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The Bethlehem Governorate (Arabic: محافظة بيت لحم Muḥāfaẓat Bayt Laḥm; Hebrew: נפת בֵּית לֶחֶם Nafat Beit Leḥem) is one of 16 Governorates of Palestine. It covers an area of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Its principal city and district capital is Bethlehem. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, its population was estimated to 199,463 in 2012.
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Geography
According to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the governorate has a total area of around 660 km². Because of the occupation by Israel, Palestinians can only use 13% of the area and much of that is fragmented as of May 2009.
Politics
Politically, the Bethlehem Governorate is something of a stronghold of the Palestinian left. At the Palestinian legislative election, 2006 the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and The Alternative both had their best votes there. Its current governor is Salah al-Tamari.
Localities
The governorate consists of 10 municipalities, 3 refugee camps, and 58 rural districts.