North Sinai ( ') is one of the

governorates of Egypt Egypt is administratively organized under a dual system that may consist of either two or three tiers, with further subdivisions occasionally resulting in an additional layer. It follows a centralized system of local government, officially term ...

. It is located in the north-eastern part of the country, and encompasses the northern half of the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

. It is bordered in the north by the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, in the south by

South Sinai Governorate South Sinai ( ') is the least populated Subdivisions of Egypt, governorate of Egypt. It is located in the east of the country, encompassing the southern half of the Sinai Peninsula. Saint Catherine's Monastery, an Eastern Orthodox Church monaste ...

, in the west by

Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...

Ismailia Ismailia ( ', ) 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 had an estimated population of about 1,434,741 according to the statistics issued by the Cen ...

, and

Suez Governorate Suez ( ) 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. The Suez Governorate is one of the most urbanized regions ...

s, and in the east by the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

(

Rafah Governorate The Rafah Governorate () is a Governorates of Palestine, Governorate of Palestine in the southernmost portion of the Gaza Strip. Its district capital or ''muhfaza'' is the city of Rafah located on the border with Egypt. According to the Palest ...

) and

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

( Southern District). Its capital is the city of

El Arish ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ' ) is the capital and largest city of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Mediterranean coast northeast of Cairo and west of the Egypt–Gaza border ...

. A governorate is administered by a governor, who is appointed by the

President of Egypt The president of the Arab Republic of Egypt () is the executive head of state of Egypt and the de facto appointer of the official head of government under the Egyptian Constitution of 2014. Under the various iterations of the History of the Egypt ...

and serves at the president's discretion. North Sinai has a rich history dating back to ancient times and is home to several ancient settlements that hold significant historical and

Biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

importance –

Ostrakine Ostrakine (, , ) was an ancient Egyptian city at a location that is known as Ras Straki () or Gazirat El-Felusiyat () today. The name of the Zaraniq Protected Area () is also derived from Ostrakine. Etymology The city's name is believed to be ...

and Kasion, both of which served as a border city between Egypt and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and an important bishopric in the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

era;

Kadesh Barnea Kadesh or Qadesh or Cades (, from the root "holy") is a place-name that occurs several times in the Hebrew Bible, describing a site or sites located south of, or at the southern border of, Canaan and the Kingdom of Judah in the kingdom of Israel. ...

, an important site, with its history tied to the events described in the Bible. The population of the North Sinai Governorate as at 2015 was 434,781 people, comprising predominantly

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

tribesmen. The Governorate covers an area of 27,574 square kilometers. The population density is 15 inhabitants per square kilometer. North Sinai was especially affected by the

Sinai insurgency The Sinai insurgency was an insurgency campaign in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt launched by Islamist militants against Egyptian security forces, which also included attacks on civilians. The insurgency began during the Egyptian Crisis, duri ...

and measures by government forces to combat it, which has resulted in many casualties. On October 14, 2016, twelve Egyptian troops were killed at a checkpoint near

. On November 27, 2017, a mosque in the village of Al-Rawda was attacked by roughly 40 gunmen, killing at least 305 and injuring up to 128 others, making it the deadliest terror attack in Egyptian history.

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into municipal divisions for administrative purposes with a total estimated population as of January 2023 of 504,201. North Sinai with names

Population

According to population estimates, in 2024 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in urban areas, with an urbanization rate of 60.2%. Out of an estimated total o
450,531
people, 261,219 people lived in urban areas and 179,312 lived in rural areas.

Counties and cities

North Sinai is divided into six ''markaz'' (

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

), each with an eponymous city as their capitals. *

Al-Arish ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ' ) is the capital and largest city of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Mediterranean coast northeast of Cairo and west of the Egypt–Gaza border. T ...

, also the governorate's

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

and largest city, with 164,830 inhabitants . *

Nekhel Nikhel ( ; also spelled and pronounced ''Nikhl '' ) is administratively a city (though realistically more of a town) and the capital of the eponymous ''markaz'' (county) North Sinai Governorate, Egypt. It is located in the heart of th ...

Rafah Rafah ( ) is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the capital of the Rafah Governorate. It is located south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. Due to the Gaza war, about 1.4 million people from Gaza C ...

Bir al-Abd Bir al-Abed (; ) is one of the cities of North Sinai in the north east of Egypt. It is the capital of Bir al-Abd Markaz, located on the international coastal road on the shores of Lake Bardawil. History On 9 August 1916, the Battle of Bir el ...

* Al-Hassana (see Raid on Bir el Hassana and the map included therein; "bir" means "a well") *

Sheikh Zuweid Sheikh Zuweid (also spelled Sheikh Zoweid, Shaykh Zuwayd, or Sheikh Zouède; , , Greek: ''Bitulion'') is a Bedouin town in the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt near the border with the Gaza Strip. It is situated between the cities of Arish ...

Industrial zones

According to the Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the following industrial zones are located in North Sinai:

Governors

* Muhammad Abdul Mun'em El Qirmani (May 1974-November 1976) * Fu'ad Ibrahim Nassar (November 1976-November 1978) * Muhammad Hussein Shawkat (November 1978-May 1980) *

Youssef Sabri Abu Taleb Youssef Sabri Abu Taleb Giad Al-Haq (Arabic: يوسف صبري أبوطالب جادالحق; May 1929 – 29 September 2008) was an Egyptian colonel general and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Military career Abu Taleb participate ...

(May 1980-August 1982) * Mounir Ahmad Shash (September 1982-January 1996) * Muhammad Dasouqi El Ghayati (January 1996-July 1997) * Ali Hifzi Muhammad (July 1997-November 1999) * Ahmad Abdul Hamid Muhammad (November 1999-April 2008) * Abdel Fadil Shousha (April 2008-January 2010) *

Murad Muwafi Mourad Mouwafi or Muwafi (; born 2 February 1950) is an Egyptian politician and major-general. Mouwafi was also the governor of Northern Sinai during a 2011 uprising in the region. He was appointed the Director of the Egyptian Intelligence sh ...

(January 2010-January 2011) * Sayyid Abdul Wahhab Mabrouk (30 January 2011 – 8 August 2012) * Abdul Fattah Harhour (4 September 2012 – 30 August 2018) * Abdel Fadil Shousha (second term) (August 2018-)

References

External links

Official website English
*
El Wattan News of North Sinai Governorate
{{Authority control Governorates of Egypt