As-Suwayda Governorate is one of Syria's 14 governorates (provinces). It has an area of 5,550 km2. Its capital and major town is As-Suwayda.
The governorate has a population of about 346,000 inhabitants (est. 2007).[1] The inhabitants of the governorate are predominantly Druze with Greek orthodox minority, there is also a small Muslim community.
Most of the inhabitants live in the western parts of the governorate, in Jabal al-Druze and Leja regions. Only nomadic Bedouin tribes live in the eastern parts, which constitute a barren rocky desert.
The governorate is divided into 3 districts (manatiq): As-Suwayda District, Salkhad District and Shahba District. These are further divided into 9 sub-districts (nawahi).
There are 3 cities, 124 villages and 36 hamlets in the governorate.[1]
| English name | Arabic name | District | Population | Elevation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ajailat | العجيلات | As-Suwayda District | 1,500 | ||
| Al-Kefr | الكفر | As-Suwayda District | 1360 m | ||
| Ariqah | عريقة | Shahba District | 3,000 | 800 m | |
| As-Suwayda | السويداء | As-Suwayda District | 63,324 | 1095 m | |
| Dama | داما | Shahba District | 725 m | ||
| Imtan | امتان | Salkhad District | 2,600 | 1189 m | |
| Qanawat | قنوات | As-Suwayda District | 1200 m | ||
| Salkhad | صلخد | Salkhad District | 15,000 | 1350 m | |
| Shahba | شهبا | Shahba District | |||
| Shaqqa | شقا | Shahba District | 8,000 | 1070 m | |