Municipalities of Libya
Encyclopedia
There are twenty-two districts of Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....

, known by the term shabiyah (Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 singular شعبية šaʿbiyya, plural šaʿbiyyāt). In the 1990s these replaced the older baladiyat system.

Historically the area of Libya was considered three provinces (or states), Tripolitania
Tripolitania
Tripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...

 in the northwest, Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...

 in the east, and Fezzan
Fezzan
Fezzan is a south western region of modern Libya. It is largely desert but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable Sahara.-Name:...

 in the southwest. It was the conquest by Italy in the Italo-Turkish War
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and...

 that united them in a single political unit. Under the Italians Libya was eventually divided into four provinces and one territory: Tripoli, Misrata, Benghazi, Derna, (in the north) and the Territory of the Libyan Sahara (in the south). After the French and British occupied Libya in 1943, it was again split into three provinces: Tripolitania
Tripolitania
Tripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...

 in the northwest, Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...

 in the east, and Fezzan-Ghadames in the southwest.

Article 176 of the constitution of Libya stated "The Kingdom of Libya shall be divided into administrative units in conformity with the law to be promulgated in this connection. Local and regional councils may be formed in the Kingdom. The extend of these units shall be determined by law which shall likewise organize these Councils." in exact quote.

After independence (1951), Libya was divided into three governorates
Governorates of Libya
The governorates of Libya were a tenfold top-level administrative division of Libya from 1963 until 1983.They came into being on 27 April 1963...

 (muhafazat
Muhafazah
A ' is a first-level administrative division of many Arab countries, and a second-level administrative division in Saudi Arabia. The term is usually translated to governorate in English, and occasionally to province. It comes from the Arabic root 'h-f-ẓ' which means to 'keep and guard'...

), matching the three provinces of before, but in 1963 it was divided into ten governorates. In 1983 a new system was introduced dividing the country into forty-six districts (baladiyat). In 1987 this was reduced to twenty-five districts.

On 2 August 1995, Libya reorganized into thirteen districts (shabiyat). In 1998 this was increased to 26 shabiyat districts. In 2001 it was increased to thirty-two districts plus three administrative regions. Finally in 2007 to was reduced to twenty-two districts.

For historical evolution see also: Subdivisions of Libya.

Libyan districts are further subdivided into Basic People's Congresses
Basic People's Congress (country subdivision)
Basic People's Congress is the smallest administrative subdivision in Libya.Geographically it corresponds approximately to the level of a township or borough....

 which act as township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...

s or borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....

s.

Shabiya

Shabiyah ( šaʿbiyyah, plural: šaʿbiyyāt) is a neologism exclusive to Libya under Gaddafi, in line with exclusive terms for republic (jamahiriya
Jamahiriya
Jamahiriya may refer to:* a concept in the Political philosophy of Muammar Gaddafi* the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ruled by Gaddafi * a Savage Republic album, see Jamahiriya Democratique et Populaire de Sauvage-See also:...

), ministry (amanah) and embassy (people's-bureau).
The term basically means a district, that is, a top level administrative division. Etymologically, it is an adjective meaning "of or pertaining to the people, popular".

22 shabiya (2007)

In 2007 the current twenty-two shabiyah replaced the older thirty-two shabiya.

The current list is as following:

شعبية English Pop (2006)
البطنان Butnan  159,536 1
درنة Derna  163,351 2
الجبل الاخضر Jabal al Akhdar  203,156 3
المرج Marj  185,848 4
بنغازي Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...

