{{Short description|Governorate of Egypt}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}} {{Infobox settlement <!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name = South Sinai Governorate | settlement_type = [[Governorates of Egypt|Governorate]] | image_skyline = South Sinai.jpg | image_caption = Landscape in South Sinai governorate | image_flag = Flag of South Sinai Governorate.png | flag_size = 120px | image_blank_emblem = Coat of arms of South Sinai Governorate.png | blank_emblem_size = 75px | image_map = South Sinai in Egypt (2011).svg | map_caption = South Sinai Governorate on the map of Egypt | coordinates = {{coord|29.05|N|33.83|E|region:EG-JS_adm1st|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{EGY}} | seat = [[El Tor, Egypt|El Tor]] (capital) | leader_party = | leader_title = Governor | leader_name = Khaled Bakri<ref>{{cite web |last1=Samir |first1=Farah |title=Egypt Announces New Governors for Cairo, Alexandria and Other Cities {{!}} Egyptian Streets |url=https://egyptianstreets.com/2024/07/04/egypt-announces-new-governors-for-cairo-alexandria-and-other-cities/ |date=4 July 2024}}</ref> | government_footnotes = | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 33,140 | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | population_footnotes = <ref name="CAPMAS2023" /> | population_total = 117113 | population_as_of = January 2024 | population_density_km2 = auto | demographics_type1 = GDP | demographics1_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|title=GDP BY GOVERNORATE|url=https://mped.gov.eg/Governorate?lang=en|website=mped.gov.eg}}</ref> | demographics1_title1 = Total | demographics1_info1 = [[Egyptian pound|EGP]] 58 billion<br />([[US$]] 3.7 billion) | timezone1 = [[Egypt Standard Time|EGY]] | utc_offset1 = +2 | timezone1_DST = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]] | utc_offset1_DST = +3 | blank_name_sec2 = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2021) | blank_info_sec2 = 0.738<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sub-national HDI – Subnational HDI – Table – Global Data Lab |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/EGY/?levels=1+4&years=2021&extrapolation=0 |access-date=2023-02-20 |website=globaldatalab.org}}</ref><br/>{{color|#0c0|high}} · [[List of governorates of Egypt by Human Development Index|10th]] | website = {{URL|http://www.southsinai.gov.eg}} | iso_code = EG-JS | calling_code = | footnotes = }}
'''South Sinai''' ({{langx|ar|محافظة جنوب سيناء}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|Muḥāfaẓah Ganūb Sīnāʾ}}'') is the least populated [[Subdivisions of Egypt|governorate]] of [[Egypt]]. It is located in the east of the country, encompassing the southern half of the [[Sinai Peninsula]]. [[Saint Catherine's Monastery]], an [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] monastery and renowned [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], is located in the central part of the governorate.
==Municipal divisions== The governorate is divided into the following [[Subdivisions of Egypt#Municipal divisions|municipal divisions]] for administrative purposes with a total estimated population as of January 2023 of [https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Pages/populationClock.aspx 117,113].<ref name="CAPMAS2023">{{cite web |date=2023 |title=ﻋـــﺩﺩ ﺍﻟﺳﻛــﺎﻥ ﺍﻟﺗﻘﺩﻳﺭﻯ ﻟﻸﻗﺳــﺎﻡ |trans-title=Estimated population number of sections |url=https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Admin/Pages%20Files/202331512347%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%AF%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86%20%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89%20%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%89%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B2%20%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D9%81%D9%89%201%D9%80%201%D9%80%202023.