A ' ( ; ) is a first-level

administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

of many

Arab countries The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

, and a second-level administrative division in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

. The term is usually translated to "

governorate A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is often used in translation from ...

", and occasionally to "

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

". It comes from the Arabic

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

' (verb: حفظ ḥafaẓa), which means to "keep" and "guard". The head of a ' is the () ' .

Muhafazat in Arab countries

* Governorates of Bahrain *

Governorates of Egypt Egypt has a centralised system of local government officially called local administration as it is a branch of the Executive. The country is divided into twenty-seven governorates ( '; ; genitive case: ; plural: '), the top tier of local a ...

Governorates of Iraq Iraq consists of 19 governorates ( ar, محافظة, muḥāfażah; ckb, پارێزگا , parêzgeh), also known as "provinces". Per the Iraqi constitution, governorates can form an autonomous region. Four governorates, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, ...

Governorates of Jordan Jordan is divided into three regions, further into twelve governorates ('' muhafatha''), further subdivided into districts ('' liwa''), and often into sub-districts ('' qada''). 1994 reform In 1994, four new governorates were created as part of ...

Governorates of Kuwait Kuwait is divided into 6 governorates ('' muhafazah''). The governorates are further subdivided into areas. The governorate is headed by a Governor appointed by a ministerial decree for a period of 4 years which can be renewed upon the proposal o ...

Governorates of Libya The governorates of Libya ('' muhafazah'') were a tenfold top-level administrative division of Libya from 1963 until 1983. They came into being on 27 April 1963. In 1970, after the 1 September 1969 Free Officers Movement coup, there was an admi ...

(historic) *

Governorates of Lebanon Lebanon is divided into nine governorates ('' muhafazah''). Each governorate is headed by a governor (''muhafiz''): All of the governorates except for Beirut and Akkar are divided into districts, which are further subdivided into municipa ...

* Governorates of Oman *

Governorates of Palestine The Governorates of Palestine are the administrative divisions of the State of Palestine. After the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip were divided into three areas ( Area A, Area B, and Area C) and 16 gov ...

* Governorates of Saudi Arabia (2nd level) *

Governorates of Syria Syria is a unitary state, but for administrative purposes, it is divided into fourteen governorates, also called provinces or counties in English (Arabic ''muḥāfaẓāt'', singular '' muḥāfaẓah''). The governorates are divided into si ...

Governorates of Yemen Yemen is divided into twenty-one governorates ('' muhafazah'') and one municipality (amanah): Notes: a - Also known as Sanaa City b - Socatra Governorate was created in December 2013 from parts of Hadramaut, data included there The governo ...

The

governorates of Tunisia Tunisia is divided into 24 governorates (''wilayat'', sing. ''wilayah''). This term in Arabic can also be translated as province or federated state (though the latter does not apply, as Tunisia is a unitary state). The governorates are divide ...

are '' wilāyah'' in Arabic. Types of administrative division * {{Gov-stub