Ibb Governorate

Ibb

محافظة إبّ
Ibb محافظة إبّ
Governorate
	Janad Region
Seat	Ibb
Area
• Total	6,484 km2 (2,503 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	4,560,000
• Density	700/km2 (1,800/sq mi)

Ibb (

San'a

city.

Its capital is

Ta'izz city and the Tihama coastline. There are also impressive views of 3,070 metre high Jabal Sabir

to the south.

Owing to the way in which it captures the upper-level southwestern

precipitation is probably more than 1,000 mm (40 inches) and some estimate suggest it could be as high as 1,500mm (60 inches). There is little rain from November to February, but for the rest of the year there is probably at least 100mm (4 inches) of rain per month. Temperatures are warm, averaging about 30 °C (86 °F) in the day but nights

are quite cool.

Because of its abundant rainfall, Ibb is known as "the fertile province". Almost the whole area of the governorate outside urban centres is cultivated despite the steep terrain, and the number of crops produced is extraordinarily large for so small an area. Qat is particularly important, but wheat, barley, sesame and sorghum are the major sources of food for most people outside Ibb city. Sophisticated systems for management and storage of water from the seasonal rains allows extra crops to be grown during the dry season.

This sophisticated agriculture allows Ibb to support an extremely dense rural population, with densities of up to 500 people/km² common in the wettest areas.

In recent years, Ibb governorate has been the scene of numerous sit-ins in protest at government policies: many of the most significant anti-government protesters since 1999 have been natives of Ibb and surrounding areas.

Geography

Adjacent governorates

Dhamar Governorate (north and west)
Al Bayda Governorate (east)
Dhale Governorate (east)
Taiz Governorate
(south)
Al Hudaydah Governorate (west)

Districts

Ibb Governorate is divided into the following 20 districts. These districts are further divided into sub-districts, and then further subdivided into villages: