| Kafr El Sheikh Governorate | |
| Settlement Type: | Governorate |
| Flag Size: | 120px |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Coat of arms of Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate.jpg |
| Blank Emblem Size: | 75px |
| Image Map1: | Kafr el-Sheikh in Egypt.svg |
| Map Caption1: | Kafr El Sheikh Governorate on the map of Egypt |
| Coordinates: | 31.3°N 30.93°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Seat: | Kafr El Sheikh (capital) |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Gamal Mustafa Ibrahim Hossein [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3,437 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 3759316 |
| Population As Of: | January 2023 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | GDP |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics1 Info1: | EGP 151 billion (US$ 9.6 billion) |
| Timezone1: | EET |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | HDI (2021) |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 0.735[3] · 11th |
Kafr El Sheikh Governorate (Arabic: محافظة كفر الشيخ) is one of the governorates of Egypt. It lies in the northern part of the country, along the western branch of the Nile in the Nile Delta. Its capital is the city of Kafr El Sheikh.
Kafr El Sheikh is the first nationwide in the cultivation of long-staple cotton for export.
Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, which was once part of the Gharbia Governorate, was created in 1949. It was originally named Fuadiyah in honor of King Fuad I of Egypt. After the 1952 Revolution and the subsequent abolition of the monarchy, the governorate took the name of its capital city Kafr El Sheikh. This name, adopted in 1955, means "the village of the chief".[4]
The area occupied today by the Kafr El Sheikh Governorate encompasses the ancient region of Bashmur and has been inhabited since ancient times and so it has a noteworthy number of archaeological sites, at Tell Metoubes, Fuwwah, Desouk, Tell Qabrit, and other settlements around Lake Burrulus. The capital of Lower Egypt, called "Buto", is located at present-day Tell El Faraain (the Hill of the Pharaohs), near Desouk.[5]
The governorate is divided into municipal divisions, with a total estimated population as of January 2023 of 3,695,336. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.
| Burullus | Arabic: مركز البرلس | 259,358 | Markaz | ||
| El Hamool | Arabic: مركز الحامول | 317,687 | Markaz | ||
| El Reyad | Arabic: مركز الرياض | 204,100 | Markaz | ||
| Bila | Arabic: قسم بيلا | 90,380 | Kism (fully urban) | ||
| Bila | Arabic: مركز بيلا | 236,766 | Markaz | ||
| Desouk | Arabic: قسم دسوق | 151,492 | Kism (fully urban) | ||
| Desouk | Arabic: مركز دسوق | 449,453 | Markaz | ||
| Fuwa | Arabic: مركز فوه | 197,682 | Markaz | ||
| Kafr el Sheikh | Arabic: مركز كفر الشيخ | 489,054 | Markaz | ||
| Kafr el Sheikh 1 | Arabic: قسم أول كفر الشيخ | 157,222 | Kism (fully urban) | ||
| Kafr el Sheikh 2 | Arabic: قسم ثان كفر الشيخ | 40,212 | Kism (fully urban) | ||
| Metoubes | Arabic: مركز مطوبس | 331,460 | Markaz | ||
| Qallin | Arabic: مركز قلين | 290,876 | Markaz | ||
| Sidi Salem | Arabic: مركز سيدى سالم | 479,594 | Markaz |
According to population estimates, in 2023 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 23.1%. Out of an estimated 3,759,316 people residing in the governorate, 2,890,914 people lived in rural areas as opposed to only 868,402 in urban areas.[6]
Lake Burullus is located in the north of the Kafr El Sheikh governorate. The following are in Kafr El Sheikh:
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:[7]
In 2016, Switzerland committed to funding a solid waste management program in Kafr El Sheikh, a project with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment that will conclude in 2021. The National Solid Waste Management Programme (NSWMP) involves the construction of infrastructure for new as well as the expansion and improvement of existing waste treatment, landfill, and recycling facilities.[8]
Industries include cotton-processing factories, rice and fishing. Kafr Elsheikh is also home to one of the biggest sugar factories in the region.
Kafr El Sheikh University comprises faculties for medicine, commerce, engineering, agriculture, veterinary medicine, arts, physical education, science, education, special education, dentistry, physical therapy, alsun and pharmacy.