Ismailia Governorate is one of the Canal Zone

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 ...

. Located in the northeastern part of the country, its capital is the city of

Ismailia Ismailia ( ar, الإسماعيلية ', ) is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city has a population of 1,406,699 (or approximately 750,000, includi ...

. It was named after Ismail Pasha, who as Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, oversaw the country during the building of the Suez Canal. It is located between the other two Canal governorates;

Port Said Governorate Port Said Governorate is one of the Canal Zone governorates of Egypt. It is located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Mediterranean Sea at the northern gate of the Suez Canal, making it the second most important harbor in Egypt. I ...

, in the Northern part of Egypt and

Suez Governorate Suez Governorate ( ar, محافظة السويس ) is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is located in the north-eastern part of the country and is coterminous with the city of Suez. It is situated north of the Gulf of Suez. Municipal division ...

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into municipal divisions, with a total estimated population as of July 2017 of 1,309,474. In the case of Ismailia governorate, there are 4 kism, 5 markaz and 1 new city. The divisions are generally seven: Ismailia which is the capital, Tell El Kebir, Abu Suwir, Qassasin, Fayid, Qantara West and Qantara East.

Population

According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 45.4%. Out of an estimated 1,178,641 people residing in the governorate, 643,778 people lived in rural areas as opposed to only 534,863 in urban areas.

Cities and towns

As of 2017, seven cities (or towns) in Ismailia had a population of over 15,000 inhabitants.

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: *Al Qantara Shark *The 1st industrial zone *Technology Valley *The 2nd industrial zone *Abu Khalifa

Annual film festival

Hashim El Nahas founded the Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts and originally considered establishing it in Luxor. Instead this festival has been celebrating its annual events in Ismailia Governorate. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Ismailia Governorate, The National Cinema Center and other sponsors.

Ismailia Canal

The Ismailia Governorate is on the banks of the Suez Canal and its

Ismailia Canal Ismailia ( ar, الإسماعيلية ', ) is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city has a population of 1,406,699 (or approximately 750,000, includ ...

extends from the Nile River near Cairo, to the Suez Canal at the city of Ismailia, on

Lake Timsah Lake Timsah, also known as Crocodile Lake ( ar, بُحَيْرة التِّمْسَاح); is a lake in Egypt on the Nile delta. It lies in a basin developed along a fault extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Suez through the Bit ...

. The Ismailia Canal was built to provide fresh water to workers during the building of the Suez Canal. The

Suez Canal Authority Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is an Egyptian state-owned authority which owns, operates and maintains the Suez Canal. It was set up by the Egyptian government to replace the Suez Canal Company in the 1950s which resulted in the Suez Crisis. After th ...

headquarters is located in Ismailia.

Conflicts and wars

From 1967 to 1970, Ismailia became a war zone and was damaged in the conflict with Israel. Many battles were fought, in and around Ismailia, including at the end of the conflict in the

Battle of Ismailia The Battle of Ismailia took place between the Egyptian Army and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the last stages of the Yom Kippur War during October 18–22, 1973, south of the city of Ismailia, on the west bank of the Suez Canal in Egy ...

and the area was able to begin rebuilding after a cease-fire was negotiated between Egypt and Israel in 1973.

Fishing landing sites

There are several official fishing landing sites in Ismailia. One is at

and the other at Bitter Lake.

UN sustainable programme

After a successful SIP (Sustainable Ismailia Programme) from 1992-1997, the United Nations expanded the project to include the entire Governorate of Ismailia calling it SGIP (Sustainable Ismailia Governorate Programme). Its goal is to work with local partners to improve the communities in Ismailia.

References

External links

Official Ismailia GovernorateIsmailia Governorate - Tourism

Ismailia Governorate on Facebook

El Watan News of Ismailia Governorate
{{coord, 30, 36, N, 32, 17, E, display=title, region:EG_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki Governorates of Egypt