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South Governorate محافظة الجنوب | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Scenic view of Al Rihan | |
 Map of Lebanon with South highlighted | |
| Country | Lebanon |
| Capital | Sidon |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Mansour Daou |
| Area | |
• Total | 929.6 km2 (358.9 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (31 December 2017)[2] | 590,078 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | LB-JA |
South Governorate (Arabic:محافظة الجنوب,romanized: muḥāfaẓat al-Janūb, or simplyالجنوب) is one of thegovernorates of Lebanon, with a population of 590,000 inhabitants and an area of 929.6 km2. The capital isSidon. The lowest elevation is sea-level; the highest is 1,000 meters. The local population is religiously diverse and includesShia andSunni 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: theLitani, Deir El Zahrani,Naqoura,Awali, Qasmiye, andHasbani. The area is famous for its citrus and banana farms. Its main cities areSidon,Tyre andJezzine.
The governorate is divided into four districts (Aqdiya, singularqadaa) containing 181municipalities. The capitals are in brackets:
According to registered voters in 2014:
| Year | Christians | Muslims | Druze | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Maronites | Greek Catholics | Greek Orthodox | Other Christians | Total | Shias | Sunnis | Alawites | Druze | |
| 2014[3] | 21.15% | 12.14% | 7.04% | 0.82% | 1.15% | 78.35% | 60.93% | 17.41% | 0.01% | 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.
This list includes all cities, towns and villages with more than 6,000 registered voters in 2014:[4]
| English name | Population | District |
|---|---|---|
| Sidon | 58,475 | Sidon District |
| Tyre | 29,410 | Tyre District |
| Jwaya | 10,935 | Tyre District |
| Jezzine | 8,276 | Jezzine District |
| As-Sarafand | 7,326 | Sidon District |
| Al-Ghaziyah | 7,221 | Sidon District |
| Qana | 7,107 | Tyre District |
| Maarakah | 6,124 | Tyre District |
The area offers a great number of attractions, including pristine white sandy beaches south ofTyre, and the opportunity to snorkel or dive among submerged Phoenician and Roman ruins near the ancient cities ofSidon andTyre. There are a number ofOttoman-erapazars and seafood restaurants overlooking theMediterranean Sea.Southern Lebanon also hosts theTyre festival, which attracts thousands of tourists each year.
| Geographic | |
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| Other | |
