City Africa
Aswan
Aswan is a city in Egypt, beside the Nile River. It is very hot and almost never rains.
Aswan is a city on the Nile River in the south of Egypt, in the region called Upper Egypt. Larousse describes its granite quarries and two dams on the Nile nearby. Egypt's statistics office estimated 401,890 people in the city in 2023.
Aswan, capital of a governorate in Upper Egypt on the Nile (Larousse), has granite quarries worked since ancient Egyptian times and two dams nearby, the second filled in 1970. Estimate 1 July 2023: 401,890 in the city (City Population, from CAPMAS).
Photo: © Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Aswan
Aswan is a city in Egypt. The long Nile River flows past it.
The weather in Aswan is hot and dry almost all year.
Aswan is a city in the south of Egypt, in the part of the country called Upper Egypt. Larousse describes it as the capital of a governorate, a region of Egypt, on the Nile River.
Egypt's statistics office estimated that 401,890 people lived in the city on 1 July 2023. Egypt's 2006 census counted 266,013.
Larousse: town of Upper Egypt, capital of a governorate, on the Nile; granite quarries worked since ancient Egyptian times; fertilizer factories, iron-ore deposits nearby, and two dams. City Population (from CAPMAS, Egypt's statistics office): Aswān city 219,541 (census 1996), 266,013 (census 2006), 337,472 (estimate 2018) and 401,890 (estimate 1 July 2023). The whole Aswan Governorate had 1,473,975 people at the 2017 census.
- Country
- Egypt
- River
- the Nile (Larousse)
- People in the city (estimate, 1 July 2023)
- 401,890
- Region
- Upper Egypt; capital of Aswan Governorate (Larousse)
The Nile at Aswan
In this photo, the wide Nile flows past an island. Boats line the far bank.
This photo was taken on 25 May 2007. In front, the Nile flows past an island with trees and buildings. On the far bank, boats line the shore, and the city's buildings stretch back under a hazy sky.
Larousse says red granite has been quarried at Aswan since ancient Egyptian times. Larousse also mentions an unfinished obelisk, a tall stone pillar, in the quarries.
Commons: 'Panoramic view of Aswan 2, Egypt', own work by Vyacheslav Argenberg (= uploader Argenberg), CC BY 4.0, taken 25 May 2007, 11:35; category 'Nile in Aswan'. The photographer's caption says the river here flows down from Lake Nasser around black granite boulders and islands with palms. No camera location is given.
Larousse: red granite quarries worked since ancient Egyptian times (the unfinished obelisk). Wikidata: unfinished obelisk (Q735438), 1.41 km SSW of the city point.
- Photo
- the Nile and the city, 25 May 2007, by Vyacheslav Argenberg
- Unfinished obelisk
- an ancient stone pillar left in a quarry, about 1.4 km south-southwest of the city's Wikidata point (Wikidata)
- Granite
- red granite quarried since ancient Egyptian times (Larousse)
Two dams on the Nile
People built two dams on the Nile near Aswan. The newer one opened in 1970.
Near Aswan, two dams hold back the Nile. Larousse says the first was finished in 1902. The second, the High Dam, is 111 meters tall and was opened in 1970.
Behind the High Dam, the river filled a long lake, Lake Nasser, about 400 kilometers long. About half of it, 200 kilometers, lies in Sudan.
Larousse (High Dam of Aswan): a dam-reservoir near the city and the first cataract, 111 m high and 3.6 km long at its crest; opened in 1970. Its lake, Lake Nasser, is 400 km long (200 km in Sudan) and holds 130 km³ (about 70 km³ usable each year). A first dam was finished in 1902, a little downstream. Larousse notes that about 100,000 Nubian villagers had to leave homes the lake flooded. Wikidata: Aswan Low Dam (Q921582) 7.0 km SSW and the Aswan Dam (Q38891) 13.2 km S of the city point.
- 1902
- the first dam is finished, a little downstream of the later High Dam (Larousse)
- 1970
- the High Dam (Sadd al-Ali) is filled and opened (Larousse)
- High Dam
- 111 m high (Larousse)
Water, power and farms
The dam keeps water for farms. It also makes electricity.
Larousse calls the High Dam a key part of Egypt's economy. It evens out the Nile's flow from year to year, lets the last flood basins of Upper Egypt be watered all year round, and produces about 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.
The dam has drawbacks too. The rich mud the river once carried now stays behind it, and riverbanks and coasts wear away faster.
Larousse (Aswan): by regulating the Nile and irrigation from it, the High Dam brought more land into use and supplies 10 billion kWh, 'a centerpiece of the Egyptian economy'. Larousse (High Dam): multi-year regulation of the river's flow, electricity, reclaimed desert land, year-round irrigation in the last basins of Upper Egypt, and thirsty crops such as sugarcane and rice. Drawbacks it names: fertile silt stopped downstream, coastal fishing lost, more erosion of banks and coast, and salt in the delta's soil.
