Rif Dimashq is one of the 14 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 of Syria

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....

. It is situated in the southwestern part of the country. It borders the governorates of Quneitra, Daraa and al-Suwayda

As Suwayda' Governorate

As-Suwayda is the southernmost of Syria's 14 governorates. It has an area of 5,550 km² and forms part of the historic Hawran region. Its capital and major city is As-Suwayda....

 (comprising the historic Hauran

Hauran

Hauran, , also spelled Hawran or Houran, is a volcanic plateau, a geographic area and a people located in southwestern Syria and extending into the northwestern corner of Jordan. It gets its name from the Aramaic Hawran, meaning "cave land." In geographic and geomorphic terms, its boundaries...

 region) in the southwest, Homs

Homs Governorate

Homs Governorate is one of the fourteen muhafazat of Syria. It is situated in central Syria. Its area differs in various sources, from 40,940 km². to 42,223 km² . It is thus geographically the largest governorate of Syria. Homs Governorate has a population of 1,763,000 . The capital is...

 in the north, Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 in the west and Jordan

Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

 in the south.

The Governorate completely surrounds the separate Governorate of Damascus

Damascus

Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

, which also contains the administrative headquarters of Rif Dimashq. It has an area of 18,032 km² and a population of 2,744,000 (estimated at the end of 2010).

Districts

The governorate is divided into nine districts (manatiq):

The Districts of Rif Dimashq Governorate

Districts	Population (Census 2004)
Markaz Rif Dimashq Markaz Rif Dimashq Markaz Rif Dimashq is a Syrian district administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq governorate. It is the capital of the governorate, although the administrative centre lies in the City of Damascus . At the 2004 Census it had a population of 902,216. It surrounds the City of Damascus....	902,216
Duma Duma District Duma is a Syrian district administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq Governorate. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 433,719. Its administrative centre is the city of Duma....	433,719
al-Qutayfah Al-Qutayfah District Al-Qutayfah District is a Syrian district administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq Governorate. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 119,283. Its administrative centre is the city of Al-Qutayfah....	119,283
al-Tall	115,937
Yabrud Yabrud District Yabrud District is a Syrian district administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq Governorate. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 48,370. Its administrative centre is the city of Yabrud....	48,370
an-Nabk	80,001
az-Zabadan Zabadani District Zabadani District or az-Zabadan is a Syrian district administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq Governorate. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 105,342...	105,342
Qatana Qatana District Qatana District is a Syrian district administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq Governorate. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 207,245. Its administrative centre is the city of Qatana....	207,245
Darayya Darayya District Darayya District is a Syrian district administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq Governorate. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 260,961. Its administrative centre is the city of Darayya....	260,961
Total Governorate	2,273,074

These are further divided into 36 sub-districts (nawahi).