Sharqia Governorate
Sharqiyya Governorate is the 3rd most populous of the governorates of Egypt. Located in the northern part of the country, its capital is the city of Zagazig.
Overview
Bilbeis is the former capital of Sharqia. A section of the governorate once was part of the Qalyubia Governorate. There is a strong agriculture industry, poultry and fish farming in Sharqia.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 7,192,355. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.Anglicized name | Native name | Arabic transliteration | Population | Type |
Abu Hammad | مركز أبو حماد | Abū Ḥammād | 433,336 | Markaz |
Abu Kebir | مركز أبوكبير | Abū Kabīr | 447,083 | Markaz |
El Husseiniya | مركز الحسينية | Al-Ḥusayniyah | 373,774 | Markaz |
El Ibrahimiya | مركز الأبراهيمية | Al-Ibrāhīmiyah | 183,209 | Markaz |
El Qanayat | قسم القنايات | Al-Qanāyāt | 63,016 | Kism |
El Qurein | قسم القرين | Al-Qurayn | 84,358 | Kism |
New Salhia | قسم الصالحية الجديدة | Aṣ-Ṣaliḥiyah al-Jadīdah | 52,883 | Kism |
Awlad Saqr | مركز أولاد صقر | Awlād Ṣaqr | 226,973 | Markaz |
Zagazig 1 | قسم اول الزقازيق | Az-Zaqāzīq 1 | 176,240 | Kism |
Zagazig 2 | قسم ثان الزقازيق | Az-Zaqāzīq 2 | 207,463 | Kism |
Zagazig | مركز الزقازيق | Az-Zaqāzīq | 877,977 | Markaz |
Bilbeis | مركز بلبيس | Bilbays | 818,029 | Markaz |
Diyarb Negm | مركز ديرب نجم | Diyarb Najm | 493,043 | Markaz |
Faqous | قسم فاقوس | Fāqūs | 104,244 | Kism |
Faqous | مركز فاقوس | Fāqūs | 615,176 | Markaz |
Hihya | مركز ههيا | Hihyā | 299,620 | Markaz |
Kafr Saqr | مركز كفر صقر | Kafr Ṣaqr | 279,595 | Markaz |
10th of Ramadan City 1 | قسم أول مدينة عشرة رمضان | Madīnat 'Ashirh min-Ramaḍān 1 | 74,164 | Kism |
10th of Ramadan City 2 | قسم ثان مدينة عشرة رمضان | Madīnat 'Ashirh min-Ramaḍān 2 | 145,278 | Kism |
Mashtool El Souk | مركز مشتول السوق | Mashtūl as-Sūq | 219,794 | Markaz |
Minya El Qamh | مركز منيا القمح | Minyā al-Qamḥ | 771,987 | Markaz |
Minshat Abu Omar | مركز منشاه ابوعمر | Munshāh Abū 'Umar | 86,670 | Markaz |
Tanis | مركز صان الحجر | Ṣān al-Ḥajar | 158,443 | Markaz |
Population
According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 23.1%. Out of an estimated 6,485,412 people residing in the governorate in 2015, 4,987,707 people lived in rural areas and 1,497,705 lived in urban areas.Industrial zones
According to the Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones the governorate is home to two industrial zones. They are located in New Salhia, and in 10th of Ramadan.Cities and towns
The following cities and towns are located in Sharqia Governorate.Name | Population | Location |
10th of Ramadan | 29,601 | |
Abu Hammad | 36,592 | |
Abu Kebir | 104,100 | |
Awlad Saqr | 19,515 | |
Bilbeis | 141,285 | |
Diyarb Negm | 52,611 | |
El Husseiniya | 29,565 | |
El Ibrahimiya | 35,022 | |
El Qurein | 64,559 | |
Faqous | 73,081 | |
Hihya | 43,672 | |
Kafr Saqr | 30,004 | |
Mashtool El Souk | 47,153 | |
Minya El Qamh | 67,450 | |
El Salheya El Gedida | 9,350 | |
Zagazig* | 318,393 |
Notable people
- El-Said Badawi, sociolinguist
- Mohamed Morsi, former President of Egypt
- Ahmed Shafik, former Prime Minister of Egypt and Presidential Candidate for Egyptian presidential election, 2012
- Abaza family, the largest family in Sharqia and Egypt's largest family of Circassian origin.
- Ahmed Subhy Mansour, founder of the Quranist movement
- Abdel Halim Hafez, popular singer and actor
- Miral al-Tahawy, award-winning Bedouin novelist
- Yusuf Abu Rayya, award-winning novelist
- Husayn Fawzi Al Najjar, political historian and Islamic scholar
- Magdi Yacoub, professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the National Heart and Lung Institute
- Sama El Masry, actress, belly dancer, and activist
- Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian vernacular poet
- Rushdy Abaza, actor
- Fekry Pasha Abaza, journalist and political activist
- Ahmed 'Urabi, the leader of the 1881 nationalist uprising against the British
- Hamada Helal, Egyptian singer
- Emad Moteab, Egptian footballer
- Ahmed el-Mansy, an Egyptian officer who was killed in clashes with terrorists in North Sinai
- Ahmad Salem, Egyptian actor, pilot and engineer