Governorates of Syria

Syria is a unitary state, but for administrative purposes, it is divided into fourteen governorates, also called provinces or counties in English (Arabic muḥāfaẓāt, singular muḥāfaẓah). The governorates are divided into sixty-five districts (manāṭiq, singular minṭaqah), which are further divided into subdistricts (nawāḥī, singular nāḥiyah). The nawāḥī contain villages, which are the smallest administrative units.

Governorates of Syria محافظات سوريا (Arabic)
Damascus Rif Dimashq Quneitra Daraa As-Suwayda Homs Tartus Latakia Hama Idlib Aleppo Raqqa Deir ez-Zor Al-Hasakah
Category	Unitary state
Location	Syria
Number	14 governorates
Populations	90,000 (Quneitra) – 4,868,000 (Aleppo)
Areas	110 km2 (41 sq mi) (Damascus) – 42,220 km2 (16,302 sq mi) (Homs)
Government	Provincial councils and their executive bureaus
Subdivisions	District

Each governorate is headed by a governor, appointed by the president, subject to cabinet approval. 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 governorate. The minister of each local administration works closely with each governor to coordinate and supervise local development projects. The governor is assisted by a provincial council, all of whose members are popularly elected for four-year terms. In addition, each council elects from among its members an executive bureau which administers the day to day issues between provincial council sessions. Each executive officer is charged with specific functions.

Districts and subdistricts are administered by officials appointed by the governor. These officials work on local matters with elected district councils and serve as intermediaries between the central government and traditional local leaders, such as village chiefs, clan leaders, and councils of elders.

List

Governorate name	Area (km2)	Population (2018)	Population density (km2)	Districts	Photo	Location
Aleppo Governorate	18,482	4,600,166	248.90	8
Raqqa Governorate	19,616	919,000	46.85	3
Suwayda Governorate	5,550	500,000	90.09	3
Damascus Governorate	106	2,211,042	20858.89	1
Daraa Governorate	3,730	998,000	267.56	3
Deir ez-Zor Governorate	33,060	1,200,500	36.31	3
Hama Governorate	8,883	1,593,000	179.32	5
Al-Hasakah Governorate	23,334	1,272,702	54.53	4
Homs Governorate	42,223	1,762,500	41.74	6
Idlib Governorate	6,097	1,464,000	240.13	5
Latakia Governorate	2,297	1,278,486	556.58	4
Quneitra Governorate	1,861	87,000	46.74	2
Rif Dimashq Governorate	18,032	2,831,738	157.04	9
Tartus Governorate	1,892	785,000	414.89	5

See also

• List of governorates of Syria by Human Development Index
• Districts of Syria
• ISO 3166-2:SY
• List of cities in Syria
• List of towns and villages in Syria