Greater Cairo

The Greater Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة الكبرى, romanized: Al-Qāhira al-Kubrā) is a metropolitan area centered around Cairo, Egypt. It comprises the entirety of the Cairo Governorate, the cities of Imbaba^[b] and Giza in the Giza Governorate, and the city Shubra El Kheima in Qalyubia Governorate.^[4][5] Its definition can be expanded to include peri-urban areas and a number of new planned towns founded in the desert areas east and west of Cairo.^[5] The Greater Cairo Region is also officially defined as an economic region consisting of the Cairo, Giza, and Qalyubia Governorates.^[6][7] Within Greater Cairo lies the largest metropolitan area in Egypt,^[8] the largest urban area in Africa, the Middle East, and the Arab world, and the 6th largest metropolitan area in the world.^[9]

Greater Cairo القاهرة الكبرى
Metropolitan area
Greater Cairo in red
Coordinates: 30°03′N 31°22′E
Country	Egypt
Core cities	Cairo Giza
Satellite cities	6th of October Sheikh Zayed New Cairo 15th of May Badr Shubra El Kheima Banha Obour 10th of Ramadan New Administrative Capital
Area [a][1]
• Metro	2,734 km2 (1,056 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate  (2023)[2]	22,183,000
GDP [3]
• Metro	EGP 2,986 billion (US$ 190.2 billion)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EGY)

In its larger definition, the area includes all cities in the Cairo Governorate (Cairo, New Cairo, Badr, Shorouk, 15th of May, the New Administrative Capital, and Capital Gardens) as well as the main cities of the Giza Governorate (Giza, 6th of October, New 6 October, October Gardens, Sheikh Zayed, and New Sphinx) and Shubra El Kheima and Obour in the Qalyubia Governorate.^[5] According to an estimate based on United Nations projections, the area had a population of 22,183,000 in 2023.^[2] In 2012, when the area's population was estimated at 20.5 million, the population density within Cairo Governorate was estimated at 45,000 per square kilometer (11,700 per square mile).^[10]

Economy

In 2021, Greater Cairo had GDP of around 3 trillion EGP or 45% of total Egypt GDP.^[3]

Governorate	Nominal GDP (billion EGP)[3]	Nominal GDP (billion USD)
Cairo	1,876	120
Giza	770	49
Qalyubiyya	339	22
Greater Cairo	2,985	191

Climate

The Greater Cairo Area and its surrounding region is classified as hot desert climate (BWh) in Köppen-Geiger classification, as all of Egypt. Cairo and its surrounding region have very similar day to day temperatures; however, the less populated parts at the east and the west do not experience the urban heat island effect, which makes them more prone to have soft hail.

Cairo
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     5     19 7     3     21 8     3     24 11     1     29 13     0     32 17     0     35 19     0     35 21     0     35 21     0     33 19     0     30 17     3     26 13     4     21 9 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: Weather2Travel[11]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.2     66 45     0.1     70 46     0.1     75 52     0     84 55     0     90 63     0     95 66     0     95 70     0     95 70     0     91 66     0     86 63     0.1     79 55     0.2     70 48 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Urban issues

See also: Housing in Egypt

60% of all informal houses in Egypt are located in the Greater Cairo area.^[12]

Main cities

Center and south

• Cairo^[c]

West

• Giza

North

• Shubra El Kheima

Satellite cities and towns

North

• Banha
• Obour (city)

South

• 15th of May (city)^[15][16]

West

• Sheikh Zayed City
• 6th of October
  • Large real estate developments: Dreamland
• New 6 October
• October Gardens (Hadayek October)
• New Sphinx

East

• El Shorouk
  • Large real estate developments: New Heliopolis, Future City
• Badr
• New Cairo
  • Large real estate developments: 5th Settlement, El Rehab, Madinaty
• New Administrative Capital

Sometimes included

North

• 10th of Ramadan (city)

See also

• Cairo Metro
• List of radio stations in Greater Cairo

Notes

1. Cairo Metropolitan is enlarged to cover all the area within the Governorate limits. Government statistics consider that the whole governorate is urban and the whole governorate is treated like as the metropolitan-city of Cairo. Governorate Cairo is considered a city-proper and functions as a municipality. The city of Alexandria is on the same principle as the city of Cairo, being a governorate-city. Because of this, it is difficult to divide Cairo into urban, rural, subdivisions, or to eliminate certain parts of the metropolitan administrative territory on various theme (unofficial statistics and data).
2. Imbaba is considered a city by the World Bank.^[4]
3. Helwan, a district in southern Cairo, was briefly made a separate city in a new governorate in 2008.^[13] It was re-absorbed into the borders of Cairo when this act was repealed in 2011.^[14])