- River control
- the High Dam evens out the Nile's flow over the years and supplies irrigation (Larousse)
- Electricity
- about 10 billion kilowatt-hours a year (Larousse)
- Drawbacks
- fertile silt held back; more erosion of riverbanks and coasts (Larousse)
Hot and almost rainless
Aswan is hot and sunny. In a whole year, it hardly rains at all.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for 1981 to 2010 show how hot Aswan gets. From June to August the average daily high is above 41 °C. Even in January, the coolest month, it reaches 22.9 °C.
Rain is very rare. All twelve months together add up to only about 1.2 millimeters, less than the thickness of a coin.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Aswan (listed as 'Asswan'; Egyptian Meteorological Authority; period 1981–2010 as given in the data): mean daily maximum 22.9 °C (Jan) to 41.4 °C (Jul); mean daily minimum 8.8 °C (Jan) to 26.2 °C (Jul). Precipitation 0.0 to 0.6 mm a month (October the most); sum of the months 1.2 mm.
- Average daily highs (WMO, Aswan, 1981–2010)
- 22.9 °C (January) to 41.4 °C (July)
- Average daily lows (same table)
- 8.8 °C (January) to 26.2 °C (July)
- Rain in a year (twelve months added up)
- about 1.2 mm
A city of the far south
Many people live in Aswan. More and more people live there.
Larousse says Aswan has fertilizer factories, and that iron ore is found nearby. It adds that the electricity from the first dam is used right there, by a factory making nitrates, a kind of fertilizer.
The city has grown. Egypt's census counted 219,541 people in 1996, and the statistics office estimated 401,890 in 2023. The whole Aswan Governorate had 1,473,975 people at its 2017 census.
Larousse: fertilizer plants, with iron-ore deposits nearby. Larousse (High Dam): the first dam's power (1.7 TWh a year) is used on site by a large nitrate plant. City Population (CAPMAS): Aswān city 219,541 (1996 census), 266,013 (2006 census), 337,472 (2018 estimate), 401,890 (2023 estimate); Aswān Governorate 1,473,975 (census 28 March 2017) and 1,656,218 (estimate 1 July 2023).
- Industry
- fertilizer factories; iron ore nearby (Larousse)
- Growth
- 219,541 (1996) to 401,890 (2023) (City Population)
- Governorate
- 1,473,975 people at the 2017 census (City Population)
Aswan on the map
Find Egypt on the globe. Aswan is in the south, on the Nile.
Aswan lies at about 24.1° north and 32.9° east, on the Nile in the south of Egypt. Lake Nasser stretches south from the High Dam into Sudan.
Measured from the city's center point on Wikidata, the unfinished obelisk is about 1.4 kilometers south-southwest, the first dam about 7 kilometers south-southwest, and the High Dam about 13 kilometers south.
Aswan lies at about 24.09° N, 32.90° E (Wikidata point Q29888; the Natural Earth/sheet point is 0.18 km from it). From the Wikidata point: unfinished obelisk (Q735438) 1.41 km SSW; Aswan Low Dam (Q921582) 7.02 km SSW; Aswan Dam (Q38891) 13.21 km S. Larousse: Lake Nasser 400 km long, 200 km of it in Sudan.
- Latitude
- about 24.1° north
- Longitude
- about 32.9° east
- Lake Nasser
- 400 km long, 200 km of it in Sudan (Larousse)
Amazing facts
-
In Aswan, a whole year's rain would barely wet the ground!
In the World Meteorological Organization's averages, all twelve months in Aswan add up to only about 1.2 millimeters of rain.
WMO normals for Aswan (1981–2010): monthly precipitation 0.0 to 0.6 mm; sum 1.2 mm.
-
The lake behind Aswan's dam reaches into another country!
Larousse says Lake Nasser, behind the High Dam, is 400 kilometers long, and 200 kilometers of it lie in Sudan.
Larousse: Lake Nasser, 400 km long (200 km in Sudan), holds 130 km³ of water.
-
People cut stone at Aswan long, long ago!
Larousse says red granite has been quarried at Aswan since ancient Egyptian times; it mentions an unfinished obelisk there.
Larousse: red granite quarries worked since ancient Egyptian times (unfinished obelisk; Wikidata Q735438).
Words to know
- dam
- a wall built across a river to hold back water
- reservoir
- a lake, often made by a dam, where water is stored
- granite
- a very hard rock made of crystals, used for building
- quarry
- a place where stone is cut out of the ground
- irrigation
- bringing water to fields through channels or pipes
- silt
- fine mud carried by a river that can make soil rich
Discovery challenge
-
Which river flows past Aswan?
Aswan lies on which river?
Aswan, in Upper Egypt, stands on which river?
- The Nile
- The Amazon
- The Danube
Show the answer
The Nile
The Nile!
The Nile.
The Nile.
-
Aswan is a city in which country?
Aswan is a city in the south of which country?
