Rif Dimashq Governorate

Rif Dimashq Governorate (Arabic: محافظة ريف دمشق <span title="Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Language/data/ISO 639 override' not found. transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space:normal; text-decoration: none">Moḥaafaẓat Reef Demashq, literally, the "Governorate of the Countryside of Damascus", Damascus Suburb) is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is in the southwestern part of the country. It borders the governorates of Quneitra, Daraa and al-Suwayda (comprising the historic Hauran region) in the southwest, Homs in the north, Lebanon in the west and Jordan in the south. The capital is the city of Douma.

مُحافظة ريف دمشق
Map of Syria with Rif-dimashq highlighted
Map of Syria with Rif-dimashq highlighted
Coordinates (Damascus): 33°30′N 37°00′E / 33.5°N 37°E / 33.5; 37Coordinates: 33°30′N 37°00′E / 33.5°N 37°E / 33.5; 37
Country Syria
CapitalDouma
Manatiq (Districts)10
Area
 • Total18,032 km2 (6,962 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total2,836,000
 • Density157.28/km2 (407.34/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeSY-RD
Main language(s)Arabic

The Governorate completely surrounds the city-governorate of Damascus and it has an area of 18,032 km² and a population of 2,273,074 (2004 census).[1]

Districts

The governorate is divided into ten districts (Arabic: مناطق ; manatiq). There were nine district until February 2009, when Qudsaya District was created from parts of Markaz Rif Dimashq and Al-Zabadani districts. The districts are further divided into 37 sub-districts.There is a small village belonging to the Damascus countryside (Ghouta) called Aqraba, which is characterized by its fields and agricultural orchards. (Arabic: نواحي ;nawahi).

The Districts of Rif Dimashq Governorate
Districts Population
(Census 2004)
Markaz Rif Dimashq 837,804
Douma 433,719
Al-Qutayfah 119,283
Al-Tall 115,937
Yabroud 48,370
An-Nabek 80,001
Al-Zabadani 63,780
Qatana 207,245
Darayya 260,961
Qudsaya 105,974
Total Governorate 2,273,074

References