Subdivisions of Israel: six districts and subdistricts (Nafat)
Israel is divided into six districts (מחוזות), coded IL-D to IL-Z in ISO 3166-2, and these into 14 subdistricts, each called נפת, Nafat, in Hebrew. All are listed in Hebrew and Arabic with transliterations and the centre of each unit.
- Districts
- 6
- Groups
- 1
Updated
Maḥōz and Nafat: how the units are named
Every district name in Hebrew begins with מחוז, Maḥōz, and every subdistrict with נפת, Nafat, followed by a name: נפת השרון, Nafat ha-Šarōn, has its centre at Netanya, נתניה, while נפת חדרה, Nafat Ḥaderah, carries the name of its centre, Hadera. Arabic uses منطقة, Minṭaqa, for the district and قضاء, Qaḍāʾ, for the subdistrict.
Some Arabic forms are not transcriptions of the Hebrew. The Jerusalem district is منطقة القدس, Minṭaqâẗu l-Quds, the Yizreʿel subdistrict قضاء زرعين, Qaḍāʾu Zirʿīn, and the Kinneret subdistrict قضاء طبريا, Qaḍāʾu Ṭabariyā, after Tiberias, its centre. Others transcribe the Hebrew, as بتاح تكفا for Petaḥ-Tiqvah and رحوفوت for Reḥōṿōt.
Four districts have a single subdistrict or two, while the Central and Northern Districts have four each. The centre of the Northern District is Nazareth, נצרת, but its subdistricts are centred on ʿAfula, Tiberias, Acre and Safed.
The six districts of Israel with ISO 3166-2 codes
District name in Hebrew and Arabic, each with its transliteration, the English form, the district centre and the ISO code.
Districts 6
| Hebrew | Arabic | Centre | ISO 3166-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
מחוז הדרוםMaḥōz ha-Dərōm · Southern District
|
منطقة الجنوبMinṭaqâẗu l-Ǧanūb
|
באר־שבעBəʾer-Šeṿaʿ
|
IL-D
|
מחוז חיפהMaḥōz Ḥēfah · Haifa District
|
منطقة حيفاMinṭaqâẗu Ḥayfā
|
חיפהḤēfah
|
IL-HA
|
מחוז ירושליםMaḥōz Yərūšalayim · Jerusalem District
|
منطقة القدسMinṭaqâẗu l-Quds
|
ירושליםYərūšalayim
|
IL-JM
|
מחוז המרכזMaḥōz ha-Merkaz · Central District
|
منطقة الوسطMinṭaqâẗu l-Wasaṭ
|
רמלהRamlah
|
IL-M
|
מחוז תל־אביבMaḥōz Tel-Aṿīṿ · Tel Aviv District
|
منطقة تل أبيبMinṭaqâẗu Tall Abīb
|
תל־אביב־יפוTel-Aṿīṿ-Yafō
|
IL-TA
|
מחוז הצפוןMaḥōz ha-Tsəfōn · Northern District
|
منطقة الشمالMinṭaqâẗu š-Šimāl
|
נצרתNaʦrat
|
IL-Z
|
Codes: ISO 3166-2:IL on the ISO Online Browsing Platform, read from its English Wikipedia mirror on 28 October 2026; ISO romanises the names as HaDarom, H̱efa, Yerushalayim, HaMerkaz, Tel Aviv and HaTsafon in Hebrew. Names, centres and the scholarly transliteration: the 2016 edition of this list, as on the country page.
The 14 subdistricts (Nafat) by district
Every subdistrict of the list in Hebrew and Arabic with its centre, sorted under its district.
