Cairo (Al Qahira) city (state capital), population - - Pictures
In 1998 Cairo was estimated to have a population of 6.8 million. The people of Cairo are known as Cairenes; nearly all of them are Egyptian Arabs. The city is an important center of the Islamic faith, and Cairenes are predominantly Sunni Muslims; however, the city also is home to a sizable Coptic community, which traces its origins to the Christians who populated Cairo before the arrival of Islam. The number of Jewish residents has decreased significantly in the latter half of the 20th century, largely due to emigration to Israel.
Cairo's population swells daily as workers flow into the city from the surrounding area, clogging roads and rail lines every morning and evening. Many Cairenes are recent arrivals from villages along the Nile. These rural migrants arrive with few skills or resources, and compound the existing problems of unemployment and scarce housing.
