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List of governorates of Saudi Arabia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Governorates are the second-level administrative divisions of Saudi Arabia, falling under its 13 provinces and each led by an appointed governor, and are further subdivided into administrative units called Markaz.
Saudi Arabia| Native name | محافظات المملكة العربية السعودية |
|---|---|
| Type | Second-level administrative division |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Number | 136 |
| Established | 1992 |
| Subdivisions | Markaz |
| Administered by | Governors |
History and classification
The Provinces System was established in 1992 under a royal order by King Fahd, initially creating 118 governorates. The system aimed to decentralize governance and improve administrative efficiency by expanding local authority and responsibility. In 2012, under the rule of King Abdullah, the number of governorates was increased to 136 to reflect the country's demographic and geographic developments.[1]
Governorates are categorized into two levels based on population, availability of public services, geographic and environmental factors, security considerations, and transportation infrastructure:
This classification is established in Article 3 of the Provinces System issued by King Fahd in 1992 and amended in 1993.[2][3]
Governorates
| Overall | Original | Governorate | 2010 Census | 2022 Census | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tabuk Province | |||||
| 1 | 1 | Umluj | 61,670 | 69,656 | |
| 2 | 2 | Al-Wajh | 44,811 | 49,948 | |
| 3 | 3 | Duba | 53,162 | 54,917 | |
| 4 | 4 | Tayma | 36,666 | 42,164 | |
| 5 | 5 | Haql | 28,399 | 27,712 | |
| 6 | 6 | Al-Bad' | 18,673 | 17,973 | |
| Hail Province | |||||
| 7 | 1 | Hait | 58,123 | 74,596 |  |
| 8 | 2 | Baqaa | 40,211 | 56,362 | |
| 9 | 3 | Shanan | 44,344 | 29,419 | |
| 10 | 4 | Shamli | 19,059 | 20,946 | |
| 11 | 5 | Sumairah | 17,874 | 19,563 | |
| 12 | 6 | Sulaimi | 26,231 | 17,343 | |
| 13 | 7 | Mawqaq | 21,173 | 16,835 | |
| 14 | 8 | Ghazalah | 103,506 | 12,767 | |
| Northern Borders Province | |||||
| 15 | 1 | Rafha | 81,201 | 84,536 |  |
| 16 | 2 | Turaif | 49,277 | 66,004 | |
| 17 | 3 | Al-Uwayqilah | 16,696 | 20,318 | |
| Medina Province | |||||
| 18 | 1 | Yanbu | 299,526 | 359,631 |  |
| 19 | 2 | al-Ula | 64,482 | 60,103 | |
| 20 | 3 | Badr | 64,209 | 58,259 | |
| 21 | 4 | Mahd | 61,936 | 48,590 | |
| 22 | 5 | Khaybar | 48,901 | 45,532 | |
| 23 | 6 | Al-Hunakiyah | 59,474 | 43,256 | |
| 24 | 7 | Wadi al-Fara | 35,382 | 23,120 | |
| 25 | 8 | Al-Ais | 30,169 | 22,445 | |
| Eastern Province | |||||
| 26 | 1 | Al-Ahsa | 1,067,691 | 1,104,267 |  |
| 27 | 2 | Khobar | 573,671 | 658,550 | |
| 28 | 3 | Qatif | 524,417 | 552,442 | |
| 29 | 4 | Jubail | 392,948 | 505,162 | |
| 30 | 5 | Hafar al-Batin | 387,102 | 467,007 | |
| 31 | 6 | Khafji | 77,328 | 84,316 | |
| 32 | 7 | Ras Tanura | 62,069 | 62,314 | |
| 33 | 8 | Nariyah | 52,403 | 52,340 | |
| 34 | 9 | Abqaiq | 52,849 | 45,032 | |
| 35 | 10 | Qaryat al-Ulya | 25,062 | 24,634 | |
| 36 | 11 | Al-Udeid | 21,192 | 8,635 | |
| 37 | 12 | Al-Bayda | – | – | |
| Najran Province | |||||
| 38 | 1 | Sharurah | – | 100,199 |  |
| 39 | 2 | Habona | – | 24,823 | |
| 40 | 3 | Thar | – | 13,391 | |
| 41 | 4 | Yadamah | – | 16,160 | |
| 42 | 5 | Badr Al-Janub | – | 7,991 | |
| 43 | 6 | Khubash | – | 7,834 | |
Defunct governorates
- Al-Kharkhir Governorate of Najran Province was the only Saudi governorate to be abolished by royal decree in 2014, with its administrative centres and population transferred to Sharurah Governorate.[4]