Beni Suef ( ar, محافظة بني سويف ') is one of the

governorates of Egypt Egypt has a centralised system of local government officially called local administration as it is a branch of the Executive. The country is divided into twenty-seven governorates ( '; ; genitive case: ; plural: '), the top tier of local a ...

. It is situated in the center of the country.

Overview

This governorate's capital is the city of

Beni Suef Beni Suef ( ar, بني سويف, Baniswēf the capital city of the Beni Suef Governorate in Egypt. Beni Suef is the location of Beni Suef University. An important agricultural trade centre on the west bank of the Nile River, the city is located ...

, located about 120 km south of

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 metr ...

on the west bank of the

Nile River The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , 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 the longest riv ...

. The area is well known in Egypt for its cement factories. The nearby Meidum 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 July 2017 of 3,171,186. 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 Egyptian Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), in affiliation with the Ministry of Investment, the following industrial zones are located in this governorate: *Kom Abu Radi industrial zone *Baiad Al Arab industrial zone * Industrial zone 31-1 * Industrial zone 31-2 * Industrial zone 31-3 * Industrial zone 31-4 * Gabal Ghareb -

heavy industry Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

* New Beni Suef industrial zone

References

External links

Beni Suef Museum next to the governorate building

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