Beheira Governorate ( ar, محافظة البحيرة ', , "the governorate of the Lake") is a coastal
governorate
A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either State (administrative division), states or province, provinces, the term ''govern ...
in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. Located in the northern part of the country in the
Nile Delta
The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Po ...
, its capital is
Damanhur
Damanhur ( ar, دمنهور ', ; Egyptian: ''Dmỉ-n-Ḥr.w''; cop, ⲡϯⲙⲓⲛ̀ϩⲱⲣ '; ; grc, Ἑρμοῦ πόλις μικρά ') is a city in Lower Egypt, and the capital of the Beheira Governorate. It is located northwest of Cair ...
.
Overview
Beheira Governorate enjoys an important strategical place, west of the
Rosetta
Rosetta or Rashid (; ar, رشيد ' ; french: Rosette ; cop, ϯⲣⲁϣⲓⲧ ''ti-Rashit'', Ancient Greek: Βολβιτίνη ''Bolbitinē'') is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Ro ...
branch of the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
. It comprises four important highways, namely the
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
-
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, Alexandria ...
desert road, the
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
agricultural road, the international road, and the circular road. Beheira Governorate is also home to a number of the most important
Coptic
Coptic may refer to:
Afro-Asia
* Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya
* Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century
* Coptic alphabet ...
monasteries in
Wadi El Natrun
Wadi El Natrun (Arabic: "Valley of Natron"; Coptic: , "measure of the hearts") is a depression in northern Egypt that is located below sea level and below the Nile River level. The valley contains several alkaline lakes, natron-rich salt dep ...
(Scetes).
Beheira consists of 13 centers and 14 cities, and contains important industries such as cotton, chemicals, carpets, electricity, and fishing.
The governorate has a noteworthy number of archaeological sites, including at Abu El Matamir, Abu Hummus, Damanhour, Rosetta (Rashid), and Kafr El Dawwar.
[
] Coins, lamps, animal bones, and pottery from Roman and later Eastern Roman (Byzantine) eras are some of the archaeological finds discovered at Kom El Giza, and Kom El Hamam in Beheira.
In 2017, Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah al-Sissi appointed the first female governor in the country's history,
Nadia Ahmed Abdou, for Beheira Governorate.
The rate of poverty in the governate is more than 60%, however, some social safety networks have been provided recently in the form of financial assistance, and job opportunities. The funding has been coordinated by Egypt's
Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance.
Lists of current ministries of finance
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Finance and Eco ...
and with assistance from international organisations.
Municipal divisions
The governorate is divided into the following
municipal divisions for administrative purposes, with a total estimated population as of July 2017 of 6,200,137. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.
Population
According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 19.5%. Out of an estimated 5,804,262 people residing in the governorate, 4,674,346 people lived in rural areas as opposed to only 1,129,916 in urban areas.
Cities and towns
*
Abu Hummus
Abu Hummus, also Abu Humus, Abu Hommos, Abu Homos, Abou Homs ( ar, أبو حمص) is a town in Beheira Governorate, Egypt, an administrative center of '' markaz'' Abu Hummus.
The old name of the town is Shubra Bar () which Ramzi derives from ''Ch ...
*
Abu El Matamir
Abu El Matamir ( ar, ابو المطامير ) is a city in Egypt. As of 2006 it had a population of 44,415.
The city existed before the Islamic conquest of Egypt, and the Romans used it as a grain storage. The city was named by this name b ...
*
Damanhur
Damanhur ( ar, دمنهور ', ; Egyptian: ''Dmỉ-n-Ḥr.w''; cop, ⲡϯⲙⲓⲛ̀ϩⲱⲣ '; ; grc, Ἑρμοῦ πόλις μικρά ') is a city in Lower Egypt, and the capital of the Beheira Governorate. It is located northwest of Cair ...
*
Edku
Edku ( ar, إدكو) (also Edkhou, or Idku) is a town in the Beheira Governorate, located east of Alexandria and west of Rashid, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Edku lies on a sandy strip behind Abi Qir Bay, in the northwestern Nile River d ...
*
El Delengat
El Delengat ( ar, الدلنجات) is a city in Beheira Governorate in Egypt
Geography
El Delengat is about 21 kilometers south of Damanhour the governorate's capital. It is bordered to the south by the Tahrir region, to the east by Kom Hamada, ...
*
El Mahmoudiyah
El Mahmoudia ( ar, المحمودية, ) is an Egyptian city on the connection point between the Nile and Mahmoudiyah canal. It's a city with a history despite its modernity. It was one of the most important trade ports on the Nile River. Trading ...
*
El Rahmaniya
El Rahmaniya ( ar, الرحمانية, also spelled as Rahmanieh) is a city in Beheira Governorate, Egypt.
History
After the arrival of the French campaign to the west of Alexandria on July 2, 1798 AD, they marched into the city and occupied it ...
*
Itay El Barud
Itay El Barud is a city in Egypt.
History
Itay El Barud was mentioned by Amelino, Ibn Matti and Al-Zubaidi, and Ibn al-Jiyan mentioned it in the ninth century AH with the name (Atiyeh and its miniature), and its name is Coptic (Eiti) and it tu ...
*
Hosh Issa
Hosh may refer to several places:
*Hosh Bannaga, a town in Sudan
* Hosh Essa, a city in Egypt
* Hosh, Perth and Kinross, a place in Perth and Kinross, Scotland
* Hush, Lorestan, a village in Iran
It may also refer to:
*Hosh (architecture)
See a ...
*
Kafr El Dawwar
Kafr El Dawwar ( ar, كفر الدوار, lit=town of the farm ) is a major industrial city and municipality on the Nile Delta in the Beheira Governorate of northern Egypt. Located approximately 30 km from Alexandria, the municipality h ...
*
Koum Hamada Koum is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Daniel Koum (born 1985), Cameroon-born Australian weightlifter
* Emmanuel Koum (1946–2008), Cameroonian football player
* Jan Koum
Jan Koum ( ua, link=yes, Ян Кум; born Yan ...
*
Rosetta
Rosetta or Rashid (; ar, رشيد ' ; french: Rosette ; cop, ϯⲣⲁϣⲓⲧ ''ti-Rashit'', Ancient Greek: Βολβιτίνη ''Bolbitinē'') is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Ro ...
*
Shubrakhit
*
Wadi El Natrun
Wadi El Natrun (Arabic: "Valley of Natron"; Coptic: , "measure of the hearts") is a depression in northern Egypt that is located below sea level and below the Nile River level. The valley contains several alkaline lakes, natron-rich salt dep ...
*
El Nubaria
Notable people
*
Karim Hafez, footballer
* Rehab Elgamal, Actress
* Ahmed Elgamal, Music Composer
Industrial zones
According to the Egyptian Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), in affiliation with the Ministry of Investment (MOI), the following industrial zones are located in this governorate:
* Natron Valley
* Boseili Desert
* (New urban community industrial zone) Nubaria
* Edco
Projects and programs
In 1981, the ''Basic Village Service Program'' (BVS), under the auspices of USAID, had several water, road, and other projects, going on in several markazes in Beheira Governorate.
In 2018 the governorate council discussed a campaign of
mosquito control
Mosquito control manages the population of mosquitoes to reduce their damage to human health, economies, and enjoyment. Mosquito control is a vital public-health practice throughout the world and especially in the tropics because mosquitoes spr ...
and animal control to avert the spread of preventable diseases.
References
External links
El Watan News of Beheira Governorate
{{Authority control
Governorates of Egypt