Tartus Governorate

Tartus Governorate, also transliterated as Tartous Governorate, (مُحافظة طرطوس / ALA-LC: Muḥāfaẓat Ṭarṭūs) is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in western Syria, bordering Latakia Governorate to the north, Homs and Hama Governorates to the east, Lebanon to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. It is one of the few governorates in Syria that has an Alawite majority. Sources list the area as 1,890 km2 or 1,892 km2, with its capital being Tartus.

Archeological sites

 * Al-Kahf Castle – Isma'ili castle
 * Aleika Castle – Isma'ili castle
 * Amrit – Phoenician city
 * Chastel Rouge (Qal’at Yahmur) – Crusader castle
 * Hosn Suleiman
 * Margat – Crusader castle
 * Tell Kazel – Bronze age site (possibly the ancient city of Sumur)

Geography
Tartus comprises roughly half of Syria's Mediterranean coastline; offshore lie five small islands, the largest of which is Arwad. Inland the terrain is mountainous, comprising a section of the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range (Nusayriyah Mountains). The Nahr al-Kabir river forms the border with Lebanon to the south.

Settlements
Tartus is the regional capital; other major settlements include Al-Hamidiyah, Al Qadmus, Al-Sawda, Ayn ash Shams, Baniyas, Qusaybah and Safita.

Districts
The governorate is divided into five districts (manatiq). The districts are further divided into 27 sub-districts (nawahi):


 * Tartus District (7 sub-districts)
 * Tartus Subdistrict
 * Arwad Subdistrict
 * Al-Hamidiyah Subdistrict
 * Khirbet al-Maazah Subdistrict
 * Al-Sawda Subdistrict
 * Al-Karimah Subdistrict
 * Al-Safsafah Subdistrict
 * Baniyas District (7 sub-districts)
 * Baniyas Subdistrict
 * Al-Rawda Subdistrict
 * Al-Annazah Subdistrict
 * Al-Qadmus Subdistrict
 * Hammam Wasel Subdistrict
 * Al-Tawahin Subdistrict
 * Talin Subdistrict


 * Duraykish District (4 sub-districts)
 * Duraykish Subdistrict
 * Junaynet Ruslan Subdistrict
 * Hamin Subdistrict
 * Dweir Ruslan Subdistrict
 * Safita District (6 sub-districts)
 * Safita Subdistrict
 * Mashta al-Helu Subdistrict
 * Al-Bariqiyah Subdistrict
 * Sebei Subdistrict
 * Al-Sisiniyah Subdistrict
 * Ras al-Khashufah Subdistrict
 * Al-Shaykh Badr District (3 sub-districts)
 * Al-Shaykh Badr Subdistrict
 * Brummanet al-Mashayekh Subdistrict
 * Al-Qamsiyah Subdistrict

Demographics
As per the 2004 Syrian census the population was 701,400. A 2011 UNOCHA estimate put the population at 797,000, though this has likely changed since the start of the war.

The majority at 72% are Alawites, 7% Sunni Muslim, 8% Ismaili, and 13% Christian. There is a small Cretan Greek community concentrated in Al-Hamidiyah, the descendants of refugees who fled the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.