 
670,797 5
الواحات Al Wahat  177,047 6
الكفرة Kufra  50,104 7
سرت Sirte  141,378 8
مرزق Murzuq  78,621 22
سبها Sabha  134,162 19
وادي الحياة Wadi al Hayaa  76,858 20
مصراتة Misrata  550,938 9
المرقب Murqub  432,202 10
طرابلس Tripoli  1,065,405 11
الجفارة Jafara  453,198 12
الزاوية Zawiya  290,993 13
النقاط الخمس Nuqat al Khams  287,662 14
الجبل الغربي Jabal al Gharbi  304,159 15
نالوت Nalut  93,224 16
غات Ghat  23,518 21
الجفرة Jufra  52,342 17
وادي الشاطئ Wadi al Shatii
Wadi Al Shatii District
Wadi al Shatii , sometimes referred to as Ash Shati , is one of the districts of Libya in the central-west part of the country. Its capital is Brak. The area is mostly desert.To the west, Wadi al Shatii borders the Illizi Province of Algeria...

 
78,532 18

32 shabiya (2001)

The 2001 reorganization of Libya into shabiya districts resulted in thirty-two districts and three administrative regions (المنطقة الإدارية):

شعبية Sha'biyah Population
إجدابيا Ajdabiya  165,839 91,620 1
البطنان Butnan  144,527 83,860 2
الحزام الاخضر Hizam al Akhdar  108,860 12,800 3
الجبل الاخضر Jabal al Akhdar  194,185 7,800 4
الجفارة Jafara  289,340 1,940 5
الجفرة Jufra  45,117 117,410 6
الكفرة Kufra  51,433 483,510 7
المرج Marj  116,318 10,000 8
المرقب Murqub  328,292 3,000 9
النقاط الخمس Nuqat al Khams  208,954 5,250 10
القبة Quba  93,895 14,722 11
الواحات Al Wahat  29,257 108,670 12
الزاوية Zawiya
| 197,177
1,520 13
بنغازي Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...

 
636,992 800 14
بنى وليد Bani Walid  77,424 19,710 15
درنة Derna  81,174 4,908 16
غات Ghat  22,770 72,700 17
غدامس Ghadames  19,000 51,750 18
غريان Gharyan  161,408 4,660 19
مرزق Murzuq  68,718 349,790 20
مزدة Mizda  41,476 72,180 21
مصراتة Misrata  360,521 2,770 22
نالوت Nalut  86,801 13,300 23
>align="center"| Tajura wa Arba‘
| 267,031
1,430 24
ترهونة و مسلاته Tarhuna wa Msalata
| 296,092
5,840 25
طرابلس Tripoli  882,926 400 26
سبها Sabha  126,610 15,330 27
سرت Sirte  156,389 77,660 28
صبراته و صرمان Sabratha wa Sorman  152,521 1,370 29
وادي الحياة Wadi al Hayaa  72,587 31,890 30
وادي الشاطئ Wadi al Shatii
Wadi Al Shatii District
Wadi al Shatii , sometimes referred to as Ash Shati , is one of the districts of Libya in the central-west part of the country. Its capital is Brak. The area is mostly desert.To the west, Wadi al Shatii borders the Illizi Province of Algeria...

 
77,203 97,160 31
يفرن Yafran  117,647 9,310 32

The three administrative regions are missing from the above map, Qatrun, Marada, and Jaghbub

26 shabiya (1998)

In 1998 Libya was reorganized into twenty-six districts which were: Butnan, Jafara, Jufra, Kufra, Marj, Murqub, Quba, Al Wahat, Bani Walid, Benghazi, Derna, Gharyan, Jabal al Akhdar, Murzuq, Misrata, Nalut, Nuqat al Khams, Sabha, Sabrata/Sorman, Sirte, Tarhuna/Msalata, Tripoli, Wadi al Hayaa, Wadi al Shatii, Yafran, and Zawiya

13 shabiya (1995)

On 2 August 1995 Libya dropped the baladiyat system and reorganized into thirteen districts (shabiyat). Among them were Butnan (formerly Tobruk), Jabal al Akhdar, Jabal al Gharbi, Zawiya, Benghazi, and Tripoli. However there is not agreement about the other seven names.

