North Sinai Governorate


North Sinai Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is located in the north-eastern part of the country, and encompasses the northern half of the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered in the north by the Mediterranean Sea, in the south by South Sinai Governorate, in the west by Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez Governorates, and in the east by the Gaza Strip and Israel. Its capital is the city of El Arish. A governorate is administered by a governor, who is appointed by the President of Egypt and serves at the president's discretion.
The population of the North Sinai Governorate as at 2015 was 434,781 people, comprising predominantly Bedouin tribesmen. The Governorate covers an area of 27,574 square kilometers. The population density is 15 inhabitants per square kilometer.
A significant economic activity of the Bedouin tribes has been smuggling. They have been active smuggling into the Gaza Strip supplies and weapons using cross-border tunnels as well as assisting illegal migrants into Israel. These activities have been curtailed by the Egyptian government crackdown of smuggling into the Gaza Strip and by the building of the Israel-Egypt barrier.
North Sinai has since 2011 been especially affected by the Sinai insurgency 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 El Arish. 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 July 2017 of 451,990.
Anglicized nameNative nameArabic transliterationPopulation
Type
El Arish 1 قسم أول العريشAl-'Arīsh 155,843Kism
El Arish 2قسم ثان العريشAl-'Arīsh 2 65,772Kism
El Arish 3قسم ثالث العريشAl-'Arīsh 3 44,277Kism
El Arish 4قسم رابع العريشAl-'Arīsh 427,164Kism
El Hassanaقسم الحسنة Al-Ḥasanah8,527Kism
Sheikh Zuweidقسم الشيخ زويد Ash-Shaykh Zuwayd60,176Kism
Bir El Abdقسم بئر العبد B'īr al-'Abd55,535Kism
Nakhl قسم نخل Nakhl6,051Kism
Rafahقسم رفح Rafaḥ75,826Kism
Shurtet El Qasimaقسم شرطة القسيمةShurṭah al-Qasīmah12,011Kism
Shurtet Rumanaقسم شرطة رمانةShurṭah Rumānah40,808Kism

Population

According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in urban areas, with an urbanization rate of 60.2%. Out of an estimated total of 434,781 people, 261,686 people lived in urban areas and 173,095 lived in rural areas.

Cities and towns

According to the Egyptian Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones, in affiliation with the Ministry of Investment, the following industrial zones are located in the governorate: