Gharbia Governorate

Gharbia is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is in the northern part of the country, just south of Kafr El Sheikh Governorate and north of Monufia Governorate. The main city, or capital, is Tanta. Tanta is about 90 km north of Cairo and 120 km southeast of Alexandria. The biggest city in Gharbia is El Mahalla El Kubra. The whole area covers 1,942 km².

The history of Gharbia goes back to very old times, from the Pharaonic era. Back then, the land was part of three important areas around Abu Sir, Samannoud, and Sa El Hagar. These places were special for religion and politics in ancient Egypt.

Today, Gharbia is a busy place for farming and industry. It is the biggest place in Egypt for growing onions and the second biggest for grapes. The area also grows wheat, rice, and jasmine. There are big factories for making clothes, food, perfume, and pottery, making Gharbia an important part of Egypt’s economy.

Municipal divisions

Gharbia Governorate in Egypt is divided into eight main areas for local management. It has a big population of over five million people.

The way Gharbia is organized started in the early 1800s. After a land survey in 1813, Egypt was split into new parts. By 1822, Gharbia had five districts. In 1825, it was split again into more districts.

Today, Gharbia has eight main areas. It also includes seven larger divisions, 71 local units, and 320 villages.

The biggest city is El Mahalla El Kubra, followed by Tanta. Samannud is the smallest main center. Basyoun has the fewest people, and Qutur has the least number of people living closely together.

Etymology

The name Gharbia means "west" in Arabic. It shows that this area is west of important cities like Cairo, near the Nile Delta.

History

The Gharbia Governorate has a long history going back to ancient times. People lived here when the pharaohs ruled. Egypt was divided into areas called nomes. The land that is now Gharbia was part of several nomes, like the Fifth Lower Egyptian nome with its capital at Sais and the Ninth nome with its capital at Abu Sir.

During the medieval period, the area was part of different regions. After the Islamic conquest, it became part of "Batn al-Rif" and was split into several areas. The Fatimid rulers created a region called Gharbia between the Rosetta and Damietta branches of the Nile River.

In more recent times, the French army entered Tanta in 1798 and met resistance from local people. Later, the capital was moved from al-Mahalla al-Kubra to Tanta in 1836 because of its central location. During the 1919 Revolution, people in Gharbia protested and even declared a small republic in Zefta. The area has continued to change with new rules over the years.

Population

In 1960, Gharbia Governorate had about 1.8 million people. By 2015, most people lived in the countryside, with only about 25% in cities. Out of around 4.8 million people, more than 3 million lived in rural areas, while around 1.4 million lived in towns.

Today, there are about 1.3 million households, with each household having around 4 people on average. The birth rate is 17.8 babies for every 1,000 people, which is lower than the national average. The death rate is 6.1 for every 1,000 people, a bit higher than the national average. This leads to a population growth of 11.7 people for every 1,000. The average age for men to get married is 30 years, while for women it is 24 years.

Religion

Although there are no recent official numbers, most people in Gharbia are Sunni Muslims, with Orthodox Christians making up a smaller group. There are also tiny communities of other Islamic and Christian groups. In 1986, Muslims made up about 98% of the population, Christians about 1.7%, and there were a few Jews and people of other religions. The governorate has many mosques and several churches.

Tribes

During the Ayyubid period, many Arab tribes settled in Gharbia. Some well-known tribes include the Banu Sinbis from the Tayy tribe, as well as other groups like the Banu Rumaith, Banu ‘Anaz, and Banu ‘Adwa. Other tribes such as the Banu Yazid, ‘Umariyyun, and groups from Kutama and Lawata also lived in different parts of the area.

Cities

Gharbia Governorate has several important cities. Some of the main cities include El Mahalla El Kubra, Kafr El Zayat, Samanoud, Tanta, Zifta, El Santa, Kotoor, and Basyoun. These cities help make Gharbia a special place to learn about in Egypt.

Economy

Gharbia Governorate is in northern Egypt. Its economy is growing. In 2024, its income was about 28.7 billion Egyptian pounds, and its spending was about 26.9 billion pounds. This left a small extra amount of money.

Agriculture is very important in Gharbia. The land has many farms with crops like wheat, onions, and maize. The area is well-known for its onions and jasmine flowers. There are also farms with animals and fish, and factories that make food and other products.

Environmental projects and programs

In 2016, Switzerland agreed to help fund a program to manage waste better in Gharbia. This project worked with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment and was finished in 2021. The program built new facilities and improved old ones for treating waste, dealing with landfills, and recycling.

Infrastructure

The roads in Gharbia Governorate are very important. They help connect Cairo to the northern coasts and cities near the Suez Canal. As of 2021, the roads in Gharbia cover about 4,743 kilometers, and most of them are paved.

Gharbia is also a key place for train travel in Egypt. It has many railway lines that link Cairo and Alexandria, as well as other cities. Trains are used for both people and goods, and some stations are being updated to improve service.

There are many vehicles in Gharbia, with over 500,000 registered as of 2022. The area has many bridges, but no airports or river ports. The closest airports are Cairo International Airport and Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria.

Culture

The Directorate of Culture in Gharbia Governorate helps people learn about culture. It has 12 cultural palaces and houses, 49 public libraries, and many reading halls with hundreds of thousands of books.

The main museum is the Tanta Museum, which opened in 1913. It has items from old excavations and other places. The museum has five floors: one for Islamic antiquities, one for manuscripts, one for the Greco-Roman world and Coptic heritage, one for Ancient Egyptian artifacts, and one for offices.

Two important places for books are the Tanta Library (Dar al-Kutub), which is over 100 years old, and the Ahmadi Mosque Library, started in 1898 during the time of Abbas II of Egypt.

Healthcare

The healthcare in Gharbia is better than in many parts of Egypt, though there are still some problems for children’s health. There are 6,999 hospital beds in the area, most of which are in public hospitals, with some in private ones. These hospitals have many doctors, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists to help people stay healthy.

As of 2022, there were over 5,000 pharmacies in Gharbia, but only eleven stayed open late at night.

Education

The Gharbia Governorate works to help people learn to read and write. Many people have learned these skills in recent years.

There are many schools in the area, including public schools, religious schools, and technical schools. Some schools have many students in each class, which makes learning harder. The main university is Tanta University. It started as part of another university and grew into its own big school with many subjects to study. There are also smaller colleges and new universities being planned to help more students learn.

Notable people

Gharbia Governorate has been home to many well-known people. One is Mohamed Salah, a soccer player for Liverpool F.C.. Another is Mohammed Elneny, who used to play for Arsenal F.C and now plays for Al Jazira F.C. There is also Alaa Aladdin Mumohamed Elghobashy, who works as an Imam.