Former baladiya

Baladiyah
Baladiyah
Baladiyah is a type of Arabic administrative division that can be translated as municipality or district. The plural is baladiyat . Grammatically, it is the feminine of بلدي "rural, country-, folk-"....

(singular) or baladiyat (plural), are Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 words used in many Arab countries to denote administrative divisions of the country. In Libya, the baladiyat system of districts was introduced in 1983 to replace the governorate system. Originally there were forty-six baladiyat districts, but in 1988 that number was reduced to twenty-five baladiyat. The table hereunder lists the old twenty-five baladiyat in alphabetical order with a link to each one and numbered to be located on the map. Note that each district linked may be both a baladiyah and a shabiyah. The many changes may not always be reflected in the article.
  • 1 Ajdabiya
  • 2 ‘Aziziya
  • 3 Butnan
  • 4 Fati
  • 5 Jabal al Akhdar
  • 6 Jufra
  • 7 Khoms
  • 8 Kufra
  • 9 Nuqat al Khams
  • 10 Wadi al Shatii
    Wadi Al Shatii District
    Wadi al Shatii , sometimes referred to as Ash Shati , is one of the districts of Libya in the central-west part of the country. Its capital is Brak. The area is mostly desert.To the west, Wadi al Shatii borders the Illizi Province of Algeria...

  • 11 Ubari
    Ubari
    Ubari is an oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Libyan section of the Sahara Desert...

  • 12 Zawiya
  • 13 Benghazi
    Benghazi
    Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...


  • 14 Derna
  • 15 Ghadames
  • 16 Gharyan
  • 17 Misrata
  • 18 Murzuq
  • 19 Sabah
  • 20 Sawfajjin
  • 21 Sirte
  • 22 Tripoli
  • 23 Tarhuna
  • 24 Yafran
  • 25 Zlitan

Evolution

شعبية / بلدية Name 2007 (22) 2001 (32) Name in 1998 (26) 1995 (13) 1988 (25) Capital
إجدابيا Ajdabiya District  x x Ajdabiya
Ajdabiya
Ajdabiya was one of the districts of Libya. It lay in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital was Ajdabiya. As of 2007 it was subsumed within the enlarged Al Wahat District....

البطنان Butnan District (Tobruk in 1995, from 1988 Tobruk District)
x x Batan x Tobruk  Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....

الحزام الاخضر Hizam al Akhdar District  x Aybar
الجبل الاخضر Jabal al Akhdar  x x Jabal al Akhdar x x Bayda
الجبل الغربي Jabal al Gharbi District  x x Gharyan
Gharyan
Gharyan District or Garian District was one of the districts of Libya. It was located in the northwest part of the country and its capital was Gharyan. Under the 2007 reorganization of districts, it became part of Jabal al Gharbi District....

الجغبوب Jaghbub Administrative Region AR Administrative Region
الجفارة Jafara (from 1988 'Aziziya District) x x Jafara 'Aziziya  'Aziziya
الجفرة Jufra District  x x Jufra 4 x Hun
الكفرة Kufra District  x x Kufra 5 x Al Jawf
Al Jawf, Libya
Al Jawf is a town in southeastern Libya, the capital of the Kufra district in Libya.The city has an elevation of 382.2 m . In a 1984 census the city's population was 17,320. Al Jawf receives almost no rain whatsoever, averaging only .1 inch per year. Summer high temperatures average above 100°F...

المرج Marj District (1983–1988 Fati District) x x Marj Fati  Marj, Barca
Barca
Barce was an ancient Greek colony and later Roman, Byzantine, city in North Africa. It occupied the coastal area of what is modern day Libya...

 in antiquity
المرقب Murqub District (Morqib) (from 1995 & 1988 Khoms District) x x Murqub 5 Khoms  Khoms
القطرون Qatrun Administrative Region AR Administrative Region
القبة Quba District  x Quba Quba, or Giovanni Berta
الواحات Al Wahat District (Waha in 1995) x x Wahad 4 Ajdabiya
Ajdabiya
Ajdabiya was one of the districts of Libya. It lay in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital was Ajdabiya. As of 2007 it was subsumed within the enlarged Al Wahat District....

