Al-Kourah Department is one of the nine departments that make up

Irbid Governorate Irbid or Irbed ( ar, إربد) is a governorate in Jordan, located north of Amman, the country's capital. The capital of the governorate is the city of Irbid. The governorate has the second largest population in Jordan after Amman Governorate, an ...

, in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

. It is located in the midwestern section of the governorate and is 25 km from

Irbid Irbid ( ar, إِربِد), known in ancient times as Arabella or Arbela (Άρβηλα in Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek), is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate. It also has the second largest metropolitan population in ...

. The department has an area of 210 km² and includes 22 towns and villages with its administrative center at

Der Abi Saeed Der Abi Saeed (Arabic: دير أبي سعيد) is a city in Irbid Governorate in Jordan. It is named after a historic Christian chapel ('Der' in Arabic) in the place where the city is built. The city gained importance in the early 20th century a ...

Geography

The area of Kourah is 210 km², and most of its territory is fertile mountains covered with forests such as the forest Bargash. Its fertile plains constitute part of the fertile

Houran The Hauran ( ar, حَوْرَان, ''Ḥawrān''; also spelled ''Hawran'' or ''Houran'') is a region that spans parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan. It is bound in the north by the Ghouta oasis, eastwards by the al-Safa field, to the so ...

plateau. The plateaus of "Ashel Al Qarbi" and "Plains Arkam" cut across several year-round flowing rivers such as the "Rayan" valley and "Wadi Abu Ziad," and "Valley of Zqlab". The highest area is the top of Bargash mountain with a height of 875 meters above sea level and range land to decline from east to west until it reaches 60 meters below sea level in the "Tabaqit Fahel".

Land Distribution

The area of Koura Department is 210 km² or about (209,518) acres distributed as follows: * Residential area of the department about 133,041 acres or nearly half the area of the department * Untapped agricultural area: about 60,509 acres * Forests: 52,118 acres * Off-owned land: occupies about one-tenth the total area of the department.

Climate

Prevailing climate in Al Koura is the climate of the

Mediterranean basin In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and w ...

, which is characterized by a relatively cold and rainy winter season and relatively mild and dry climate in the rest of the year. The climate of Al Koura is more moderate than the prevailing climate in the western and eastern regions. In the summer, temperatures in the western region are higher than those that are in Al Koura, while in winter, temperatures in the eastern region is lower. However, only rarely do temperatures exceed 35 degrees in the summer and may fall to below freezing in winter.

Administrative divisions

There are three municipalities in this department. * Municipality of Rabit Kourah: with a population of about 20,000, it includes: “Smmoa” – “Kafr Kifia” – “Zmal” – “Jenin Safa” and “Rkeam” * Municipality of

: The largest municipality in the department, with a population of 51,750 and includes: “Der Abi Said” – “Samt”- “Marhba” – “ Kafr Al-Maa” – “Abu al-agayn” – “Jufain” – “Ashrafieh” – “Tobneh” * Municipality of Bargash: has a population of 45,000 and includes: “

Kufr 'Awan Kufr 'Awan (كفرعوان in Arabic) is a village of Kourah Department, Irbid Governorate, Jordan. It is one of the five metropolitan districts of Barqash. Geography The village of Kafr Awan is located between four villages: Jdita and Kafr A ...

” - “Bit Ides” - “

Kufr Rakeb Kufr Rakeb (Arabic: كفر راكب) is a town in Irbid Governorate in Jordan. It is one of the five metropolitan districts of Barqash. Geography Located in the south western region of Irbid Governorate, Kufr Rakeb is one of the five metropolita ...

” – “Kofer Abel” – “Judita” Princess Raya Hospital is located in Der Abi Saeed and serves the department. {{Jordan-geo-stub Districts of Jordan Irbid Governorate