The Governorates of Saudi Arabia, officially the Governorates of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, () are the second-level
administrative divisions of Saudi Arabia after the 13 first-level
Provinces of Saudi Arabia
The provinces of Saudi Arabia, also known as regions (), are the 13 first-level administrative divisions of the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
History
After the unification of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom was divided into four provinces: ...
. There are 136 governorates classified into three categories according to the availability of services, population, geographical, security considerations, environmental conditions, and means of transportation, as provided by the Third Article of the Regions' System, issued on 27 Sha'baan 1412 AH (March 2, 1992) by Royal Order A/92, amended by Royal Order No. A/21 on 30 Rabi' al-Awal 1414 AH (September 17, 1993). These categories are: Capital (''amānah''), Category A and Category B.
The original number of governorates provided in the Regions' System (issued by
King Fahd
Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; 1920, 1921 or 1923 – 1 August 2005) was King of Saudi Arabia, King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 13 June 1982 until his death in 2005. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1 ...
) was 118, although this was raised by
King Abdullah in 2012 to 136.
Each governorate is governed by a governor, who is assisted by a deputy governor. The governorates are further divided into centers, also referred to as sub-governorates ().
List of Governorates
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Governorates of Saudi Arabia
Subdivisions of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia 2
Saudi Arabia 2
Governorates,Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia geography-related lists
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...