 (cf. Ajdabiya District)
Wusta 4
النقاط الخمس Nuqat al Khams (Nikat al Khums in 1995) x x Nikat al Khams 5 x Zuwara
أوباري Awbari District
Ubari
Ubari is an oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Libyan section of the Sahara Desert...

 
5a x Ubari
Ubari
Ubari is an oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Libyan section of the Sahara Desert...

الزاوية Zawiya District  x x Zawiya x x Zawiya
بنى وليد Bani Walid District (from 1988 Sawfajjin District) x Bani Walid Bani Walid
Bani Walid
Bani Walid or Ben Walid, prior to 2007, was one of the districts of Libya. In the 2007 administrative reorganization the territory formerly in Bani Walid District was transferred to Misrata District.Bani Walid bordered the following districts:...

بنغازي Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...

 
x x Benghazi x x Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...

درنة Derna District  x x Derna x Derna
فزان Fezzan
Fezzan
Fezzan is a south western region of modern Libya. It is largely desert but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable Sahara.-Name:...

 (or Fazzan)
4 Sabha
غدامس Ghadames District  x x Ghadames
Ghadames
Ghadames or Ghadamis is an oasis town in the Nalut District of the Fezzan region in southwestern Libya.-Geography:Ghadames lies roughly to the southwest of Tripoli, near the borders with Algeria and Tunisia. Ghadames borders Illizi Province, Algeria and Tataouine Governorate, Tunisia.The oasis...

غريان Gharyan District  x Gharyan x Gharyan
Gharyan
Gharyan District or Garian District was one of the districts of Libya. It was located in the northwest part of the country and its capital was Gharyan. Under the 2007 reorganization of districts, it became part of Jabal al Gharbi District....

غات Ghat District (from 1988 Ubari
Ubari
Ubari is an oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Libyan section of the Sahara Desert...

)
x x Ghat
مرادة Marada Administrative Region AR Administrative Region
مصراتة Misrata District (oincludes 1988 Bani Walid District and Zlitan District)
x x Misrata 4 x Misrata
مزدة Mizda District  x Mizda
مرزق Murzuq District (Marzug in 1995) x x Murzaq 5 x Murzuk
Murzuk
Murzuk is an oasis town and the capital of the Murzuq District in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya. Murzuk lies on the northern edge of the Murzuq Desert, a desert of ergs or great sand dunes, and section of the Sahara Desert.-History:...

Naggaza  4
نالوت Nalut District  x x Nalout Nalut
Nalut
Nalut is the capital of the Nalut District in Libya and is home to a Berber granary and community.Nalut lies approximately half way between Tripoli and Ghadames, at the western end of the Nafusa Mountains coastal range, in the Tripolitania region.-Architecture:Nalut is home to the Ksar Nalut,...

سبها Sabha District  x x Sabha 5 x Sabha
صبراته و صرمان Sabratha wa Sorman District  x Sabratha & Sorman
سوفاجين Sawfajjin District  4 x Bani Walid
Bani Walid
Bani Walid or Ben Walid, prior to 2007, was one of the districts of Libya. In the 2007 administrative reorganization the territory formerly in Bani Walid District was transferred to Misrata District.Bani Walid bordered the following districts:...

سرت Sirte District (Khalij Sirte in 1995) x x Sirte 5 x Sirte
Sirte
Sirte is a city in LibyaSirte may also refer to:* Sirte Declaration, a 1999 resolution to create the African Union* Sirte Oil Company, a Libyan oil companyIn geography:* Gulf of Sirte, alias for Gulf of Sidra on Libya's coast...

تاجوراء والنواحي الأربع Tajura wa Arba‘ District  x Tajura
Tajura
Tajura , also spelt Tajoura, is a city in Libya, in the Tripoli District , on the Mediterranean coast east of Tripoli in the Tripolitania region....

