Egypt: Flag and Facts
Egypt's flag has three equal horizontal stripes of red, white and black, with a gold Eagle of Saladin facing left in the white middle stripe.
- Official name
- Arab Republic of Egypt
- Capital
- Cairo
- Region
- Northern Africa
- Population
- 113 million (2025)
- Languages
- Arabic
- Currency
- Egyptian pound
- Area
- 1,002,450 km² (387,048 sq mi)
- People
- Egyptian
- Calling code
- +20
- Highest point
- Mount Catherine 2,629 m
- Independence
- 28 February 1922 (from UK protectorate status
- National symbols
- golden eagle, white lotus
About Egypt
The eagle carries a shield on its chest and stands over a scroll bearing the country's name in Arabic. The stripes come from the Arab Liberation flag: black for oppression, red for the bloody struggle that ended it, and white for the bright future after.
Yearly Nile floods made the valley fertile, and deserts on both sides kept invaders at a distance. A single kingdom formed around 3200 B.C., and native dynasties held power until the Persians took over in 341 B.C. Greeks, Romans and Byzantines followed. In the 7th century Arab armies arrived with Islam and Arabic, the Mamluks seized power around 1250, and the Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517. Finishing the Suez Canal in 1869 turned the country into a key shipping crossroads.
Did you know?
- Cairo is a giant city, with about 22.183 million people in 2023.
- The Qattara Depression sits 133 meters below sea level.
- The anthem title repeats one phrase three times: My Homeland, My Homeland, My Homeland.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Egypt
What is the national symbol of Egypt?
The golden eagle and the white lotus are both national symbols.
How big is Egypt?
It covers 1,002,450 square kilometers, over eight Ohios in area.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.