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403213348/https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Admin/Pages%20Files/202331512347%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%AF%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86%20%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89%20%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%89%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B2%20%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D9%81%D9%89%201%D9%80%201%D9%80%202023.pdf |archive-date=Apr 3, 2023 |access-date=4 July 2023 |website=www.capmas.gov.eg |language=ar}}</ref> [[File:South Sinai municipalities.jpg|left|upright=2.0|thumb|Map of the governorate and its subdivisions]] {{Clear|left}} {| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Municipal Divisions ! Anglicized name !! Native name !! Arabic transliteration !! Area<br />km²!! Population<br /><small>(January 2023 Est.)</small>!! Type |- | [[Abou Redis|Abu Redis]] (incl. [[Abu Zenima]]) || style="text-align:right;" | {{lang|ar|قسم أبو رديس}} || {{Transliteration|ar|Abū Radīs incl. Abū Zanīmah }} || style="text-align:right;"|6,637 || style="text-align:right;"|12,535 || Kism (urban and rural parts) |- | [[Dahab]]|| style="text-align:right;" | {{lang|ar|قسم دهب}} || {{Transliteration|ar|Dahab}} || style="text-align:right;"|1,083|| style="text-align:right;" |3,156 || Kism (urban and rural parts) |- | [[El Tor, Egypt|El Tor]]|| style="text-align:right;" | {{lang|ar|قسم الطور}} || {{Transliteration|ar|Aṭ-Ṭūr}} || style="text-align:right;"|2,581|| style="text-align:right;" |45,449 || Kism (urban and rural parts) |- | [[Nuweiba]]|| style="text-align:right;" | {{lang|ar|قسم نويبع}} || {{Transliteration|ar|Nuwaybi'a }} || style="text-align:right;"|4,852 ||style="text-align:right;"| 7,713 || Kism (urban and rural parts) |- | [[Ras Sedr]]|| style="text-align:right;" | {{lang|ar|قسم رأس سدر}} || {{Transliteration|ar|Ras Sidr}} || style="text-align:right;"|6,781 || style="text-align:right;"|17,932 || Kism (urban and rural parts) |- | [[Saint Catherine, Egypt|Saint Catherine]]|| style="text-align:right;" | {{lang|ar| قسم سانت كاترين}} || {{Transliteration|ar|Sānt Kātirīn}} || style="text-align:right;"|5,883 || style="text-align:right;"|4,863 || Kism (urban and rural parts) |- | [[Sharm El Sheikh]] 1 || style="text-align:right;" | {{lang|ar|قسم أول شرم الشيخ }}||{{Transliteration|ar| Sharm ash-Shaykh 1}} || style="text-align:right;"|45|| style="text-align:right;"|13,616 || Kism (fully urban) |- | Sharm El Sheikh 2 || style="text-align:right;"| {{lang|ar|قسم ثان شرم الشيخ}} || {{Transliteration|ar|Sharm ash-Shaykh 2}} || style="text-align:right;"|1,378|| style="text-align:right;"|1,445 || Kism (urban and rural parts) |- | [[Taba, Egypt|Taba]]|| style="text-align:right;" | {{lang|ar|قسم طابا}} || {{Transliteration|ar|Ṭābā}} || style="text-align:right;"|96 || style="text-align:right;"|814 || Kism (fully rural) |- class="sortbottom" style="background: #DDD;" |South Sinai Governorate|| style="text-align:right;" | {{lang|ar|جنوب سيناء}} || {{Transliteration|ar|Muḥāfaẓah Ganūb Sīnāʾv}} || style="text-align:right;"|31.272 || style="text-align:right;"|115.611 || 8 Kism |}
==Tourism== The governorate is an attractive destination for tourism due to its amazing and fascinating nature scenes; however, it has been the site of several terrorist attacks. In 1985, [[Ras Burqa massacre|a mass murder]] occurred in the [[Ras Burqa]] resort and killed 8 people (7 Israeli tourists and 1 Egyptian policeman). The [[2004 Sinai bombings]] that targeted tourist hotels in and around [[Nuweiba]] killed 34 people and wounded over 170. In 2005, [[Sharm El Sheikh]] was hit by [[2005 Sharm El Sheikh bombings|a terrorist attack]]. 88 people were killed, the majority of them Egyptians, and over 200 were wounded, at that time making it the deadliest terrorist action in the country's history (exceeding the [[Luxor massacre]] of 1997, which killed 62 people).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jul/23/alqaida.terrorism|title=Bombers kill 88 at Egyptian resort|newspaper=The Guardian|date=23 July 2005|access-date=7 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816024350/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jul/23/alqaida.terrorism|archive-date=2016-08-16|url-status=live}}</ref> 2006 saw the [[2006 Dahab bombings|Dahab bombings]], which killed 23 people and wounded 80.
