Which Egyptian city is second in population after Cairo?

Alexandria is Egypt’s second-largest city after Cairo.

Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria was built on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast at the western edge of the Nile Delta. It became the capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom after Alexander’s death and developed into one of the ancient world’s greatest centers of trade, scholarship, and culture. Its famous institutions included the Library of Alexandria and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Modern Alexandria remains Egypt’s principal seaport and a major industrial and cultural center. Its position on the Mediterranean distinguishes it from Cairo, which lies inland along the Nile. The city is also the capital of Alexandria Governorate and extends beyond its tightly defined urban core into a much larger metropolitan area.

Population rankings can vary slightly depending on whether a source counts the administrative city, the continuous urban area, or the wider metropolitan region. Even with those definitional differences, Alexandria is the standard and canonical answer to a question asking for Egypt’s city ranked immediately after Cairo. Giza is often confused with it because of its size and proximity to Cairo.