Sharqia (Arabic: محافظة الشرقية, romanized: Moḥāfeẓeh esh-Sher'eyyeh, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [eʃ.ʃæɾˈʔejjæ], rural: [eʃ.ʃæɾˈɡejje]; lit. 'Governorate of the Eastern') is one of the 27 governorates of Egypt, and the third most populous one. It is located in Lower Egypt on the eastern side of the Nile Delta. Its capital is the city of Zagazig. Sharqia, along with the rest of the eastern portion of the Nile Delta, it is often identified with the Biblical Land of Goshen.
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Overview
The capital of the governorate is Zagazig and Sharqia has a strong industrial and agricultural sector.
Sharqia is the third most populous governorate in Egypt and is considered the birthplace of many historical leaders and figures in Egypt.
Municipal divisions
The governorate is divided into the following municipal divisions for administrative purposes, with a total estimated population as of January 2023 of 7,021,046. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.
Population
According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of 25%. Out of an estimated 6,485,412 people residing in the governorate in 2015, 4,987,707 people lived in rural areas and 1,497,705 lived in urban areas.
Industrial zones
According to the Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the following industrial zones are located in Sharqia:
Cities and towns
The following cities and towns are located in Sharqia Governorate.
Notable people
Ramses II, Egyptian pharaoh
El-Said Badawi, sociolinguist
Mohamed Morsi, former President of Egypt
Ahmed Shafik, former Prime Minister of Egypt and Presidential Candidate for the 2012 Egyptian presidential election
The Abaza Family, Egypt's largest aristocratic family of Circassian Abazin origin.
Mohammed Ahmed Sadek, army general
Ahmed Subhy Mansour, founder of the Quranist movement
Sayed Marei, engineer and politician
Abdel Halim Hafez, popular singer and actor
Miral al-Tahawy, award-winning Bedouin novelist
Yusuf Abu Rayya, award-winning novelist
Husayn Fawzi Al Najjar, political historian and Islamic scholar
Magdi Yacoub, professor of cardiothoracic surgery
Ahmed Fouad Negm, vernacular poet
Rushdy Abaza, actor
Fekry Pasha Abaza, journalist and political activist
Ahmed 'Urabi, the leader of the 1881 nationalist uprising against the British
Hamada Helal, singer