Sabha, Libya

Sabha
سبها

Gaddafi-era billboard in Sabha
Sabha

Location in Libya

Coordinates: 27°02′20″N 14°25′35″E / 27.03889°N 14.42639°E / 27.03889; 14.42639
Country  Libya
Region Fezzan
District Sabha
Elevation[1] 1,380 ft (420 m)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 96,872
Time zone UTC+2

Sabha or Sebha /ˈsɛb.hɑː/ (Arabic: سبها‎ Sabhā) is a city in southwestern Libya with a population of about 130,000. It was historically the capital of the Fezzan region and the Military Territory of Fezzan-Ghadames and is now capital of the Sabha District.[3]

Sabha is about 640 kilometres (400 mi) south of Tripoli.[4]

Overview

With a relatively large population, and growing fast, Sabha's importance is due to its being the air and road transport hub of the Fezzan, a military base, and the centre of a remarkable agricultural industry in the desert.

Sabha is famous for the Fort Elena castle,[5] which is the castle featured on the reverse of the ten dinars banknote of Libya. Fort Elena was previously known as Fortezza Margherita, built during the Italian colonial period. Currently the Italian-built fort is a military institution.

Sabha is known as the place where Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi announced "the dawn of the era of the masses".[6]

Climate

Climate data for Sabha (1962–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 18.9
(66)		 22.0
(71.6)		 26.1
(79)		 31.8
(89.2)		 35.7
(96.3)		 39.2
(102.6)		 38.3
(100.9)		 37.8
(100)		 35.9
(96.6)		 31.3
(88.3)		 24.9
(76.8)		 20.0
(68)		 30.2
(86.4)
Average low °C (°F) 4.5
(40.1)		 6.8
(44.2)		 10.6
(51.1)		 15.9
(60.6)		 20.1
(68.2)		 23.6
(74.5)		 23.0
(73.4)		 22.9
(73.2)		 21.3
(70.3)		 16.9
(62.4)		 10.7
(51.3)		 5.7
(42.3)		 15.2
(59.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1.1
(0.043)		 0.8
(0.031)		 0.5
(0.02)		 0.5
(0.02)		 0.3
(0.012)		 0.5
(0.02)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.4
(0.016)		 2.1
(0.083)		 0.9
(0.035)		 1.1
(0.043)		 8.2
(0.323)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.6 0.4 0.3 2.9
Average relative humidity (%) 42 37 31 22 27 27 32 30 27 29 38 40 32
Mean monthly sunshine hours 260 252 269 275 304 341 375 361 295 284 258 252 3,526
Source #1: World Meteorological Organization[7]
Source #2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity and sun 1961–1990)[8][9][lower-alpha 1]

Military

In a 2004 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Sabha base was linked with Libya's nuclear weapons program.[10]

Sabha Oasis, near Sabha, was the test site of OTRAG rockets, after launching was no longer possible in Shaba North in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo). On 1 March 1981 an OTRAG rocket with a maximum height of 50 km (31 mi) was launched. It was also a remote test site for the Soviet Space program from 1984 to 1991.[11]

Sabha Air Base, south of the city, is a Libyan Air Force installation that is home to multiple MiG-25 aircraft.[12]

Transport

An 800 km (500 mi) long railway has been proposed from Sabha to the port of Misrata for iron ore transport.[13] This railway could continue to Niger and beyond.

Libyan Civil War

Further information: 2011 Sabha clashes and Battle of Sabha

Anti-Gaddafi forces seized Sabha in September 2011 as part of the Fezzan campaign.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Station ID for Sebha is 62124 Use this station ID to locate the sunshine duration

References

  1. ↑ Wolfram Alpha
  2. ↑ World Gazetteer. "Libya: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  3. ↑ Francesca Davis DiPiazza (2006). Libya in Pictures. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 0-8225-2549-6.
  4. ↑ Walt, Vivienne. "The Capture of Gaddafi's Son: The Reformer Who Refused to Reform." TIME. November 19, 2011. Retrieved on November 19, 2011.
  5. ↑ Martin, B. G. (1984) "Ahmad Rasim Pasha and the Fazzan Slave Trade, 1881-1896" pp. 64-65 in Willis, John Ralph (ed.) (1984) Slaves and Slavery in Muslim Africa: The Servile Estate Cass, London, pp. 51-82, ISBN 0-7146-3201-5
  6. ↑ Vanderwalle, Dirk J. (1998). Libya Since Independence: oil and state-building. London: I B Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 1-86064-264-0.
  7. ↑ "World Weather Information Service–Sebha". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Klimatafel von Sebha / Libyen" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Station 62124 Sebha". Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration. Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Griffiths, Katherine (2007) "Libya stalls on pledge to destroy stock of uranium" The Daily Telegraph 13 August 2007, p. 16
  11. ↑ "Пранаб Мукерджи: Коррупция – это зло, которое может угнетать дух нации". Vedomosti. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  12. ↑ Libya: Ministry of Defense: Air Force: Air Order of Battle GlobalSecurity.org
  13. ↑ Xinhua News Agency (2008) "Chinese win Libya rail bidding" International Herald Tribune 19 February 2008, Finance Section, p. 13
  14. ↑ Wedeman, Ben (20 September 2011). "Government forces enter Libya's Sabha, to cheers". CNN. Retrieved 20 September 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sabha.

Coordinates: 27°02′20″N 14°25′35″E / 27.03889°N 14.42639°E / 27.03889; 14.42639

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