Tafilah Governorate

Tafilah () is one of the governorates of Jordan, located about 180 km south-west of Amman, Jordan's capital.

Tafilah Governorate is bordered by Karak Governorate to the north, Ma'an Governorate to the east and south, Aqaba Governorate to the south, and by Israel to the west. The area of this province constitutes 2.5% of the area of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is divided into three districts. The population as of 2005 is about 82,000 (i.e. 1.6% of Jordan's population in 2005) living in 32 towns and villages across the governorate ( making it the least populated governorate of Jordan).

History

Tafilah Governorate has been inhabited by the Edomites since the 11th century B.C. The entire land covered by Tafilah Governorate was the stronghold of the Edomites with the town of Busaira as the  capital of Edom. The valley known as Wadi Al-Hasa formed the boundary between Edom and the neighboring kingdom of Moab in present-day Karak Governorate. Currently Wadi Al-Hasa forms the boundary between Tafilah and Karak Governorates, and itself belongs administratively to Karak Governorate.

Almost all towns in Tafilah Governorate date back to the Edomite period, the capital city of Tafilah held the Edomite name of Tophel.

Edom often allied with Moab and Ammon, and later with the Nabataeans until their fall to the Roman Empire.

Demographics
The population of Tafilah Governorate is estimated to be about 81,000 for the year 2008. The Jordan National Census of the year 2004 shows that Tafilah Governorate had a population of 75,267 in 2004 living in the city of Tafilah and 31 other towns and villages, of whom 73,767 were Jordanian citizens (98%). The male to female ratio was 51 to 49.

The population of districts according to census results:

Administrative divisions

Article 11 of the Administrative Divisions System of the Jordanian ministry of Interior divides Tafilah Governorate into three departments as follows:

Economy
The governorate depends mainly on agriculture and tourists from other parts of the country visiting the natural reserves and hot water springs in it. The total area of fruit and olive farms in the governorate in 2008 was 42.210 km2 of which more than 31 km2 were of olive farms. The town of Rashadiya has the highest elevation in the province, at 1500m above sea level, and receives an annual rainfall of 240 mm.

Touristic and archeological sites
Some of the historic and natural sites in Tafila Governorate are:
 Busaira, also known as Bozra or Bozrah, was the capital of the kingdom of Edom
 Sela: another Edomite city at the far southern edge of Tafilah Governorate
 Tophel: The present-day city of Tafilah is built on the ruins of this edomite town
 The ancient copper mines at Wadi Faynan
 The Dana natural reserve
 The Afra hot water springs
 The Bubeita hot water springs

References

 
Category:Governorates of Jordan