Southern District (Israel)

The Southern District (Hebrew: מחוז הדרום, Meḥoz HaDarom; Arabic: لواء الجنوب) is one of Israel's six administrative districts, the largest in terms of land area but the most sparsely populated. It covers most of the Negev desert, as well as the Arava valley. The population of the Southern District is 1,086,240 and its area is 14,185 km2. Its population is 79.66% Jewish and 12.72% Arab (mostly Muslim), with 7.62% of other origins.[4]

South District
- transcription(s)
 • Hebrewמחוז הדרום
 • Arabicلواء الجنوب
Cities12
Local councils11
Regional councils15
CapitalBeersheba
Largest cityAshdod
Government
 • District Commissioner[2]Lily Feintoch[1]
Area
 • Total
14,185 km2 (5,477 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[3]
 • Total
1,362,500
 • Density96/km2 (250/sq mi)
ISO 3166 codeIL-D
The route from Jerusalem to Ashdod
Geographical distribution of the main ethno-cultural communities in the Southern District in 2008.[5]

The district capital is Beersheba, while the largest city is Ashdod. Beersheba's dormitory towns of Omer, Meitar, and Lehavim are affluent on an Israel scale, while the development towns of Dimona, Sderot, Netivot, Ofakim, and Yeruham and the seven Bedouin cities are lower on the socio-economic scale.[6]

Administrative local authorities

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Subdistricts
Cities Local Councils Regional Councils

Some villages do not fall under the jurisdiction of a regional council. These include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://www.gov.il/he/Departments/General/board [dead link]
  2. ^ Transfer of Power (District Commissioners and District Officers) Law, 5724-1964, Laws of the State of Israel vol. 18 no 38. (pp. 70-71)
  3. ^ "Localities by Population, by District, Sub-District and Type of Locality". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics.
  4. ^ Area of Districts, Sub-Districts, Natural Regions and Lakes. Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
  5. ^ ""8. אוכלוסייה ביישובים ובאזורים סטטיסטיים, לפי דת, סוף 2019"". Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel).
  6. ^ Current Plans for Developing the Negev: A Critical Perspective Adva Center

30°37′N 34°48′E / 30.617°N 34.800°E / 30.617; 34.800