Cairo Governorate

Cairo Governorate is one of the 27 governorates of Egypt. It is formed of the city of Cairo, both the national capital of Egypt and the governorate's, in addition to five satellite cities: the New Administrative Capital - set to become the seat of national government, New Cairo, Shourok, Badr, Capital Gardens, and 15th of May. These cities form almost half of the Greater Cairo metropolitan area by population. As one of three city-states in Egypt, where the Cairo governor is also the head of the city. This rightfully creates much confusion and synonymity between the Governorate of Cairo, and the city, though officially they are two semidistinct levels of local government, and as with other governorates, the governor is appointed by the president. Overview Parts of the governorate - the Helwan district and the satellite cities, were spun off in April 2008 to form the Helwan Governorate, only to be reincorporated into the Cairo Governorate in April 2011. Municipal divisions The governorate is divided into the city of Cairo, and the unallocated desert hinter land (al-zahir al-sahrawi).