The [[Sinai insurgency]], although happening mainly in the neighboring North Sinai Governorate, occasionally spilled over to South Sinai. In February 2014, [[2014 Taba bus bombing|a tourist bus was attacked]] in [[Taba, Egypt|Taba]]. The perpetrators killed the Egyptian bus driver and three South Korean tourists.
After 2014, The Egyptian government and the Egyptian army took firm actions to eliminate terrorism, and city is now safe.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}
==Demographics== According to population estimates, in 2024 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in urban areas, with an urbanization rate of 51.1%. Out of an estimated 117,113 people residing in the governorate, 59,845 people lived in urban areas as opposed to only 57,268 in rural areas.<ref name="pop">{{cite web|title=Population Estimates By Sex & Governorate 1/1/2015|url=http://www.msrintranet.capmas.gov.eg/pdf/EgyptinFigures2015/EgyptinFigures/Tables/PDF/1-%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86/pop.pdf|website=CAPMAS|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019093240/http://www.msrintranet.capmas.gov.eg/pdf/EgyptinFigures2015/EgyptinFigures/Tables/PDF/1-%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86/pop.pdf|archive-date=2015-10-19|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Bedouin]] inhabit the [[Mount Sinai]] area. Due to poor accessibility, at times the orchards in the mountains have served to hide narcotics smugglers in the region.<ref name="Marx2013">{{cite book|last=Marx|first=Emanuel|author-link=Emanuel Marx|title=Bedouin of Mount Sinai: An Anthropological Study of their Political Economy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SWNFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA74|date=30 June 2013|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-0-85745-932-9|page=74}}</ref>
==Landmarks== [[File:Katharinenkloster Sinai BW 2.jpg|thumb|right|Saint Catherine's Monastery]] [[Saint Catherine's Monastery]], an [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] monastery and [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] of world renown, is located in central part of the governorate, at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of [[Mount Sinai]], in the city of [[Saint Catherine, Egypt]]. Built between 548 and 565, the monastery is one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world.<ref name=unesco>{{cite web|title=Saint Catherine Area|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/954|website=UNESCO|access-date=2016-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117184108/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/954|archive-date=2016-11-17|url-status=live}}</ref> The site contains the world's oldest continually operating library, possessing many unique books including the [[Syriac Sinaiticus]] and, until 1859, the [[Codex Sinaiticus]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Schrope|first1=Mark|title=Medicine's Hidden Roots in an Ancient Manuscript|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/02/science/medicines-hidden-roots-in-an-ancient-manuscript.html|access-date=1 June 2015|newspaper=NY Times|date=1 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601152653/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/02/science/medicines-hidden-roots-in-an-ancient-manuscript.html|archive-date=2015-06-01|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="LeroyCollin2004">{{cite book|author1=Jules Leroy|author-link1=Jules Leroy|author2=Peter Collin|title=Monks and Monasteries of the Near East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rzDqR7xjKoUC&pg=PA93|year=2004|publisher=Gorgias Press LLC|isbn=978-1-59333-276-1|pages=93–94}}</ref>
[[Raithu Monastery]] is situated in [[El Tor, Egypt|El Tor]]. It was built on a site where some 40 monks were massacred in the 4th or 5th century.<ref name="El-DinTaher1998">{{cite book|last1=El-Din|first1=Morsi Saad|last2=Taher|first2=Ayman|last3=Romano|first3=Luciano|title=Sinai: The Site & the History : Essays|url=https://archive.org/details/sinaisitehi00saad|url-access=registration|date=1 February 1998|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=978-0-8147-2203-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/sinaisitehi00saad/page/114 114]|access-date=2016-11-07}}</ref>
==Cities and towns== *[[Abou Redis|Abu Redis]] *[[Abu Zenima]] *[[Dahab]] *[[El Tor, Egypt|El Tor]] *[[Nuweiba]] *[[Ras Sedr]] *[[Saint Catherine, Egypt|Saint Catherine]] *[[Sharm El Sheikh]] *[[Taba, Egypt|Taba]]
==Sites== * [[Wadi Mukattab]] * [[Wadi Feiran]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.elwatannews.com/subsection/166 El Wattan News of South Sinai Governorate]
{{Commons|Sinai}} {{Governorates of Egypt}} {{Arabian Plate}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:South Sinai Governorate| ]] [[Category:Governorates of Egypt]]