Qalyubia Governorate ( ) is one of the governorates of Egypt. Located in Lower Egypt. It is situated north of Cairo in the Nile Delta region. Its capital is Banha.

Name

Qalyubia is derived from the city of Qalyub, whose name is an arabization of Calliope (Ancient Greek: Καλλιόπη, romanized : Kalliópē), the Muse of epic poetry in Greek mythology.

Geography

Banha and several other settlements blend into the neighboring Cairo Governorate; as a result, parts of Qalyubia (particularly Shubra El Kheima) are generally considered to form part of the Greater Cairo metropolitan area (along with Cairo governorate, Giza city and 6 October city).

Municipal divisions

The governorate is divided into the following municipal divisions for administrative purposes, with a total estimated population as of January 2024 of 6,217,766. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.

Population

According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 44.7%. Out of an estimated 5,105,972 people residing in the governorate, 2,825,045 people lived in rural areas as opposed to only 2,280,927 in urban areas.

Cities

The cities in the Qalyubia Governorate are:

Industrial zones

According to the Egyptian Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), in affiliation with the Ministry of Investment (MOI), the following industrial zones are located in this governorate:

Economy

Qalyubia is known for its agricultural production of crops, fruits and vegetables. The most important of these crops include maize, cotton, wheat, citrus fruits, bananas, oranges and apricots. Qalyubia is also the leading Egyptian governorate in the production of poultry and eggs.

Programs and projects

In 1981, the Basic Village Service Program (BVS) had several water projects going on in the Qalyubia Governorate. In a program that began on August 28, 2012 (through 2018), the European Union invested 40 million Euros on upgrading the infrastructure of informal areas in Qalyubia Governorate.