Faiyum Governorate
Governorate of Egypt
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Etymology
The name Faiyum comes from Coptic ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ /Ⲡⲉⲓⲟⲙ efiom/peiom (whence the proper name Ⲡⲁⲓⲟⲙ payoum), meaning the Sea or the Lake, which in turn comes from late Egyptian pA y-m of the same meaning, a reference to the nearby Lake Moeris.
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Overview
The rate of poverty is more than 60% in this governorate but recently some social safety networks have been provided in the form of financial assistance and job opportunities. The funding has been coordinated by the country's Ministry of Finance and with assistance from international organizations.
Municipal divisions
The governorate is divided into the following municipal divisions for administrative purposes, with a total estimated population as of April 2025 of 4,206,852. In some instances there is a markaz and a kism with the same name.
Geography
The governorate of Faiyum includes:
- The large fertile Faiyum Oasis, which comprises farmland, Lake Moeris, and some cities.
- South of the Faiyum Oasis, a smaller depression contains the town of El Gharaq el Sulţāni. It is also irrigated from the Nile.
- A dry barren depression named Wadi El Rayan, which covers 280 mi² (725 km²), west of the El Gharaq el Sulţāni depression.
- Desert and dry mountains, which mostly surround the depressions.
Population
According to population estimates from 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate live in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 22.5%. Out of an estimated 3,170,150 people residing in the governorate, 2,456,368 people lived in rural areas and only 713,782 lived in urban areas.
Industrial zones
According to the Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the following industrial zones are located in Faiyum:
Notable people
- Aly Lotfy Mahmoud
- Ahmed Fakhry
- Arafa El Sayed
- Fawzia Fahim
- Hamdi Abu Golayyel
- Pope John XVIII of Alexandria
- Magdy Atwa
- Mariam Fakhr Eddine
- Mohamed Abdelwahab
- Mohamed Ihab
- Saadia Gaon
- Sayed Abdel Hafeez
- Sayed Moawad
- Sabri Raheel
- Sufi Abu Taleb
- Tefta Tashko-Koço
- Youssef Wahbi
- Yousef Wali
- Zakariyya Ahmad