Beni Suef ( ') is one of the

governorates of Egypt Egypt is administratively organized under a dual system that may consist of either two or three tiers, with further subdivisions occasionally resulting in an additional layer. It follows a centralized system of local government, officially term ...

. It is situated in the center of the country and is located in northern

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...

Overview

The governorate's capital is the city of

Beni Suef Beni Suef ( the capital city of the Beni Suef Governorate in Egypt. The city is the location of Beni Suef University. An important agricultural trade centre on the west bank of the Nile River, the city is located 110 km (70 miles) south of ...

, located about 120 km south of

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

on the west bank of the

Nile River The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...

. The area is well known in Egypt for its cement factories. The nearby

Meidum Meidum, Maydum or Maidum (, , ) is an archaeological site in Lower Egypt. It contains a large pyramid and several mudbrick mastabas. The pyramid was Egypt's first straight-sided one, but it partially collapsed in ancient times. The area is locate ...

pyramid is the only prominent tourist attraction in the area. Due to different ways of transcribing the spelling it can also be known as Beni Suef, or Beni Swaif. The rate of poverty is more than 60% in this governorate but recently some social safety networks have been provided in the form of financial assistance and job opportunities. The funding has been coordinated by the country's Ministry of Finance and with assistance from international organizations.

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into the following municipal divisions for administrative purposes with a total estimated population as of January 2023 of 3,561,639. In some cases a markaz and a kism share a name.

Population

According to population estimates from 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate live in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 23.2%. Out of an estimated 2,856,812 people residing in the governorate, 2,193,871 people live in rural areas as opposed to only 662,941 in urban areas.

Industrial zones

According to the Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the following industrial zones are located in Beni Suef:

References

External links

Beni Suef Museum next to the governorate building

El Wattan News of Beni Suef Governorate
{{Authority control Governorates of Egypt