Red Sea Governorate (Arabic: البحر الأحمر) is the long desert province on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, running from the Gulf of Suez south to the Sudanese border. Its capital and largest city is Hurghada. CAPMAS put the population at 400,069 in January 2023, spread across roughly 203,685 km² — the emptiest inhabited governorate in Egypt.
| Capital | Hurghada (الغردقة) |
|---|---|
| Population (Jan 2023 est.) | 400,069 |
| Population (2017 census) | 359,888 |
| Area | 203,685 km² |
| Density | 2.0 per km² |
| Administrative divisions | 8 kisms (municipal divisions) |
| Telephone code | 065 |
Towns and Villages in Red Sea Governorate
Red Sea has no farmland and no Nile branch, so it has no dense village network. Almost everyone lives in eight coastal towns strung along 1,000 km of shoreline. Inland there are mining camps, oil fields and seasonal Ababda and Bisharin herding camps rather than fixed villages. Populations below are the CAPMAS January 2023 estimates for each kism.
Hurghada 1 and Hurghada 2 (212,601)
The capital is split into two kisms covering the old town, the port and the resort strip south to Sahl Hasheesh.
- Hurghada
- Ad Dahhar (El Dahar, the old town)
- Sakkala (Minţaqat as Saqqālah)
- El Gouna
- Makadi Bay
Safaga (56,721)
A phosphate and grain port 53 km south of Hurghada, and the ferry link to Duba in Saudi Arabia.
- Safaga (Bur Safaga)
- El Hamrawein (Masākin al Ḩamrāwayn)
- Soma Bay
- Umm al Huwaytat
El Quseir (53,230)
The oldest port on the coast, and the shortest crossing from the Nile at Qift to the sea.
- El Quseir (Al Quşayr)
- Umm Ghayj (mining settlement, Qaryat Manjam Raşāş Umm Ghayj)
Marsa Alam (9,147)
A diving and gold-mining district that reaches inland to the Eastern Desert wadis.
- Marsa Alam
- Port Ghalib
- Abu Ghusun (Abū Ghuşūn)
- Hamata
- Berenice (Barnīs)
- Ras Banas
- Barramiya
Ras Gharib (46,297)
The oil kism on the Gulf of Suez, with fields worked since the 1910s.
- Ras Gharib
- Zaafarana
- Ras Shukheir (Ra’s Shuqayr)
- Gemsa (Al Jimshah aş Şaghīrah)
Shalateen (13,761)
The southern trading town, known for the camel market that brings Sudanese herds north.
- Shalateen (Ash Shalātīn)
Halaib (8,312)
The far south, in the Halaib Triangle administered by Egypt and claimed by Sudan.
- Halaib
- Abu Ramad
Geography
The governorate is a strip of coast backed by the Red Sea Mountains, which rise above 2,000 m at Gebel Shayib el-Banat. Between the ridge and the sea run dry wadis that fill only after winter storms. It borders Suez in the north and Sudan in the south. Inland it meets Beni Suef, Minya, Asyut, Sohag, Qena, Luxor and Aswan. Rainfall is under 5 mm a year, so every town runs on desalination or piped Nile water.
Demographics
The population grew from 359,888 at the 2017 census to 400,069 by January 2023, an 11 percent rise in six years. Nearly all of that growth is in Hurghada, which now holds more than half the governorate. Density is 2.0 people per km², the lowest in Egypt after South Sinai and New Valley. Most residents are migrants from Upper Egypt and the Delta working in tourism, ports and oil. The indigenous population is Ababda in the centre and Bisharin around Shalateen and Halaib, both Beja-speaking as well as Arabic-speaking.
Economy and Local Life
Tourism carries the governorate. Hurghada, El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Soma Bay and Marsa Alam serve Red Sea diving and beach traffic, with two international airports at Hurghada and Marsa Alam. Oil comes from Ras Gharib, Ras Shukheir and offshore Gulf of Suez fields. Safaga ships phosphate from the Abu Tartur and coastal mines and handles grain imports. Gold is mined at Sukari, inland from Marsa Alam, Egypt’s largest producing mine. Fishing works out of Quseir, Safaga and Hurghada. In Shalateen the weekly camel market is the main event, and livestock crosses from Sudan through Abu Ramad.
History
The coast has been a route to the sea since Pharaonic times. Ships sailed for Punt from Mersa Gawasis near Safaga in the Middle Kingdom. The Ptolemies founded Berenice in 275 BC as an elephant port, and Myos Hormos near Quseir traded with India under Rome. Quseir remained the pilgrim crossing to Jeddah into the nineteenth century. Ras Gharib’s oil field opened in 1938. Hurghada was a small fishing village of a few thousand people until diving tourism arrived in the 1980s; it has grown more than twentyfold since.
Getting There
Hurghada is 460 km from Cairo by the Zaafarana coast road, about six hours by car, and 395 km from Qena by the desert road through the mountains. Hurghada International Airport takes direct flights from Europe and the Gulf; Marsa Alam International serves the south. Buses run daily from Cairo, Suez, Luxor and Aswan. There is no passenger rail in the governorate. The coastal highway continues south to Berenice and Shalateen, with checkpoints beyond Marsa Alam.
FAQ
What is the capital of Red Sea Governorate?
Hurghada, on the Gulf of Suez coast. Its two kisms held 212,601 people in January 2023, more than half the governorate.
How many towns are in Red Sea Governorate?
Eight kisms, built around eight main towns: Hurghada, Safaga, El Quseir, Marsa Alam, Ras Gharib, Shalateen, Halaib and Abu Ramad. There are no farming villages, only mining camps and Bedouin settlements between them.
What is the population of Red Sea Governorate?
400,069 as of the CAPMAS estimate for January 2023. The 2017 census counted 359,888.
What is the telephone code for Hurghada?
065, shared across the whole governorate. Dial 0065 from inside Egypt or +20 65 from abroad.
Is Halaib part of Egypt?
Egypt administers the Halaib Triangle as part of Red Sea Governorate, and Sudan claims it. The Halaib kism had 8,312 residents in January 2023.
How far is Hurghada from Cairo?
About 460 km by road via Suez and Zaafarana, roughly six hours. Flights take one hour.