South Governorate

South Governorate (Arabic: محافظة الجنوب, romanized: muḥāfaẓat al-Janūb, or simply الجنوب) is one of the governorates of Lebanon, with a population of 590,000 inhabitants and an area of 929.6 km². The capital is Sidon. The lowest elevation is sea-level; the highest is 1,000 meters. The local population is religiously diverse and includes Shia and Sunni Muslims, Druze, Eastern Orthodox, Maronite, Protestant, and Greek Catholic Christians. Temperatures can drop to 4 °C during winter with much rain and snow on the higher ground. In the humid summer, temperatures can rise to 30 °C in the coastal areas. The governorate has several rivers: the Litani, Deir El Zahrani, Naqoura, Awali, Qasmiye, and Hasbani. The area is famous for its citrus and banana farms. Its main cities are Sidon, Tyre and Jezzine.

The governorate is divided into four districts (Aqdiya, singular qadaa) containing 181 municipalities. The capitals are in brackets:

According to registered voters in 2014:

Shias make up the majority of the governorate and are the main residents of the Zahrani Tyre districts. Sunnis are the main residents of Sidon the capital of the governorate and the third largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli. Christians are mainly residents of the Jezzine district and form a small community in the cities of Tyre, which is the fourth-most-populous city in Lebanon.

This list includes all cities, towns and villages with more than 6,000 registered voters in 2014:

The area offers a great number of attractions, including pristine white sandy beaches south of Tyre, and the opportunity to snorkel or dive among submerged Phoenician and Roman ruins near the ancient cities of Sidon and Tyre. There are a number of Ottoman-era pazars and seafood restaurants overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Southern Lebanon also hosts the Tyre festival, which attracts thousands of tourists each year.