Governorates of Syria
Encyclopedia
Syria
has fourteen governorate
s, or muhafazat (singular: muhafazah
). The governorates are divided into sixty districts, or manatiq (sing. mintaqah
), which are further divided into subdistricts, or nawahi (sing. nahia
). The nawahi contain villages, which are the smallest administrative units.
A governor, whose appointment is proposed by the minister of the interior, approved by the cabinet, and announced by executive decree, heads each governorate. The governor is responsible for administration, health, social services, education, tourism, public works, transportation, domestic trade, agriculture, industry, civil defense, and maintenance of law and order in the province. The minister of local administration works closely with each governor to coordinate and supervise local development projects. The governor is assisted by a provincial council, three-quarters of whose members are popularly elected for a term of four years, the remainder being appointed by the minister of the interior and the governor. In addition, each council has an executive arm consisting of six to ten officers appointed by the central government from among the council's elected members. Each executive officer is charged with specific functions.
Districts and subdistricts are administered by officials appointed by the governor, subject to the approval of the minister of the interior. These officials work with elected district councils to attend to assorted local needs and serve as intermediaries between central government authority and traditional local leaders, such as village chiefs, clan leaders, and councils of elders.
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
has fourteen governorate
Governorate
A governorate is an administrative division of a country. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states, provinces, or colonies, the term governorate is often used in translation from non-English-speaking administrations.The...
s, or muhafazat (singular: muhafazah
Muhafazah
A ' is a first-level administrative division of many Arab countries, and a second-level administrative division in Saudi Arabia. The term is usually translated to governorate in English, and occasionally to province. It comes from the Arabic root 'h-f-ẓ' which means to 'keep and guard'...
). The governorates are divided into sixty districts, or manatiq (sing. mintaqah
Mintaqah
Minţaqah is a term for a first-level administrative division in Saudi Arabia and Chad, and for a second-level administrative division in several other Arab countries. It is often translated as region, district, or, in Saudi Arabia, as province...
), which are further divided into subdistricts, or nawahi (sing. nahia
Nahia
Nāḥiyah is a name for a third-level administrative unit in Syria and Iraq, and for lower levels in Lebanon, Jordan, and the former Ottoman Empire. In Tajikistan it is on the 2nd level....
). The nawahi contain villages, which are the smallest administrative units.
A governor, whose appointment is proposed by the minister of the interior, approved by the cabinet, and announced by executive decree, heads each governorate. The governor is responsible for administration, health, social services, education, tourism, public works, transportation, domestic trade, agriculture, industry, civil defense, and maintenance of law and order in the province. The minister of local administration works closely with each governor to coordinate and supervise local development projects. The governor is assisted by a provincial council, three-quarters of whose members are popularly elected for a term of four years, the remainder being appointed by the minister of the interior and the governor. In addition, each council has an executive arm consisting of six to ten officers appointed by the central government from among the council's elected members. Each executive officer is charged with specific functions.
Districts and subdistricts are administered by officials appointed by the governor, subject to the approval of the minister of the interior. These officials work with elected district councils to attend to assorted local needs and serve as intermediaries between central government authority and traditional local leaders, such as village chiefs, clan leaders, and councils of elders.
See also
- Districts of SyriaDistricts of SyriaThe 14 governorates of Syria, or muhafazat , of Syria are divided into sixty-one districts, or manatiq , including the city of Damascus. The districts are further divided into 206 subdistricts, or nawahi...
- List of cities in Syria
- List of towns and villages in Syria
- ISO 3166-2:SYISO 3166-2:SYISO 3166-2:SY is the entry for Syria in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Syria, ISO 3166-2 codes are defined...