporter that became a gas buyer
THREAD Egypt's water begins in the Ethiopian highlands
PLACE The delta is sinking and turning salty
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Egypt with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Egypt?
The capital of Egypt is Cairo. Placed in Africa here. The Sinai Peninsula east of the Suez Canal lies in Asia. Cairo lies at about 30.1 degrees north and 31.2 degrees east. Egypt is in Africa, in the region often called Middle East.
What is the population of Egypt?
About 118.4 million people live in Egypt, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 13th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 1,001,450 square kilometres, that is about 118 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Egypt?
Egypt shares land borders with 4 countries: Israel, Libya, Palestine and Sudan. The map on this page outlines each of them around Egypt. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Egypt?
Egypt covers 1,001,450 square kilometres, or about 386,662 square miles. That makes it the 29th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 118.4 million gives a density of 118 people per square kilometre.
Egypt is a country in Africa, in Middle East, with about 118.4 million people (2025) and an area of 1,001,450 square kilometres. Its capital is Cairo, and it shares land borders with 4 countries.
Capital
Cairo
Continent
Africa
Region
Middle East
Population
118,365,995 2025, World Bank. 13th of 195.
Area
1,001,450 km² (386,662 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 29th largest of 195.
Population density
118 people per km²
Land neighbours
4: Israel, Libya, Palestine, Sudan
Official name
Arab Republic of Egypt
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
Egypt is a bridge disguised as a country
Egypt sits in Africa, reaches into Asia through Sinai, and controls the Suez Canal between the Mediterranean and Red Sea. Roughly 12% of global trade moves through that corridor. When the Ever Given incident blocked the canal in 2021, the world was reminded why Egypt appears in conversations about shipping, war, energy, and empire far more than its GDP alone would predict.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/egypt/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Egypt
NameDate
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Colour Egypt on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
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Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
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Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/egypt/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
