Bethlehem Governorate
Governorate of Palestine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bethlehem Governorate (Arabic: محافظة بيت لحم, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat Bayt Laḥm) is one of 16 governorates of Palestine. It covers an area of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Its principal city and district capital is Bethlehem. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, its population was estimated to 199,463 in 2012.[2]
Bethlehem Governorate | |
|---|---|
2018 United Nations map of the area, showing the Israeli occupation arrangements in the governorate | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Bethlehem Governorate | |
| Country |  Palestine |
| Area | |
• Total | 644 km2 (249 sq mi) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
• Total | 176,515 |
| This figure excludes the Israeli West Bank Settlements | |
Geography
According to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the governorate has a total area of around 660 km2.[3]
Demographics
Politics
Politically, the Bethlehem Governorate is somewhat of a stronghold of the left. In the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and The Alternative both had their best results. Its governor, appointed March 2024[5] is Muhammad Taha Hassan Abu Alia, member 45 of the Fatah Revolutionary Council's 2009 Sixth Congress.[6]
Localities
The governorate consists of 10 municipalities, 3 refugee camps, and 58 rural districts.
