Where Are Pyramids Located Around the World?

Pyramids—monumental structures with a polygonal base and triangular sides meeting at an apex—appear in several ancient cultures across the globe. Major concentrations include:

• Egypt – The iconic Giza complex (Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure), plus Saqqara (Step Pyramid), Dahshur (Bent, Red), and ~100 others along the Nile.
• Mexico (Mesoamerica) – Teotihuacan (Pyramid of the Sun, Moon), Chichén Itzá (El Castillo), Tulum, Palenque, Uxmal, Calakmul. Built by Maya, Aztec, Teotihuacano, and other cultures.
• Sudan (Nubia) – More pyramids than Egypt (~200+) at Meroë, Nuri, El-Kurru. Steeper, smaller, built by Kushite kings (8th c. BC–4th c. AD).
• Peru – Caral (oldest Americas pyramid, ~2600 BC), Túcume, Huaca del Sol/Luna (Moche), Chavín de Huántar. Adobe/platform mounds.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – Visoko "Bosnian Pyramids" (claimed by Semir Osmanagić). Mainstream archaeology rejects these as natural hills; not accepted as human-made pyramids.
• China – Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (terracotta army mound), Han dynasty pyramidal tombs (e.g., Maoling). Earthen, not stone-faced.
• Cambodia – Angkor Wat and temple-mountains (Bakong, Pre Rup, Phnom Bakheng) are step pyramids symbolizing Mount Meru. Sandstone/brick, 9th–13th c.

Other Notable Examples

• Iraq (Mesopotamia): Ziggurats (Ur, Eridu) – tiered platforms, not true pyramids.
• Indonesia: Gunung Padang (controversial, possibly megalithic).
• USA: Monk's Mound (Cahokia) – massive earthen platform mound.
• Spain: Güímar pyramids (Tenerife) – 19th c. agricultural, not ancient.

True geometric pyramids (stone, smooth or stepped) are an Egyptian and Mesoamerican hallmark; other cultures built pyramidal mounds or platforms for burial/ritual.