Cairo
(Arabic: al-Qahirah) is the capital city
of Egypt (and previously the United Arab
Republic) and has a metropolitan area
population of approximately 15.2 million
people. Cairo is the thirteenth most populous
metropolitan area in the world. Cairo
is located at 30°2' North, 31°13'
East (30.03333, 31.21667). While al-Qahirah
is the official name of the city, in local
speech it is typically called simply by
the name of the country, Misr pronounced
Masr in the local dialect. The name Al-Qahirah
literally means "The Subduer,"
though it is often translated as "The
Victorious." The origin of the name
is said to come from the appearance of
the planet Mars during the foundation
of the city. The planet Mars, associated
with destruction was called "Al Najm
Al Qahir" in Arabic, from which the
name of the city was derived.
However
the legacy of the name evolved into the
title "Qahirat Al Adaa" meaning
"subduer of the enemies". This
title was given to the city as many armies
were destroyed in attempts to invade Cairo
or defeated elsewhere by troops sent from
Cairo. (Mongols, Crusaders & Ottomans
are examples) Cairo is located on the
banks and islands of the Nile River in
the north of Egypt, immediately south
of the point where the river leaves its
desert-bound valley and breaks into three
branches into the low-lying Nile Delta
region. The oldest part of the city is
somewhat east of the river. There, the
city gradually spreads west, engulfing
the agricultural lands next to the Nile.
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