Governorates of Libya
The governorates of Libya (muhafazah) were a tenfold top-level administrative division of Libya from 1963 until 1983.
They came into being on 27 April 1963.[1][2] In 1970, after the 1 September 1969 Free Officers Movement coup, there was an administrative reorganization which gave local authorities more power to implement policies of the national government, and redesignated some of the names and boundaries of the ten governorates.[3] In February 1975, Libya issued a law that abolished the governorates and their service directorates,[4] however they continued to operate[4] until they were fully replaced in 1983 by the baladiyat system districts.[1]
Historically, the three provinces of Libya (Tripolitania in the northwest, Cyrenaica in the east, and Fezzan in the southwest) were sometimes called governorates.[citation needed]
Ten governorates
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The original ten governorates were:[1][5]
- Bayda Governorate
In 1971 Bayda was renamed Jabal al Akhdar.[6][7] - Al Khums Governorate
- Awbari Governorate
- Az Zawiyah Governorate
- Benghazi Governorate
- Darnah Governorate
- Al Jabal al Gharbi Governorate
In 1970 Al Jabal al Gharbi was renamed Gharyan.[1] - Misrata Governorate
- Sabha Governorate
- Tarabulus Governorate.
Reorganisation under Gaddafi
[edit | edit source]As early as 1973, Libya had been divided into forty-six baladiyat for census purposes.[8] In 1983 Libya replaced the governorates structure with the district (baladiyah) one, creating forty-six districts.[1]
See also
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d e Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ St. John, Ronald Bruce and Hahn, Lorna (1991) "Governorates" Historical Dictionary of Libya (2nd edition) Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, New Jersey, p. 44, Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Zeidan, Shawky S. (1987) "Chapter 4 – Government and Politics: Internal Politics: Subnational Government and Administration" A Country Study: Libya Federal Research Division, Library of Congress
- ^ a b Zeidan, Shawky S. (1987) "Chapter 4 – Government and Politics: Internal Politics: Subnational Government and Administration: The Cultural Revolution and People's Committees" A Country Study: Libya Federal Research Division, Library of Congress
- ^ Habib, Henry (1981) Libya past and present Edam Publishing House, Valletta, Malta, p. 8, OCLC 13548454
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Society for Libyan Studies (1984) Libyan Studies Volume 15 (being the Annual Report of the Society for Libyan Studies) Society for Libyan Studies, London, p. 145,
External links
[edit | edit source]- Map of the ten governorates of Libya, Area Handbook for Libya, United States Library of Congress