Aswan is the capital of a governorate in which country?
- Egypt
- Sudan
- Morocco
Show the answer
Egypt
Egypt!
Egypt.
Egypt.
-
In which year did the High Dam open?
In which year was the High Dam near Aswan opened?
Larousse: the High Dam (Sadd al-Ali) was opened in which year?
- 1970
- 1902
- 2006
Show the answer
1970
1970!
1970. The first dam was finished in 1902.
1970; the first dam dates from 1902.
-
What is the lake behind the High Dam called?
What is the name of the lake behind the High Dam?
Which 400-km lake lies behind the High Dam?
- Lake Nasser
- Lake Victoria
- Lake Chad
Show the answer
Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser!
Lake Nasser.
Lake Nasser (200 km of it in Sudan).
-
How much rain falls in Aswan in a year?
In the World Meteorological Organization's averages, about how much rain falls in Aswan in a year?
WMO normals (1981–2010): Aswan's twelve months of precipitation add up to about how much?
- About 1 millimeter
- About 100 millimeters
- About 1,000 millimeters
Show the answer
About 1 millimeter
About 1 millimeter: almost nothing!
About 1 millimeter (1.2 mm).
1.2 mm.
Nearby places
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Watch
Landmark
Aswan High Dam
The Aswan High Dam crosses the Nile River in southern Egypt. Finished in 1970, it is 111 meters high and 3,830 meters long. It controls the Nile's yearly flood, stores water for farms, makes electricity and created a huge reservoir, Lake Nasser. Ancient temples had to be moved to save them from the rising water.
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Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple is an ancient Egyptian temple in the city of Luxor, which was called Thebes long ago. Many rulers added to it over hundreds of years. Its huge gateway has two towers, giant statues and a tall pointed stone called an obelisk.
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Karnak Temple Complex
The Karnak Temple Complex stands in Luxor, Egypt, beside the Nile River. For more than 2,000 years, one pharaoh after another enlarged and rebuilt its temples. Its Great Hypostyle Hall, finished by Ramesses II, has 134 stone columns. Karnak is part of Ancient Thebes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
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Thebes
Thebes was one of the greatest cities of ancient Egypt and, for long periods, its capital. It lay on both banks of the Nile, where the town of Luxor is today. On the east bank stand the giant temples of Karnak and Luxor; on the west bank are royal tombs, including the Valley of the Kings.
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Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel is two temples cut into the rock by King Ramesses II of Egypt, around 1264 BCE. Four seated statues of the king, each 21 meters tall, guard the Great Temple. In the 1960s, a new dam was about to flood them, so workers cut them into more than a thousand blocks and rebuilt them higher up.
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Saint Catherine's Monastery
Saint Catherine's Monastery stands at the foot of Mount Sinai, in the dry mountains of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. It was founded in the 500s, and its granite walls and church date from that time. UNESCO says it is the oldest Christian monastery still used for its first purpose, and it holds famous collections of old books and paintings.
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Bent Pyramid
The Bent Pyramid stands at Dahshur in Egypt. It was built for King Sneferu, who reigned about 2613 to 2589 BCE. Its builders started the sides at a steep angle of 55 degrees, then changed to 43 degrees because the pyramid was becoming unstable. That change gives it its bent shape.
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Red Pyramid
The Red Pyramid stands at Dahshur in Egypt. It was built for King Sneferu, who reigned about 2613 to 2589 BCE. Egypt's antiquities ministry says it was Egypt's first true pyramid to be completed, and it is the highest pyramid at Dahshur. Its name comes from the reddish color of its stones.
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Aswan High Dam
The Aswan High Dam crosses the Nile River in southern Egypt. Finished in 1970, it is 111 meters high and 3,830 meters long. It controls the Nile's yearly flood, stores water for farms, makes electricity and created a huge reservoir, Lake Nasser. Ancient temples had to be moved to save them from the rising water.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Aswan on the Nile in the south of Egypt.
- Explain what a dam and a reservoir do, with good and bad effects.
- Read a climate table for a hot desert city.
- Compare census counts and estimates of a city's population.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might people build a dam on a river? What can go wrong?
- How could a city with almost no rain still have water for farms?
- Why might stone from one place be carried far away to build with?
Try at home or in class
- Dam model: in a tray of sand, dig a river, build a dam of clay and watch the lake fill behind it.
- Rain check: put 1.2 mm of water in a flat dish and compare it with a coin's thickness.
- Map line: on a map of Egypt, trace the Nile from Lake Nasser past Aswan to the sea.
Key vocabulary: dam, reservoir, granite, quarry, irrigation, silt
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Assouan , Encyclopédie Larousse
- haut-barrage d'Assouan , Encyclopédie Larousse
- Egypt: Governorates, Major Cities & Towns , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS)
- Aswan: climatological information (1981–2010) , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- File:Panoramic view of Aswan 2, Egypt.jpg (Vyacheslav Argenberg) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.