Gharbia Governorate


Gharbia Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is located in the north of the country, south of Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, and north of Monufia Governorate. Its capital is Tanta, which is 90 km north of Cairo, and 120 km south east of Alexandria. The largest city in Gharbia is El Mahalla El Kubra. The total area of Gharbia governorate is 1,942 km2, making it the tenth largest governorate of Egypt.

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into municipal divisions, with a total estimated population, as of July 2017, of 5,018,545. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.
Anglicized nameNative nameArabic transliterationPopulation
Type
El Mahalla El Kubraمركز المحله الكبرىAl-Maḥallah al-Kubrā795,468Markaz
El Mahalla El Kubra 1قسم أول المحلة الكبرىAl-Maḥallah al-Kubrā 1160,102Kism
El Mahalla El Kubra 2قسم ثان المحلة الكبرى Al-Maḥallah al-Kubrā 2248,149Kism
El Mahalla El Kubra 3 قسم ثالث المحلة الكبرى Al-Maḥallah al-Kubrā 3114,548Kism
El Sunta مركز السنطةAs-Sanṭah482,189Markaz
Basyoun مركز بسيونBasyūn297,379Markaz
Kafr El Zayat مركز كفر الزيات Kafr az-Zayyāt457,277Markaz
Kotoorمركز قطور Quṭūr339,538Markaz
Samanoud مركز سمنود Samannūd399,473Markaz
Tantaمركز طنطا Ṭanṭā686,575Markaz
Tanta 1قسم أول طنطا Ṭanṭā 1270,603Kism
Tanta 2 قسم ثان طنطا Ṭanṭā 2238,151Kism
Zeftaمركز زفتى Ziftā430,542Markaz
Zefta قسم زفتى Ziftā98,551Kism

History

The name of al-Gharbiyya has been used as a district name in Egypt since shortly after the Arab conquest of Egypt. In the 13th century it comprised 165 villages, while the 15th-century geographer al-Qalqashandi describes it as fertile and prosperous.
El Mahalla El Kubra was the provincial capital until 1836, when it was succeeded by Tanta.
In modern times, it is notable for the cultivation of cotton, and its textile industry.

Population

In 1960, the governorate numbered 1,815,000 inhabitants. According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 30.0%. Out of an estimated 4,751.865 people residing in the governorate, 3,324,630 people lived in rural areas as opposed to only 1,427,235 in urban areas.

Cities

In 2016, Switzerland committed to funding a solid waste management program in Gharbia, a project with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment that will conclude in 2021. The National Solid Waste Management Programme involves the construction of infrastructure for new, as well as the expansion and improvement of existing waste treatment, landfill, and recycling facilities.

Notable people