Qalyubia Governorate

Qalyubia Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt, located in Lower Egypt. It is situated north of Cairo in the Nile Delta region, and its capital is Banha. The governorate takes its name from the city of Qalyub, whose name is an Arabization of Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry in Greek mythology. Banha and several other settlements blend into the neighbouring Cairo Governorate, so parts of Qalyubia, particularly Shubra El Kheima, are generally considered part of the Greater Cairo metropolitan area. For administrative purposes it is divided into municipal divisions, some of them a markaz and some a kism, with a total estimated population of 6,217,766 as of January 2024.