Giza Governorate ( ar, محافظة الجيزة ') is one of the

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

. It is in the center of the country, situated 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 rive ...

opposite

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 ...

. Its capital is the city of

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...

. It includes a stretch of the left bank of the

Nile Valley 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 rive ...

around Giza, and acquired a large stretch of Egypt's Western Desert, including

Bahariya Oasis El-Wahat el-Bahariya or el-Bahariya ( ar, الواحات البحرية "''El-Wāḥāt El-Baḥrīya''", "the Northern Oases"); is a Depression (geology), depression and a naturally rich oasis in the Western Desert (Egypt), Western Desert of Egypt ...

when the

6th of October Governorate The 6th of October Governorate was one of the governorates of Egypt. It was located in Middle Egypt, to the west of the Nile valley. It was dissolved on 14 April 2011 and was reincorporated into the Giza Governorate. History The 6th of Octob ...

was merged into it on 14 April 2011. The Giza Governorate is also home to the

Great Sphinx The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, E ...

and the

Pyramids of Giza The Giza pyramid complex ( ar, مجمع أهرامات الجيزة), also called the Giza necropolis, is the site on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo, Egypt that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Men ...

Overview

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 municipal divisions, with a total estimated population as of July 2017 of 8,666,090. In the case of Giza governorate, there are a number of aqsam and

marakiz Markaz ( ar, مركز, tr, merkez), or the equivalent term in Persian, is a second-level administrative division found in the Middle East. Examples include: * Markazes of Egypt, below Governorates of Egypt * Markaz in Saudi Arabia, below Governor ...

, with fully urban and rural parts. Sometimes a markaz and a kism share a name.

Population

According to population estimates from 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in urban areas, with an

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

rate of 58.6%. Out of an estimated 7,585,115 people residing in the governorate, 4,446,805 people lived in urban areas as opposed to only 3,138,310 in rural areas. According to population estimates from 2018 the majority of residents in the governorate live in urban areas, with an urbanization rate of 60.9%. Out of an estimated 8,759,000 people residing in the governorate, 5,332,000 people live in urban areas as opposed to only 3,428,000 in rural areas.

Industrial zones

According to the Egyptian Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), and the Ministry of Investment, the following industrial zones are located in this governorate: * Abo Rwash Industrial Zone * 6 October Industrial Zone * Al Wahat (Heavy) Industrial zone

Important sites

The

Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the early 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, ...

is one of the

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, also known as the Seven Wonders of the World or simply the Seven Wonders, is a list of seven notable structures present during classical antiquity. The first known list of seven wonders dates back to the 2 ...

and people come from all over the world each year to see it. It is located in the

Giza pyramid complex The Giza pyramid complex ( ar, مجمع أهرامات الجيزة), also called the Giza necropolis, is the site on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo, Egypt that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Men ...

Abusir Abusir ( ar, ابو صير ; Egyptian ''pr wsjr'' cop, ⲃⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲓ ' "the House or Temple of Osiris"; grc, Βούσιρις) is the name given to an Egyptian archaeological locality – specifically, an extensive necropolis of ...

Giza Necropolis The Giza pyramid complex ( ar, مجمع أهرامات الجيزة), also called the Giza necropolis, is the site on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo, Egypt that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of M ...

- Giza pyramid complex

Projects

In 1981, the Basic Village Service Program (BVS), under the auspices of USAID, had several water, and road projects, going on in several markazes in the Giza Governorate. In a program that began on August 28, 2012 (through 2018), the European Union invested 40 million Euros on upgrading the infrastructure of informal areas in Giza Governorate.

References

{{Authority control Governorates of Egypt