طرابلس Tripoli District  x x Tripoli x x Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...

ترهونة و مسلاته Tarhuna wa Msalata District (from 1988 Tarhuna District) x Tarhuna & Msalata Tarhuna  Tarhuna
وادي الحياة Wadi al Hayaa District (1995 Wadi al Hait?, from 1988 Ubari
Ubari
Ubari is an oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Libyan section of the Sahara Desert...

)
x x Wadi al Hait? 5b
وادي الشاطئ Wadi al Shatii District
Wadi Al Shatii District
Wadi al Shatii , sometimes referred to as Ash Shati , is one of the districts of Libya in the central-west part of the country. Its capital is Brak. The area is mostly desert.To the west, Wadi al Shatii borders the Illizi Province of Algeria...

 (Shati' in 1988)
x x Wadi al Shaati Shati' Adiri
Adiri
Adiri is a town in the Wadi al Shatii district in Libya. The city has a population of 4,611 people ....

 or Brak
يفرن Yafran District (Yifren) x Yefrin x Yafran
Yafran
Yafran or Yifren was formerly one of the districts of Libya. It was located in the northwest part of the country and its capital was Yafran...

زلتان Zlitan District  x Zliten
Zliten
Zliten is a town in the Misrata District of Libya. It is located on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea west of the Gulf of Sidra. It was the capital of the former Zlitan District.-Location:...


For 1995 data, [4] and [5] are the two different sources mentioned in the bibliography: "The Europa World Year Book 2001" and "Ershiyi (21) Shiji Shijie Diming Lu", Beijing, 2001.

For 1988, name is provided if different from nowadays. As said above, AR stands for the three "Administrative Region" of 2001.

Fazzan wasn't strictly a district, but a historical muhafazah
Muhafazah
A ' is a first-level administrative division of many Arab countries, and a second-level administrative division in Saudi Arabia. The term is usually translated to governorate in English, and occasionally to province. It comes from the Arabic root 'h-f-ẓ' which means to 'keep and guard'...

 or wilayah
Wilayah
A wilāyah or vilâyet , or vilayat in Urdu and Turkish, is an administrative division, usually translated as "province", rarely as "governorate". The word comes from the Arabic "w-l-y", "to govern": a wāli — "governor" — governs a wilayah, "that which is governed"...

 alongside with Tripolitania
Tripolitania
Tripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...

 (capital Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...

) and Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...

 (capital Cyrene
Cyrene
Cyrene may refer to:* Cyrene , a Greek mythological figure* Cyrene, Libya, an ancient Greek colony in North Africa* USS Cyrene , a motor torpedo boat tender* 133 Cyrene, an asteroid...

 -near nowadays Shahhat
Shahhat
Shahhat is a town in the District of Jabal al Akhdar in north-eastern Libya. Cyrene was located in the same area in ancient times. It is located east of Bayda....

- with Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244  – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....

, moved to Ptolemais
Ptolemais (Cyrenaica)
Ptolemais or Ptolemaida was one of the ancient capitals of Cyrenaica. It was probably named after Ptolemy III Euergetes. Its Latin name in Roman times was Tolmeta, from which the modern Libyan town of Tolmeitha derives its name.The town was most probably founded in 7th or 6th century BC by...

 after the earthquake of 365
365
Year 365 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Valens...

, and to Barce -nowadays Barca
Barca
Barce was an ancient Greek colony and later Roman, Byzantine, city in North Africa. It occupied the coastal area of what is modern day Libya...

- with Omer Bin Khattab in 643).

See also

  • Subdivisions of Libya
  • ISO 3166-2:LY
    ISO 3166-2:LY
    ISO 3166-2:LY is the entry for Libya in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Libya, ISO 3166-2 codes are defined...

  • FIPS region codes of Libya
  • List of cities in Libya

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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