Gharbia Governorate ( ar, محافظة الغربية ', ) is one of the

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 ...

. It is located in the north of the country, south of

Kafr El Sheikh Governorate Kafr El Sheikh Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt. It lies in the northern part of the country, along the western branch of the Nile in the Nile Delta. Its capital is the city of Kafr El Sheikh. Kafr El Sheikh is the first nationwid ...

, and north of

Monufia Governorate Monufia Governorate ( ar, محافظة المنوفية ' ) is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is located in the northern part of the country in the Nile Delta, to the south of Gharbia Governorate and to the north of Cairo. The governora ...

. Its capital is

Tanta Tanta ( ar, طنطا ' , ) is a city in Egypt with the country's fifth largest populated area and 658,798 inhabitants as of 2018. Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia ...

, which is 90 km north of

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

, and 120 km south east of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

. The largest city in Gharbia is El Mahalla El Kubra. The total area of Gharbia governorate is 1,942 km².

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.

History

The name of ''al-Gharbiyya'' is an

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

term meaning "The Western one" or "The Western Side". In the 13th century it comprised 165 villages, while the 15th-century geographer

al-Qalqashandi Shihāb al-Dīn Abū 'l-Abbās Aḥmad ibn ‘Alī ibn Aḥmad ‘Abd Allāh al-Fazārī al-Shāfiʿī better known by the epithet al-Qalqashandī ( ar, شهاب الدين أحمد بن علي بن أحمد القلقشندي; 1355 or 1356 &ndash ...

describes it as fertile and prosperous. El Mahalla El Kobra was the provincial capital until 1836, when it was later succeeded by

. Historical places: 1- Tanta's museum. 2- ali beik al kabeer avenue. 3- El Sa'aa Square In modern times, it is notable for the cultivation of

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

, 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 Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

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

* El Mahalla El Kubra * Kafr El Zayat * Samanoud *

Zifta Zefta ( ar, زفتى , Coptic language, Coptic: ⲍⲉⲃⲉⲑⲉ ''Zevethe'' ''Emile Amélineau.'' La géographie de l’Egypte à l'époque copte. — Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1893. — 690 p) is an Egyptian town in the Nile delta, wi ...

* El Santa * Kotoor *

Basyoun Basyoun ( ar, بسيون) is a city and municipal division in the Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. It is the hometown of Egyptian International footballers Ahmed El Mohamady (''Elmo'') and Mohamed Salah (''Mo Salah''). Notable people * Saad El Shazly ...

Projects and programs

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'' (NSWMP) involves the construction of infrastructure for new, as well as the expansion and improvement of existing waste treatment, landfill, and recycling facilities.

Notable people

* Mohamed Salah (

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

footballer)

References

External links

Gharbia Governorate
Official website (in Arabic)
El Watan News of Gharbia Governorate
{{Authority control Governorates of Egypt Nile Delta