Luxor Governorate has been one of
Egypt's
governorates since 7 December 2009, when
Hosni Mubarak announced its separation from
Qena Governorate. It is located 635 km south of
Cairo. It is currently the smallest governorate in
Egypt, spanning approximately 5 km from north to south, and 1.5 km from east to west, and lies in
Upper Egypt along the
Nile. The city of
Luxor is the capital of the Luxor governorate. President Mubarak called on the same date for a study to be made with a view to extending the boundaries of the governorate to include the neighbouring towns of
Armant and
Esna. The national day is the 7th of December, commemorating the establishment of the governorate.