Beheira Governorate | ||
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Governorate | ||
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Beheira Governorate on the map of Egypt |
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Coordinates: 30°37′N 30°26′E / 30.61°N 30.43°ECoordinates: 30°37′N 30°26′E / 30.61°N 30.43°E | ||
Country | Egypt | |
Seat | Damanhur (capital) | |
Government | ||
• Governor |
Nadia Ahmed Abdou |
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Area | ||
• Total | 10,130 km2 (3,910 sq mi) | |
Population (2014) | ||
• Total | 5,647,233 | |
• Density | 560/km2 (1,400/sq mi) | |
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
Nadia Ahmed Abdou
Beheira Governorate (Egyptian Arabic: محافظة البحيرة Muḥāfẓet El Beḥēra , IPA: [elbeˈħeːɾæ], "the Lake") is a coastal governorate in Egypt. Located in the northern part of the country in the Nile Delta, its capital is Damanhur.
Beheira Governorate enjoys an important strategical place, west of the Rosetta branch of the Nile. It comprises four important highways, namely the Cairo-Alexandria desert road, the Cairo agricultural road, the international road and the circular road. Beheira Governorate is also home to a number of the most important Coptic monasteries in Wadi El Natrun (Scetes).
Beheira consists of 13 centers and 14 cities, and contains important industries such as cotton, chemicals, carpets, electricity and fishing.
In 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi appointed the first female governor in the country's history for Beheira's Governorate.
According to population estimates from 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate live in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 19.5%. Out of an estimated 5,804,262 people residing in the governorate, 4,674,346 people live in rural areas as opposed to only 1,129,916 in urban areas.
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:
In 1981, the Basic Village Service Program (BVS), under the auspices of USAID, had several water, road, and other projects, going on in several markazes in Beheira Governorate.