Al-Bahr al-ahmar governorate

محافظة البحر الأحمر al-Bahr al-ahmar
Symbols
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Basic data
Country	Egypt
Capital	Hurghada
surface	203,685 km²
Residents	359,888 (2017)
density	1.8 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2	EG-BA

27 33.8Coordinates: 27 ° N , 34 ° E

The governorate of al-Bahr al-ahmar ( Egyptian-Arabic Muḥāfẓet El Baḥr El Aḥmar , Arabic محافظة البحر الأحمر Muhāfazat al-Bahr al-ahmar , DMG Muḥāfaẓat al-Baḥr al-aḥmar ' Red Sea '), also the Governorate of the Red Sea , is a governorate in Egypt with 359,888 inhabitants and is located in the eastern part of the Arabian Desert . The governor is Major General and Minister Ahmed Abdullah (as of March 2017).

geography

Al-Bahr al-ahmar borders in the north on the governorate as-Suwais (Suez), in the east on the coast of the Red Sea , in the west on the governorates Aswan , al-Uqsur , Qina , Sauhaj , Asyut , al-Minya and Bani Suwaif . In the south it borders on Sudan and its eponymous state of al-Bahr al-ahmar , on the border lies the controversial area of the Hala'ib triangle between Sudan and Egypt .

administration

The governorate of al-Bahr al-ahmar, including the controversial Hala'ib triangle, is divided into eight districts ( marākiz , singular markaz ), from north to south:

f1 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

Markaz	Arabic	Area km²	Population on Nov 11, 2006	Coordinates
Ras Gharib	قسم رأس غارب	10,464.46	32,369	...
Hurghada No. 2	قسم ثان الغردقة	6,836.55	91,285	...
Hurghada	قسم أول الغردقة	6,192.85	69,616	27 ° 13 '25 " N , 33 ° 50' 21" E27.223611111111 33.839166666667
Safaga	قسم سفاجا	4,764.59	35,379	...
al-Quseir	قسم القصير	11,675.36	35,920	...
Marsa Alam	قسم مرسى علم	24,466.77	6,614	...
Bi'r Schalatain ¹⁾	قسم الشلاتين	49,677.99	15.210	...
Hala'ib ¹⁾	قسم حلايب	7,573.28	2,268	...
Al-Bahr al-ahmar governorate	البحر الأحمر	121,651.85	288,661

¹⁾ The Hala'ib district is not identical to the Hala'ib triangle, but only covers part of it (7573 of 20580 km² or 37 percent of the area) in the east with the largest part of the coast and the inhabited areas. The uninhabited remainder of the disputed area with Sudan is administered by Egypt as part of the Bi'r Schalatain district.

population

In 2006 the population was 359,888, of which more than 320,000 lived in the few towns on the coast. In general, the economic structure of the governorate is concentrated in the cities and tourist centers on the coast. Historically, the population has increased thirty-fold since 1937:

1937	1947	1966	1976	1986	1996	2006	2010	2017
9,914	15,929	38,000	56.191	90.491	155,695	288.233	306.722	359,888

economy

Desert landscape in the governorate of al-Bahr al-ahmar on the Red Sea

Since the early 1980s, Hurghada has been a popular destination for beach holidaymakers and diving enthusiasts . Starting from Hurghada, tourist centers have also developed in the southern cities of Safaga and al-Qusair and Marsa Alam. These destinations can be reached via the international airports in Hurghada and Marsa Alam . In addition to the countless hotels and tourist businesses on the coast, there are two official nature reserves in al-Bahr al-ahmar: The Wadi-al-Gamal National Park (Valley of the Camels) near the city of Marsa Alam and the Gebel Elba National Park in Hala'ib triangle near the city of Hala'ib . In addition to the tourism industry, fishing is carried out all along the coast. The area over which the governorate extends is rich in minerals such as phosphates . In the region around Ras Gharib, 70% of Egyptian oil production is extracted.