Wanderlust World Wanderlust World No. Despite its common name, the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) is not native to Egypt.
It inhabits sub-Saharan Africa, from the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo east to Ethiopia and south through Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and into northern South Africa. Also found in parts of the Arabian Peninsula.
Ancient Egyptians depicted the cobra (uraeus) on pharaonic crowns, associating it with royalty and protection—hence the name, not its current distribution.