Kef Governorate

Kef
ولاية الكاف
Map of Tunisia with Kef highlighted
Subdivisions of Kef Governorate
Coordinates: 36°10′56″N 8°42′53″E / 36.18222°N 8.71472°E / 36.18222; 8.71472
Country Tunisia
Created21 June 1956
CapitalEl Kef
Government
 • GovernorWalid Kabbia (since 2024) [1]
Area
 • Total
4,965 km2 (1,917 sq mi)
 • RankRanked 10th of 24
Population
 (2014)
 • Total
243,156
 • RankRanked 19th of 24
 • Density48.97/km2 (126.8/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01 (CET)
Postal prefix
xx
ISO 3166 codeTN-33

Kef Governorate (Tunisian Arabic: ولاية الكاف Wilāyat el-Kāf pronounced [lke̞ːf]; French: Gouvernorat du Kef) is one of the twenty-four governorates of Tunisia. It comprises chiefly part of the dorsal Atlas Mountains and their foothills in north-western Tunisia, bordering Algeria. It covers an area of 4,965 km2 and has a population of 243,156 (2014 census).[2] The capital is El Kef. The region is primarily agricultural and mining. The agricultural land, which accounts for 98% of the total area of the governorate, is vast and fertile (485,153 hectares, including 102,215 hectares of forest and 337,489 hectares of agricultural land), enabling it to contribute 4.9% to national agricultural production.

Administrative divisions

Twelve municipalities are in Kef Governorate:

2311 El Kef 67,039[3]
2312 Nebeur 12,987
2313 Touiref 5,863
2314 Sakiet Sidi Youssef 16,173
2315 Tajerouine 25,742
2316 Menzel Salem 1,370
2317 Kalaat Senan 13,517
2318 Kalâat Khasba 5,663
2319 Jérissa 8,613
2320 El Ksour 14,686
2321 Dahmani 25,285
2322 Sers 17,730
Bahra 5,664
El Marja 5,294
Zaafrane - Dir Kef 12,060

Demographics

Due to its close proximity to the Algerian border and its historical role in the Algerian War of Independence, Kef has a significant Algerian population, hosting over 6,000 registered Algerian voters, the second largest such community in Tunisia after Tunis.[4] Its capital city, El Kef, was the command centre of the Front de Libération Nationale during the Algerian War of Independence against the French in the 1950s.

References

  1. ^ "President of the Republic reshuffles governors". tap.info.tn. 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
  2. ^ (in French) Census 2014 (National Institute of Statistics) Archived 2014-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Kef (Governorate, Tunisia) – Population Statistics". City Population. Retrieved 2026-03-06. Based on RGPH 2024 census results from Institut National de la Statistique (INS); municipal boundaries as of 2023.
  4. ^ Arfaoui, Jamel (April 6, 2009). "Les Algériens de Tunisie se préparent à voter" (in French). Maghrebia. Retrieved April 18, 2012.