Quick answerAlexandria is a city in Egypt, with 5,362,517 people inside the city limits in 2024. The wider metropolitan area had about 5.7 million people in 2024. It is best known for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Qaitbay Citadel and the Mediterranean Corniche. Its official language is Arabic, and its currency is the Egyptian pound.
Alexandria is the second-largest city in Egypt, with about 5.4 million people in the urban area and about 5.7 million in the wider metropolitan area (2024). It stands on the Mediterranean coast and is famous for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Qaitbay Citadel.
Key facts
| Country | Egypt |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 5,362,517 (2024) |
| Population (metro) | 5,700,000 (2024) · Alexandria metropolitan area |
| Time zone | Africa/Cairo |
| Language | Arabic |
| Currency | Egyptian pound (EGP, £) |
| Coordinates | 31.1975° N, 29.8925° E |
Overview
Alexandria is Egypt's second-largest city, with 5,362,517 people in the urban area in 2024 and about 5.7 million in the wider metropolitan area. It stands on the Mediterranean coast in northern Egypt, about 40 kilometres along the shore at the western edge of the Nile Delta, and it is the country's main port.
Alexander the Great founded the city in 331 BC, and it became the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt and home to the Great Library and the Pharos lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, opened in 2002, stands near the library's old site, and the Qaitbay Citadel stands where the lighthouse once stood. Alexandria is also known for its Corniche, its beaches and its seafood. The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, cut into the rock in the 2nd century AD, are one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages.
What Alexandria is known for
- Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Qaitbay Citadel
- Mediterranean Corniche
- Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
- Montaza Palace
Landmarks
- Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Qaitbay Citadel
- Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
- Montaza Palace
- Pompey's Pillar
- Alexandria National Museum
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Alexandria?
Alexandria had 5,362,517 people in the urban area in 2024, according to citypopulation.de, making it the second-largest city in Egypt. Its metropolitan area had 5,700,000 people in 2024. The city stretches about 40 kilometres along the Mediterranean coast at the western edge of the Nile Delta.
Where is Alexandria and what is it known for?
Alexandria is on the Mediterranean coast in northern Egypt, at the western edge of the Nile Delta, about 220 kilometres north-west of Cairo. It is known for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Qaitbay Citadel on the site of the ancient Pharos lighthouse, the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa and its long Corniche.
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Keep exploring
- Egypt — the country Alexandria is in
- Cairo — another city in Egypt
- Giza — another city in Egypt
- Luxor — another city in Egypt
- Cleopatra — born in Alexandria
- Cleopatra — Egyptian politics figure
- All cities in Egypt
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
- citypopulation.de, via Wikipedia — Alexandria
- citypopulation.de — Major Agglomerations of the World (Alexandria)
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.