List of Egypt Governorates and Capitals - Largest and Smallest by Area & Population

Written and Fact-checked by Whereig Editors | Last Updated On: May 27, 2026

Egypt is divided into 27 governorates, also known as provinces or administrative divisions. Here is a list of the governorates in Egypt:

Egypt is a country in northeastern Africa with the Sinai Peninsula extending into Asia, bordered by Libya, Sudan, Israel, and the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The country is divided into 27 governorates, and those governorates are further divided into districts and municipalities for local administration. Cairo is the national capital and also the largest city in Egypt.

The Nile River runs through the heart of the country and supports most of Egypt’s population and farmland. Outside the Nile Valley, much of the land is desert, while coastal governorates along the Mediterranean and Red Sea have major ports, tourist resorts, and growing urban areas.

Key Facts

National capital: Cairo
Total population: 114,535,772 (Official estimate 2024)
Total area: 1,010,408 km² (390,121 sq miles)
Currency: Egyptian Pound (E£, EGP)
Bordering countries: Libya, Sudan, Israel
Total Governorates: 27
Total Districts: 300+

List of Governorates and Capitals of Egypt

Total governorates shown: 27 | Combined population: 114,535,772 | Combined area: 1,010,408 km²

#	Governorate Name	Capital City	Region	Area (km²)	Population (Latest Census)
1	Alexandria	Alexandria	Mediterranean Coast	2,679	5,700,000
2	Aswan	Aswan	Upper Egypt	62,726	1,700,000
3	Asyut	Asyut	Upper Egypt	1,553	5,000,000
4	Beheira	Damanhur	Nile Delta	10,130	7,100,000
5	Beni Suef	Beni Suef	Middle Egypt	10,954	3,800,000
6	Cairo	Cairo	Greater Cairo	3,085	10,500,000
7	Dakahlia	Mansoura	Nile Delta	3,538	7,200,000
8	Damietta	Damietta	Mediterranean Coast	1,029	1,650,000
9	Faiyum	Faiyum	Middle Egypt	6,068	4,200,000
10	Gharbia	Tanta	Nile Delta	1,942	5,600,000
11	Giza	Giza	Greater Cairo	13,184	9,700,000
12	Ismailia	Ismailia	Suez Canal Region	5,067	1,450,000
13	Kafr El Sheikh	Kafr El Sheikh	Nile Delta	3,437	3,700,000
14	Luxor	Luxor	Upper Egypt	2,960	1,450,000
15	Matrouh	Mersa Matruh	Western Desert Coast	166,563	600,000
16	Minya	Minya	Middle Egypt	32,279	6,300,000
17	Monufia	Shibin El Kom	Nile Delta	2,499	4,700,000
18	New Valley	Kharga	Western Desert	440,098	280,000
19	North Sinai	Arish	Sinai Peninsula	27,574	470,000
20	Port Said	Port Said	Suez Canal Region	1,351	800,000
21	Qalyubia	Benha	Greater Cairo	1,124	6,000,000
22	Qena	Qena	Upper Egypt	10,798	3,600,000
23	Red Sea	Hurghada	Red Sea Coast	203,685	450,000
24	Sharqia	Zagazig	Nile Delta	4,911	8,000,000
25	Sohag	Sohag	Upper Egypt	1,547	5,500,000
26	South Sinai	El Tor	Sinai Peninsula	31,272	120,000
27	Suez	Suez	Suez Canal Region	9,002	800,772

Largest Governorates by Area

New Valley - 169,923 sq mi (440,098 km²)
Red Sea - 78,643 sq mi (203,685 km²)
Matrouh - 64,310 sq mi (166,563 km²)
Aswan - 24,219 sq mi (62,726 km²)
Minya - 12,463 sq mi (32,279 km²)
South Sinai - 12,074 sq mi (31,272 km²)
North Sinai - 10,646 sq mi (27,574 km²)
Giza - 5,091 sq mi (13,184 km²)

Most Populous Governorates

Cairo - Population: 10,500,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Giza - Population: 9,700,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Sharqia - Population: 8,000,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Dakahlia - Population: 7,200,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Beheira - Population: 7,100,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Minya - Population: 6,300,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Qalyubia - Population: 6,000,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Gharbia - Population: 5,600,000 (Official Estimate 2024)

Smallest Governorates by Area

Damietta - 397 sq mi (1,029 km²)
Qalyubia - 434 sq mi (1,124 km²)
Port Said - 522 sq mi (1,351 km²)
Sohag - 597 sq mi (1,547 km²)
Asyut - 600 sq mi (1,553 km²)
Gharbia - 750 sq mi (1,942 km²)

Governorates by Regional Grouping

Greater Cairo: Cairo, Giza, Qalyubia
Nile Delta: Beheira, Dakahlia, Gharbia, Kafr El Sheikh, Monufia, Sharqia
Middle Egypt: Beni Suef, Faiyum, Minya
Upper Egypt: Aswan, Asyut, Luxor, Qena, Sohag
Mediterranean Coast: Alexandria, Damietta
Western Desert: New Valley
Western Desert Coast: Matrouh
Sinai Peninsula: North Sinai, South Sinai
Red Sea Coast: Red Sea
Suez Canal Region: Ismailia, Port Said, Suez

Landlocked Governorates

Asyut
Beni Suef
Cairo
Dakahlia
Faiyum
Gharbia
Giza
Kafr El Sheikh
Luxor
Minya
Monufia
New Valley
Qalyubia
Qena
Sharqia
Sohag

Governorates with Coastline

Alexandria
Aswan
Beheira
Damietta
Ismailia
Matrouh
North Sinai
Port Said
Red Sea
South Sinai
Suez

Governorates Sharing Borders with Other Countries

Libya: Matrouh, New Valley
Sudan: Aswan, Red Sea, New Valley
Israel: North Sinai, South Sinai

Sources

World Countries and Capitals

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Egypt Govermorates and Capitals List