Taiz ( ar, تَعِزّ, Taʿizz) is a governorate of

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

. The governorate's capital is

Taiz Taiz ( ar, تَعِزّ, Taʿizz) is a city in southwestern Yemen. It is located in the Yemeni Highlands, near the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is the capital of Taiz Governorate. With a popula ...

, which is the third largest city in Yemen. Today it is the most important commercial centre in Yemen owing to its proximity to the richest farmland in the nation and to the important

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

port of Mocha. It also has an international airport,

Taiz International Airport Taiz International Airport ( ar, مَطَار تَعِزّ ٱلدَّوْلِي, Maṭār Ta‘izz Ad-Dawlī, ) is a public airport located in Taiz, the capital of the Taiz Governorate, Yemen. Airlines and destinations As of 2021, there are no ...

, with numerous services within Yemen and to neighbouring countries.

Geography

For such a small area, Taiz Governorate has an extraordinarily diverse geography. The western half of the governorate is part of the

Tihamah Tihamah or Tihama ( ar, تِهَامَةُ ') refers to the Red Sea coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab el Mandeb. Etymology Tihāmat is the Proto-Semitic language's term for ' sea'. Tiamat (or Tehom, in m ...

coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Co ...

and has an exceedingly hot, humid and

arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ...

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

. The eastern half, however, is very

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

ous, with the major peak being 3,070-metre-high Jabal Sabir, near Taiz city. These mountains trap the moisture created by an upper-level wind reversal between April and October, so that in the eastern half of the governorate annual

rainfall Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

increases from 200 millimetres (8 inches) in the foothills to probably more than 1,000 millimetres (40 inches) near Jebel Saber. Temperatures in the highlands remain high during the daytime, but at the highest elevations they can fall dramatically to -5 °C (23 °F) overnight.

Mountain ranges

The governorate has many mountain ranges. Their height ranges is between 1000–3200 km. The most important ranges are Jabal Sabir, Jabal Habashi, Jabal Samaʿa, Jabal Qadas, Jabal As-Silw, the mountains of al-Wazi'iyah and the Mountains of Shar'ab and Maqbanah.

Streams

There are many streams in Taiz governorate, they are known as ''Wadi'' ( ar, وادي) and they are divided into perennial and temporary streams:

Perennial streams

*Wadi Rasian, it is located in Mawza, Shara'b Ar Rawnah, al-Makha and Maqbanah. *Wadi Warzan, it is located in Khadir and al-Mawasit. *Wadi al-Dhabab, it is located in al-Mawasit and Hayfan. *Wadi Ar-Ram, it is located in al-Mafalis region, Hayfan. *Wadi al-Dhabab, it is located in Sabir al-Mawadim. *Wadi al-Ashroh also known as Wadi al-Barakani, is located in al-Mawasit. *Wadi al-Janah, is located in al-Wazi'iyah. *Wadi al-Lahya, is located in Mawza.

Temporary streams

Are the steams that only run in wet seasons:

Economy

The agriculture of this governorate is diverse. In the Tihamah region, there is only irrigated agriculture, with

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 ...

, sorghum and sesame the chief crops. Inland, whilst these crops are still significant, a much wider range of crops can be grown on rainfall and through water storage. Mangoes, papayas and bananas are the major crops of the western escarpment, and further up

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

and

khat Khat or qat ( ''ch’at''; Oromo: ''Jimaa'', so, qaad, khaad, khat or chat, ar, القات ''al-qāt'') is a flowering plant native to eastern and southern Africa. Khat contains the alkaloid cathinone, a stimulant, which is said to cause e ...

are grown. Although

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

is prohibited in Yemen because of its alcohol content,

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

s are still grown to produce

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the ...

s in some areas.

Wildlife

The governorate has many wild animals and birds. The most common wild animals in the governorate are hyaenas, foxes,

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

s, lions,

rock hyrax The rock hyrax (; ''Procavia capensis''), also called dassie, Cape hyrax, rock rabbit, and (in the King James Bible) coney, is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East. Commonly referred to in South Africa as the da ...

african wild dog The African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus''), also called the painted dog or Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine which is a native species to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa, and the only extant member of the genus '' Lyca ...

, rabbits,

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introductio ...

, monkeys. The most common wild birds are

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perd ...

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

pigeons Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

hoopoe Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single ...

s, bulbuls.

Districts

Taiz Governorate is divided into the following 23 districts. These districts are further divided into sub-districts, and then further subdivided into villages: * Al Mukha District * Al Ma'afer District * Al Mawasit District * Al Misrakh District * Al Mudhaffar District * Al Qahirah District * Al Wazi'iyah District * As Silw District * Ash Shamayatayn District * At Ta'iziyah District * Dhubab District * Dimnat Khadir District * Hayfan District * Jabal Habashy District * Maqbanah District * Mashra'a Wa Hadnan District * Mawiyah District *

Mawza District ''For the ancient port, see Muza Emporion'' Mawza District is a Districts of Yemen, district of the Taiz Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 119,818 inhabitants. History Mawza'a was the regional capital of At Turbah, ...

* Sabir Al Mawadim District * Salh District * Sama District * Shara'b Ar Rawnah District *

Shara'b As Salam District Sharʿab as-Salam District ( ar, مديرية شرعب السلام) is a district of the Taiz Governorate, Yemen. In 2003, the district had a population of 146,650. Etymology Sharʿab as-Salam is part of the Sharʿab Mikhlaf that includes both ...

Regions

290px, A map thats shows regions in Taiz منطقة الحجرية

* Shamir: ( ar, شمير) also called "Shamir Maqbanah". It is a mountainous region part of Maqbanah district. * Al-Hugariyyah: ( ar, الحجرية) It is the largest region in Taiz governorate. It is sometimes mistakenly called al-Hujariah district. The region is part of As-Silw, al-Ma'afer, Hayfan, Sama', al-Mawasit, Jabal Habashy, Dimnat Khadir, and al-Wazi'iyah districts.

Islands

Perim Perim ( ar, بريم 'Barīm'', also called Mayyun in Arabic, is a volcanic island in the Strait of Mandeb at the south entrance into the Red Sea, off the south-west coast of Yemen and belonging to Yemen. It administratively belongs to Dhub ...

* Jazirat Ziadi

References

External links

Official site of the taiz governate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taiz Governorate Governorates of Yemen