Kafr El Sheikh (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.
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Overview
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".
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.
Municipal divisions
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.
Population
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.
Cities and towns
Lake Burullus is located in the north of the Kafr El Sheikh governorate. The following are in Kafr El Sheikh:
El Hamool
Baltim
Biyala
Desouk
Fuwwah
Kafr El Sheikh
Metoubes
Qallin
El Reyad
Sidi Salem
Industrial zones
According to the Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the following industrial zones are located in Kafr El Sheikh:
Projects and programs
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.
Economy
Industries include cotton-processing factories, rice and fishing. Kafr Elsheikh is also home to one of the biggest sugar factories in the region.
Education
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.
Notable people
Saad Zaghloul (1859-1927) 17th Prime Minister of Egypt
Mahmoud El Manhaly (born 1942) sugaring plants scientist
Hamdeen Sabahi (born 1954) politician and journalist and leader of Egyptian Popular Current
Ahmed Zewail (1946-2016) scientist and chemist and Nobel Prize winner
Mamdouh Elssbiay (born 1984) professional bodybuilder
Ashraf El-Shihy (born 1955) former minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Ahmed Tantawi
Tarek Yehia
Mahmoud Trézéguet
Mohamed El Shenawy
Mohamed Atta