Hama Governorate

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Hama
مُحافظة حماة
Ḥamā
Hama in Syria (+Golan hatched).svg
Map of Syria with Hama highlighted
Coordinates(Hama): 35°12′N37°12′E / 35.2°N 37.2°E / 35.2; 37.2
Country Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg Syria
Capital Hama
Manatiq (Districts) 5
Government
  Governor Abdul Rahman al-Suhian
Area
  Total
8,883 km2 (3,430 sq mi)
 Estimates range between 8,844 km2 and 8,883 km2
Population
 (2011)
  Total
1,628,000
  Density180/km2 (470/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 code SY-HM
Main language(s) Arabic
Hama Governorate

Hama Governorate (Arabic : مُحافظة حماة / ALA-LC: Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā) is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib and Aleppo Governorates to the north, Raqqa Governorate to the east, Homs Governorate to the south, and Tartus and Latakia Governorate to the west. It is the only Governorate (excluding Damascus) that does not border a foreign country. Measures of its area vary from 8,844 km2 [1] to 8,883 km2, [2] with its capital being the city of Hama.

Contents

History

Archaeological sites

Modern Syria

Hama has historically been a centre of opposition to the Assad regime, and it was the centre of an uprising in the late 1970s to the early 1980s that resulted in the 1982 Hama massacre. [3] [4]

Syrian Civil War

The city was one of several that saw anti-Assad protests in 2011, the violent suppression of which ultimately led to the outbreak of civil war. [5] Despite this, for the most part the governorate has stayed under the Syrian Government's control, with exceptions of parts of the north-west in the early years of the conflict. [6] The eastern desert regions of the governorate fell under the control of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant by 2016, [7] but by September 2017 the Syrian Army had managed to oust them. [8] During the 2024 Northwestern Syria Offensive, the Syrian Salvation Government captured large portions of the governorate. On 5 December 2024, the governorate's capital Hama was captured. [9]

Geography

The western regions of the governorate are part of the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range (Nusayriyah Mountains), running north to south. [10] Roughly parallel with the mountains to the east is the Al-Ghab Plain, with the Orontes river flowing through it, Hama city lies on this river. [11] The central and eastern regions of the governorate consist of flatter desert terrain.

Settlements

The provincial capital is Hama; other major settlements include Akakir, Al-Hamraa, Al Qastal, Al-Saan, Aqarib as Safi, At Tammazah, Ithriya, Kafr Buhum, Karnaz, Mahardah, Masyaf, Murak, Qalaat al-Madiq, Qasr Ibn Wardan, Sabburah, Salamiyah, Shaykh Hilal, Shaytalun, Suran and Tayyibat at Turki.

Districts

The governorate is divided into five districts (manatiq). The districts are further divided into 22 sub-districts (nawahi):

Economy

Agriculture dominates the labor force of Hama Governorate, with 48% of employment occurring within this sector. The remaining employment is spread between industry (22%) and trade and other services (30%). The main agricultural crops are wheat, barley, cotton, beetroot, onion, tobacco, and various vegetables. Fruit trees such as olive, pistachio, apple, pear, plum and peach are also commonly grown here. Animal breeding of sheep, goats, poultry and bees are prevalent in Hama. [12]

Between 1926 and 1949, Hama witnessed developments in its public sector with industry expanding on sugar plants, onion drying, oils manufacturing, cotton grinning factories, and cement production and processing. Other manufacturing industry that was expanded include soda, ice cream, candy, textile, wool, cotton, rugs, carpets, gowns, and horse saddles. The region is also Syria's center of its chemical and manufacturing industry. [12]

Demographics

As per the 2004 Syrian census the population was 1,385,000. [1] A 2011 UNOCHA estimate put the population at 1,628,000, though this has likely changed since the start of the war. [13]

Religious composition of Hama Governorate (2011)
Sunnis
67%
Alawites
17%
Ismailis
10%
Christians
6%
Shias
0.1%

