South Sinai Governorate (Arabic: جنوب سيناء) covers the mountainous southern half of the Sinai Peninsula, between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. Its capital is El Tor, and its best-known towns are Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab and Saint Catherine. CAPMAS estimated 115,611 residents in January 2023 across 33,140 km², making it the least populated governorate in Egypt.
| Capital | El Tor (الطور) |
|---|---|
| Population (Jan 2023 est.) | 115,611 |
| Population (2017 census) | 102,018 |
| Area | 33,140 km² |
| Density | 3.5 per km² |
| Administrative divisions | 9 kisms (municipal divisions) |
| Telephone code | 069 |
Towns and Villages in South Sinai Governorate
There is no farming plain here, so settlement clings to the two coasts and to a handful of mountain oases. The kisms are large and thinly filled, and several hold only one town plus scattered Bedouin camps. Populations below are CAPMAS January 2023 estimates for each kism.
El Tor (45,449)
The capital, an administrative and port town on the Gulf of Suez, with the governorate’s main hospital.
- El Tor (Aţ Ţūr)
- Al Ḩamīmāt (Hammam Musa hot springs)
- Al Qarī
Sharm El Sheikh 1 and 2 (15,061)
The main resort city, at the southern tip beside Ras Mohammed National Park.
- Sharm El Sheikh
- Nabq
- Ras Nasrani
- Al Gharqānah (Gharqana, Bedouin village in Nabq)
- Wasit
Ras Sedr (17,932)
The northern Gulf of Suez coast, closest kism to Cairo and a weekend destination for kitesurfing.
- Ras Sedr (Sudr)
- Ra’s Matārimah
Abu Redis, including Abu Zenima (12,535)
The oil and manganese coast, and the gateway to the Wadi Feiran oasis.
- Abu Rudeis (Abū Rudays)
- Abu Zenima (Abū Zanīmah)
- Abu Durba (Abū Durbah)
- Feiran (Wadi Feiran oasis)
Nuweiba (7,713)
A port town on the Gulf of Aqaba with the ferry to Aqaba in Jordan.
- Nuweiba (Nuwaybi‘a)
- Nuweiba Muzeina
- El Tarfa
Saint Catherine (4,863)
The high mountain kism, at 1,600 m, around the sixth-century monastery below Mount Sinai.
- Saint Catherine (Sānt Kātrīnā)
- El Milga (the town beside the monastery)
- El Shameya
- El Rasees
Dahab (3,156)
A diving and windsurfing town 87 km north of Sharm El Sheikh, grown out of a Muzeina Bedouin fishing camp.
- Dahab
- Al Jubayl
Taba (814)
The border town on the Gulf of Aqaba, opposite Eilat, and the smallest kism by population.
- Taba
- Makman el Tiyaha
Geography
The south of the peninsula is granite mountain country. Gebel Katherina reaches 2,629 m, the highest point in Egypt, and Mount Sinai stands beside it at 2,285 m. Coral reefs line both gulfs, and Ras Mohammed at the tip is Egypt’s oldest national park. It borders North Sinai to the north and faces Suez across the Gulf of Suez. Israel lies at Taba, and Saudi Arabia and Jordan lie across the Gulf of Aqaba. Rain falls only in winter, sometimes as flash floods down the wadis.
Demographics
The population rose from 102,018 at the 2017 census to 115,611 by January 2023. Density is 3.5 people per km². Roughly half the residents live in El Tor and Sharm El Sheikh. The indigenous population is Bedouin: the Muzeina around Dahab and Nuweiba, the Jabaliya around Saint Catherine, the Tarabin near Nuweiba and Taba, and the Aleiqat and Sawalha on the western coast. Resort workers from the Nile Valley and Delta make up much of the rest, and the count rises and falls with the tourism season.
Economy and Local Life
Diving and beach tourism is the main employer, centred on Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba. Sharm hosted COP27 in November 2022 and handles most international arrivals. Religious tourism brings visitors to Saint Catherine’s Monastery and the Mount Sinai summit climb. Oil is produced at Abu Rudeis and Ras Sudr, and manganese is mined at Umm Bogma above Abu Zenima. Bedouin families keep goats and camels, grow almonds, olives and apricots in the walled mountain gardens above Saint Catherine, and fish both gulfs. Nuweiba port ships passengers and freight to Jordan.
History
The mountains were mined for turquoise and copper from the Old Kingdom, at Serabit el-Khadim and Wadi Maghara. Saint Catherine’s Monastery was built between 548 and 565 under Justinian and has stayed in use ever since, the oldest working Christian monastery in the world. El Tor served as the quarantine station for pilgrims returning from Mecca in the nineteenth century. Israel held the area from 1967 and withdrew in stages under the 1979 treaty, ending in April 1982. Taba was returned separately in 1989 after international arbitration. Sharm El Sheikh grew from a naval post into a resort city through the 1990s.
Getting There
Sharm El Sheikh International Airport takes direct flights from Europe, Russia and the Gulf, and is the usual way in. By road, Sharm is about 500 km from Cairo, roughly seven hours through the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel and down the Gulf of Suez coast. Ras Sedr is the nearest kism to Cairo at about 200 km. Buses serve Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba and Saint Catherine daily from Cairo. Ferries cross from Nuweiba to Aqaba, and the Taba crossing links to Eilat.
FAQ
What is the capital of South Sinai Governorate?
El Tor, on the Gulf of Suez. Its kism held 45,449 people in January 2023, the largest in the governorate.
How many towns are in South Sinai?
Nine kisms, built around eight towns: El Tor, Sharm El Sheikh, Ras Sedr, Abu Rudeis, Abu Zenima, Nuweiba, Saint Catherine, Dahab and Taba. Between them lie Bedouin villages and mountain gardens rather than farming villages.
What is the population of South Sinai Governorate?
115,611 as of the CAPMAS estimate for January 2023, the smallest of Egypt’s 27 governorates. The 2017 census counted 102,018.
What is the telephone code for Sharm El Sheikh?
069, used across South Sinai. Dial 0069 within Egypt or +20 69 from abroad.
Where is Mount Sinai?
In the Saint Catherine kism, in the centre of the governorate. The summit is 2,285 m, and Saint Catherine’s Monastery sits at its foot at about 1,570 m.
How far is Sharm El Sheikh from Cairo?
About 500 km by road, roughly seven hours. Flights take one hour.