Sohag is a governorate in Upper Egypt about 470km away from Cairo and bordered with Assyut from the north, Qena from the south, and Red Sea Governorate from the west. It covers about 6546km² and comprises of a large number of administrative centers, cities, and villages including Akhmim, Gerga, and Dar El Salam. It is one of the densely populated governorates in Upper Egypt and is distinguished with its dry weather and rare rainfall. Sohag is blessed with a wide range of agricultural land and renowned for producing numerous crops like wheat, rice and cotton in addition to sugar cane. The capital is Sohag City that is regarded as the major commercial center in the governorate. The 10th of April is the national day of the governorate to celebrate the victory of the Egyptian national resistance troops on the French troops in Johaina Battle in 1799. Sohag encloses a huge number of educational institutes and vocational training centers in addition to seven governmental faculties to overcome illiteracy in Upper Egypt. In addition to the limited number of archaeological sites on the land of Sohag, there are other sources of income for the governorate including trade and small industries of carpets, furniture, spinning and weaving and sugar.
