Saada Governorate

Saada (صَعْدَة) or Sa'dah is one of the governorates of Yemen. The governorate's seat and the largest city is Saada. It is the epicentre of Zaydism and where the Houthi group originates from.

Geography
Saada is 240 kilometers north of the capital Sanaa. Northwest of its capital, Saada city, the terrain of the governorate becomes increasingly mountainous and reaches elevations of 2,050 meters in the far west. Between these mountains and Saada city, the terrain is peppered with basins and wadis, ultimately dropping to form arid plains in the east. Rainfall varies greatly according to location. The western mountains of Razih receive as much as 1,000 mm per year, while arid regions east of the governorate's capital can get as little as 50 mm. Given the scarce amounts of arable land in these arid areas, most of the governorate's population lives in the wetter west.

Adjacent governorates

 * Al Jawf Governorate (east)
 * 'Amran Governorate (south)
 * Hajjah Governorate (south)

Districts
Saada Governorate is divided into the following 16 districts. These districts are further divided into sub-districts, and then further subdivided into villages:


 * Al Dhaher District
 * Al Hashwah District
 * As Safra District
 * Baqim District
 * Dammaj District
 * Ghamr District
 * Haydan District
 * Kitaf wa Al Boqe'e District
 * Majz District
 * Monabbih District
 * Qatabir District
 * Razih District
 * Sa'adah District
 * Sahar District
 * Saqayn District
 * Shada'a District

Cities and towns

 * Aba Sa`ud
 * Al Buga
 * Dhahyan
 * Bagim
 * Dammaj
 * Razeh
 * Saada

Climate
Warm summers typically reach a high of 26 °C while winters can reach morning lows of &minus;16 °C.

Economy
Farming, and trading are the main economic activities in the governorate. Additionally arid land is used for raising livestock. The governorate is also home to Suq al-Talh, the largest weapons market in Yemen.