At the end of 2011, the population of Hama was estimated at 1,628,000, representing 8% of Syria's population. Sunni Muslims form the majority at 67%, followed by Alawite Muslims (17%), Ismaili Muslims (10%), Christians (6%) and Twelver Shia Muslims (0.1%). [14]

Related Research Articles

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Masyaf is a city in northwestern Syria. It is the center of the Masyaf District in the Hama Governorate. As of 2004, Masyaf had a religiously diverse population of approximately 22,000 Ismailis, Alawites and Christians. The city is well known for its large medieval castle, particularly its role as the headquarters of the Nizari Ismailis and their elite Assassins unit.

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Aleppo Governorate is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,867,000, almost 23% of the total population of Syria. The governorate is the fifth in area with an area of 18,482 km2 (7,136 sq mi), or 18,498 km2, about 10% of the total area of Syria. The capital is the city of Aleppo.

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Latakia Governorate, also transliterated as Ladhakia Governorate, is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in western Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay Province to the north, Idlib and Hama Governorates to the east, Tartus Governorate to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Its reported area varies in different sources from 2,297 km2 (887 sq mi) to 2,437 km2 (941 sq mi). The governorate has a population of 1,008,000.

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Kafr Buhum, is a town in central Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 9 km southwest of Hama, 210 km (130 mi) north Damascus and 160 km (99 mi) south of Aleppo. Nearby localities include al-Rabiaa and Matnin to the northwest, Tayzin to the north, al-Khalidiyah to the east, Tell Qartal to the southeast, Birin to the south and al-Muah to the southwest. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Kafr Bu had a population of 12,194 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Christian. It is 330 meters (1082 ft) above the sea level.

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Tremseh, or in various dialects Tremseh, Treimsa, Taramsah, Taramseh in the Hama Governorate in northern Syria. It is roughly 22 miles northwest of the central city of Hama. Nearby localities include district center Mahardah and Shaizar to the east, Khunayzir to the southeast, Asilah to the south, Safsafiyah to the southwest, Asharnah and Tell Salhab to the west, al-Jalmah to the north and Kafr Hud to the northeast. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Tremseh had a population of 6,926 in the 2004 census. The town was reported to have a population of between 7,000 and 11,000.

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Al-Laqbah is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located west of Hama. It is situated along the edge of the Orontes River valley, on the main road between Masyaf and northern Syria. Nearby localities include Deir Mama to the south, Jubb Ramlah and Hanjur to the northeast, Deir Shamil to the north and al-Annazah to the west. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Laqbah had a population of 1,908 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Alawites.

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References

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  3. "Syria: Bloody Challenge to Assad". Time . 8 March 1982. Archived from the original on 15 October 2010.
  4. JOHN KIFNER (12 February 1982). "Syrian Troops Are Said To Battle Rebels Encircled in Central City". The New York Times. Hama (Syria); Syria. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  5. "'Half a million' protest on streets of Hama – Middle East". Al Jazeera English. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  6. "Rebels seize towns in central Syria". Reuters. 19 December 2012. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  7. "Syrian Army begins new offensive to liberate Raqqa". Al-Masdar news. 2 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  8. "Breaking: ISIS agrees to surrender all its territory in rural Hama to the Syrian Army". AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  9. Azhari, Timour; Al-Khalidi, Suleiman (5 December 2024). "Syrian rebels capture key city of Hama in fresh blow to Assad". Reuters. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  10. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress (2005) "Country Profile: Syria" page 5
  11. "Asi-Orontes Basin". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  12. 1 2 "Economics of Hama countryside" (PDF). syrianef.org. Syrian Economic Forum. July 2015. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. Syrian Arab Republic – Governorates profile (PDF), UNOCHA, June 2014, retrieved 20 March 2020
  14. Hussain Ibrahim Qutrib (2016), "Useful Syria" and Demographic Changes in Syria (PDF), King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, retrieved 20 March 2020