Districts of Mandatory Palestine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Districts of Mandatory Palestine |
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| Category | District |
| Location | Mandatory Palestine |
| Created | 1922 |
| Abolished | 1948 |
| Number | 6 (as of 1945) |
| Government | District Commissioner |
| Subdivisions | sub-district, division |
The Districts and Sub-districts of Mandatory Palestine were like the main regions and smaller areas that helped manage the land. Mandatory Palestine was a territory that existed from 1920 to 1948. These divisions were the first and second levels of how the land was organized.
Over time, the number and size of these districts changed. Their smaller parts, called sub-districts, also changed. In Arabic, a district was known as a minṭaqah. In Hebrew, it was called a mahoz.
Each district had a leader called a District Governor. This role was later renamed to District Commissioner in 1925. Sub-districts were managed by an Assistant District Commissioner. They had help from a District Officer. This officer was usually Jewish or Arab, depending on the people living in that sub-district.
By the end of the Mandatory Palestine period, the area was split into 6 main districts and 16 smaller sub-districts.
Contents
How Palestine Was Organized Before 1922
Before 1922, during the time of the Ottoman Empire, Palestine was divided into different areas. Each area was centered around a major city. These cities included Safed, Acre, Nablus, Jerusalem, and Gaza.
These larger areas also had smaller sub-districts. For example, the sub-district of Lod was a big area. It stretched from Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut in the south to El'ad in the north. It also went from the hills in the east to the edge of Jaffa in the west. Thousands of people lived in about 20 villages in this area. They had lots of good farmland available.
From 1920, Palestine was under a military government. It was called O.E.T.A. (South). At first, the country had 13 administrative districts. This number was reduced to 10 in 1919.
By early 1920, there were 9 districts. These were Jerusalem, Jaffa, Hebron, Jenin, Safed, Acre, Tiberias, Tulkarem, and Beersheba. This changed quickly. Soon after, there were 11 districts. These included Jerusalem, Haifa, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Safed, Acre, Tiberias, Galilee, Tulkarem, and Beersheba.
In the middle of 1920, a civilian government took over. The divisions were changed again. By September 1920, the districts were Jerusalem, Galilee, Phoenicia (which used to be Haifa), Samaria, Jaffa, Gaza, and Beersheva.
Changes in Administrative Divisions (1922-1945)
The way Palestine was divided changed several times over the years. These changes helped the government manage the land better.
Divisions in 1922
In July 1922, some districts were combined. The administrations of Phoenicia and Galilee were joined. Jerusalem and Jaffa districts were also combined. Gaza and Beersheba districts were put together too. Some sub-districts were also moved around.
By October 1922, when a census was taken, Palestine had four main districts. These were divided into 18 sub-districts.
- Southern District
- Beersheba Sub-district
- Gaza Sub-district
- Hebron Sub-district
- Jerusalem-Jaffa District
- Bethlehem Sub-district
- Jaffa Division
- Jaffa Sub-district
- Ramleh Sub-district
- Jericho Sub-district
- Jerusalem Sub-district
- Ramallah Sub-district
- Samaria District
- Baisan Sub-district
- Jenin Sub-district
- Nablus Sub-district
- Tulkarem Sub-district
- Northern District
- Acre Sub-district
- Haifa Sub-district
- Nazareth Sub-district
- Safad Sub-district
- Tiberias Sub-district
Divisions from 1924 to 1927
In June 1924, the country was divided into three districts. It still had 18 sub-districts. In August 1925, the Southern and Jerusalem-Jaffa Districts were combined. They became the Jerusalem-Southern District.
By July 1927, the divisions were set as two districts and one division. They still had 18 sub-districts.
Divisions from 1931 to 1937
In October 1931, the Hebron Sub-district joined the Jerusalem Division. This created the Jerusalem District. This was the setup during the November 1931 census.
In July 1937, the Northern District was split into two new districts. This change was officially announced in October.
Divisions from 1938 to 1940
In 1938, the Beersheba and Gaza sub-districts were separated from the Southern District. Then, in 1939, the country was reorganized into six districts. The Galilee and Acre District was renamed the Galilee District in December. Some small changes were also made in December 1940.
Final Divisions (1942-1945)
In 1942, the number of sub-districts in the Jerusalem District was reduced to three. The Bethlehem and Jericho sub-districts were combined into the Jerusalem sub-district. A few more small changes were made in 1945.
This final division stayed the same until 1953. After that, the new State of Israel changed the district boundaries to their modern form.
Here are the districts and sub-districts as they were from 1942 to 1945:
- Gaza District
- Beersheba Sub-district
- Gaza Sub-district
- Lydda District
- Jaffa Sub-district
- Ramle Sub-district
- Jerusalem District
- Hebron Sub-district
- Jerusalem Sub-district
- Ramallah Sub-district
- Samaria District
- Jenin Sub-district
- Nablus Sub-district
- Tulkarm Sub-district
- Haifa District
- Haifa Sub-district
- Galilee District
- Acre Sub-district
- Beisan Sub-district
- Nazareth Sub-district
- Safad Sub-district
- Tiberias Sub-district
See also