מחוז הדרום Southern District 2
| Hebrew | Arabic | Centre (Hebrew) | Centre (Arabic) |
|---|---|---|---|
נפת אשקלוןNafat Ašqəlōn
|
قضاء عسقلانQaḍāʾu ʿAsqalān
|
אשקלוןAšqəlōn
|
عسقلانʿAsqalān
|
נפת באר־שבעNafat Bəʾer-Šeṿaʿ
|
قضاء بئر السبعQaḍāʾu Biʾri s-Sabaʿ
|
באר־שבעBəʾer-Šeṿaʿ
|
بئر السبعBiʾru s-Sabaʿ
|
מחוז המרכז Central District 4
| Hebrew | Arabic | Centre (Hebrew) | Centre (Arabic) |
|---|---|---|---|
נפת השרוןNafat ha-Šarōn
|
قضاء شارونQaḍāʾu Šārūn
|
נתניהNətanyah
|
نتانياNatāniyā
|
נפת פתח־תקווהNafat Petaḥ-Tiqvah
|
قضاء بتاح تكفاQaḍāʾu Bitāḥ Tikfā
|
פתח־תקווהPetaḥ-Tiqvah
|
بتاح تكفاBitāḥ Tikfā
|
נפת רחובותNafat Reḥōṿōt
|
قضاء رحوفوتQaḍāʾu Riḥūfūt
|
רחובותReḥōṿōt
|
رحوفوتRiḥūfūt
|
נפת רמלהNafat Ramlah
|
قضاء الرملةQaḍāʾu r-Ramlâ
|
רמלהRamlah
|
الرملةar-Ramlâ
|
מחוז הצפון Northern District 4
| Hebrew | Arabic | Centre (Hebrew) | Centre (Arabic) |
|---|---|---|---|
נפת יזרעאלNafat Yizrəʿēl
|
قضاء زرعينQaḍāʾu Zirʿīn
|
עפולהʿAfūlah
|
العفولةal-ʿAfūlâ
|
נפת כנרתNafat Kineret
|
قضاء طبرياQaḍāʾu Ṭabariyā
|
טבריהṬəṿeryah
|
طبرياṬabariyā
|
נפת עכוNafat ʿAkō
|
قضاء عكاQaḍāʾu ʿAkkā
|
עכוʿAkō
|
عكاʿAkkā
|
נפת צפתNafat Tsəfat
|
قضاء صفدQaḍāʾu Ṣafad
|
צפתTsəfat
|
صفدṢafad
|
מחוז חיפה Haifa District 2
| Hebrew | Arabic | Centre (Hebrew) | Centre (Arabic) |
|---|---|---|---|
נפת חדרהNafat Ḥaderah
|
قضاء الخضيرةQaḍāʾu l-Ḫuḍayrâ
|
חדרהḤaderah
|
الخضيرةal-Ḫuḍayrâ
|
נפת חיפהNafat Ḥēfah
|
قضاء حيفاQaḍāʾu Ḥayfā
|
חיפהḤēfah
|
حيفاḤayfā
|
מחוז ירושלים Jerusalem District 1
| Hebrew | Arabic | Centre (Hebrew) | Centre (Arabic) |
|---|---|---|---|
נפת ירושליםNafat Yərūšalayim
|
قضاء القدسQaḍāʾu l-Quds
|
ירושליםYərūšalayim
|
القدسal-Quds
|
מחוז תל־אביב Tel Aviv District 1
| Hebrew | Arabic | Centre (Hebrew) | Centre (Arabic) |
|---|---|---|---|
נפת תל־אביבNafat Tel-Aṿīṿ
|
قضاء تل أبيبQaḍāʾu Tall Abīb
|
תל־אביב־יפוTel-Aṿīṿ-Yafō
|
تل أبيب يافاTall Abīb Yāfā
|
Subdistricts and centres: the 2016 edition of this list, 14 subdistricts. ISO 3166-2 codes only the six districts.
Questions about the subdivisions of Israel
What does Nafat mean in a place name?
It marks a subdistrict. נפת השרון, Nafat ha-Šarōn, is the Sharon subdistrict, and in Arabic the same unit is قضاء شارون, Qaḍāʾu Šārūn.
How many districts does Israel have?
Six: the Southern, Central, Northern, Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv Districts, coded IL-D, IL-M, IL-Z, IL-HA, IL-JM and IL-TA in ISO 3166-2.
What is the centre of the Southern District?
Beersheba, באר־שבע, Bəʾer-Šeṿaʿ in Hebrew and بئر السبع, Biʾru s-Sabaʿ in Arabic. The district has two subdistricts, Ashkelon and Beersheba.