Capital city profile
1 Read the profile. Why is Cairo an important city?
2 Read the profile again. Circle T (true), F (false)
or NI (no information).
1 Cairo has a population of less than 10 million.
2 It sometimes rains in April.
3 The Romans arrived in Cairo after the
Fatimid dynasty.
4 Cairo is one of the cities in Africa that has an
underground railway system.
5 Cairo has more than two football teams.
3 Answer the questions about the text.
1 How does the river change at the Nile Delta?
2 What type of weather does Cairo have?
3 Where did the people come from who were living in
Cairo before 969?
4 What do Al Ahly and El Zamalek teams have in common?
5 What type of transport do many people use in the city?
4 Answer the questions with your own ideas.
1 What famous landmarks are there in your country?
Are they ancient or modern?
2 What’s the most popular sport in your country?
Where is it played?
3 Can you think of some interesting facts about the capital
city of your country?
Cairo
T F NI
T F NI
T F NI
T F NI
T F NI Location and size
Cairo is the capital city of Egypt. It has a population of over
nine million people and a total area of 453 square kilometres.
It is the largest city in the Middle East and Africa. The city is
situated on the banks of the River Nile. This area is called the
Nile Delta. It’s where the river splits into many small rivers or
branches. These branches flow into the Mediterranean sea.
Climate
Cairo has a hot, desert climate. The temperature is usually
between 20–30°C in winter, and 20–40°C in summer. It doesn’t
rain a lot, but August is usually the wettest month of the year.
There can also be strong winds in March and April, which bring
dust into the city from the Sahara Desert.
History
In the past, people from different countries settled and lived
on the banks of the Nile. The Romans and the Greeks had
settlements there. But in AD 969 the Islamic Fatimid dynasty
built a city called Al Qãhira – Cairo. There are still many parts
of the Fatimid city that you can see today: for example the great
mosque and university of Al Azhar, and the gates of Bab an-Nasr,
Bab al-Futuh and Bab Zuweila.
Sport
Football is the most popular sport in Egypt. The city has two main
football teams, Al Ahly, and El Zamalek, who are fierce rivals. They
both play their home games at Cairo International Stadium, which
is also known as Naser Stadium. It’s the largest stadium in Cairo,
and is Egypt’s second largest after Borg El Arab Stadium.
Did you know … ?
LANDMARKS
• The Great Pyramid at
Giza is the only ancient Al Azhar Park – a huge green city
wonder of the world space with views of historic Cairo
which still exists today. Pyramids of Giza – three burial tombs built
• There are around for the Pharaohs; the Great Pyramid is one of
4.5 million cars in the seven wonders of the ancient world
the city.
Khan Al Khalili – the city’s main souk or
• Al Azhar university bazaar, popular with local people and tourists
(founded in 972) is one
of the oldest universities Midan al-Tahrir – at the heart of the city, and
in the world. one of its largest and busiest town squares
• Cairo is the only city The Citadel – an enormous stone fortress
in Africa which has which includes the Mohammed Ali Mosque
a metro.
Zamalek – an island in the Nile connected
to downtown Cairo by bridge, offering a
range of hotels, shops and restaurants