South Governorate
{{Short description|Governorate of Lebanon}}
{{For|the region of Bahrain|Southern Governorate}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = South Governorate
| native_name = محافظة الجنوب
| native_name_lang = ar
| image_map = South in Lebanon 2020.svg
| map_caption = Map of Lebanon with South highlighted
| coordinates =
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Lebanon
| seat_type = Capital
| seat = Sidon
| government_footnotes =
| leader_party =
| leader_title = Governor
| leader_name = Mansour Daou
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_total_km2 = 929.6
| population_est = 590078
| pop_est_as_of = 31 December 2017
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone1 = EET
| utc_offset1 = +2
| timezone1_DST = EEST
| utc_offset1_DST = +3
| iso_code = LB-JA
| website =
| image_skyline = Scenic view of Al Rihan, Lebanon (2009).jpg
| image_caption = Scenic view of Al Rihan
}}
South Governorate ({{langx|ar|محافظة الجنوب|muḥāfaẓat al-Janūb}}, or simply {{lang|ar|الجنوب}}) is one of the governorates of Lebanon, with a population of 590,000 inhabitants and an area of 929.6 km2. The capital is Sidon. The lowest elevation is sea-level; the highest is 1,000 meters. The local population is religiously diverse and includes Shia and Sunni Muslims, Druze, Eastern Orthodox, Maronite, Protestant, and Greek Catholic Christians. Temperatures can drop to 4 °C during winter with much rain and snow on the higher ground. In the humid summer, temperatures can rise to 30 °C in the coastal areas. The governorate has several rivers: the Litani, Deir El Zahrani, Naqoura, Awali, Qasmiye, and Hasbani. The area is famous for its citrus and banana farms. Its main cities are Sidon, Tyre and Jezzine.
Districts
File: South Lebanon 2017-08.png
The governorate is divided into four districts (Aqdiya, singular qadaa) containing 181 municipalities. The capitals are in brackets:
Demographics
According to registered voters in 2014:
{{Pie chart
|thumb = left
|caption = Religion in the South Governorate
|label1 = Shia Islam
|value1 = 60.93
|color1 = DarkGreen
|label2 = Sunni Islam
|value2 = 17.41
|color3 = DodgerBlue
|label3 = Christianity
|value3 = 21.15
|color4 = yellow
|label4 = Druze
|value4 = 0.16
|color5 = purple
|label5 = Other
|value5 = 0.35
}}
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"| Year
!colspan="5"| Christians !colspan="4"| Muslims !colspan="1"| Druze |
|---|
| Total
! Total ! Shias ! Sunnis ! Alawites ! Druze |
| 2014 https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/الجنوب/المذاهب/
| {{percentage bar|width=70|21.15}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|12.14}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|7.04}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|0.82}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|1.15}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|78.35}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|60.93}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|17.41}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|0.01}} | {{percentage bar|width=70|0.16}} |
Shias make up the majority of the governorate and are the main residents of the Zahrani Tyre districts. Sunnis are the main residents of Sidon the capital of the governorate and the third largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli. Christians are mainly residents of the Jezzine district and form a small community in the cities of Tyre, which is the fourth-most-populous city in Lebanon.
Shias make up the majority of the governorate and are the main residents of the Zahrani Tyre districts. Sunnis are the main residents of Saida the capital of the governorate and the third largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli. Christians are mainly residents of the Jezzine district and form a small community in the city of Tyre, which is the fourth-most-populous city in Lebanon.
Cities, towns and villages
This list includes all cities, towns and villages with more than 6,000 registered voters in 2014: https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/الجنوب/البلدات/
| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+ |
| bgcolor=#E6E6FA
!English Name |
| Sidon
| 58,475 |
| Tyre
|29,410 |
| Jwaya
|10,935 |
| Jezzine
|8,276 |
| As-Sarafand
|7,326 |
| Al-Ghaziyah
|7,221 |
| Qana
|7,107 |
| Maarakah
|6,124 |
Local attractions and events
The area offers a great number of attractions, including pristine white sandy beaches south of Tyre, and the opportunity to snorkel or dive among submerged Phoenician and Roman ruins near the ancient cities of Sidon and Tyre. There are a number of Ottoman-era pazars and seafood restaurants overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Southern Lebanon also hosts the Tyre festival, which attracts thousands of tourists each year.
Districts
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Governorates of Lebanon}}
{{Jezzine District}}
{{Sidon District}}
{{Tyre District}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Governorates of Lebanon
{{Lebanon-geo-stub}}