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Tataouine Governorate

Coordinates: 32°55′32″N 10°26′39″E / 32.92556°N 10.44417°E / 32.92556; 10.44417
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Tataouine
ولاية تطاوين
Moonlit landscape of Tataouine
Moonlit landscape of Tataouine
Map of Tunisia with Tataouine highlighted
Map of Tunisia with Tataouine highlighted
Subdivisions of Tataouine Governorate
Subdivisions of Tataouine Governorate
Coordinates: 32°55′32″N 10°26′39″E / 32.92556°N 10.44417°E / 32.92556; 10.44417
Country Tunisia
Created2 March 1981
CapitalTataouine
Government
 • GovernorAmir Gabsi (since 2024) [1]
Area
 • Total
38,889 km2 (15,015 sq mi)
 • RankRanked 1st of 24
Population
 (2014)
 • Total
149,453
 • RankRanked 23rd of 24
 • Density3.8/km2 (10.0/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01 (CET)
Postal prefix
xx
ISO 3166 codeTN-83

Tataouine Governorate (Tunisian Arabic: ولاية تطاوين Wilāyat Taṭāwīn; French: Gouvernorat de Tataouine) is the southernmost of the twenty-four governorates of Tunisia, the only one to border both Algeria and Libya. It is also the largest, covering an area of 38,889 km2. It had a population of 149,453 (at the 2014 census),[2][3] nearly tied for second least-populated with Kebili (156,961) after Tozeur (107,912). The capital is Tataouine.

Geography

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Wells from aquifers dot the eastern slopes of the pronounced long escarpment climbing gradually from 100 m to 500 m in elevation two provinces north in the south extreme of Gabes Governorate, passing through a thin strip of Medenine and then at the heart of the province ending around a capital city Tripoli, Libya. The ridge attracts variable winter and early spring relief precipitation and little other rain and shares with the rest of the area a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with long, extremely hot summers throughout (see North-south graduation of Tunisian climatic zones), the patchy and infrequent rainfall in winter is greater than the average for the Sahara Desert of which the area forms part. Approximately half of the escarpment exceeds 500 m in the province, the peak within Tunisia being 631 m near the town of Remada on the main road south of Tatouine leading into mid-eastern Libya. The tripoint of the three countries is close to the Libyan town of Ghadames which has surrounding it three airstrips, one of which constitutes an airport and one of which lies in Algeria. Close to the west or south-west border is El Borma Airport and the province has a second, which is for defence and rescue, Remada Air Base.

Administrative divisions

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The Tataouine Governorate is divided into seven delegations (mutamadiyat) and further divided into 64 sectors (imada).[4] The delegations with their populations at the 2004 and 2014 censuses are listed below:[5]

Delegation Area
in km2
Population
2004 Census
Population
2014 Census
Bir Lahmar 245 9,270 8,460
Dhehiba 3,222 3,971 4,295
Ghomrassen 689 18,335 15,957
Remada 27,595 9,977 10,173
Smâr 1,994 13,826 14,793
Tataouine Nord 2,839 54,362 61,431
Tataouine Sud 1,898 33,783 34,344

Five municipalities are in Tataouine Governorate:

Code Municipality Population
(2014)[6]
5311 Tataouine 66,924
5312 Bir Lahmar 7,955
5313 Ghomrassen 9,568
5314 Dehiba 4,295
5315 Remada 6,289


Tourist sites

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Fortified settlements (ksars), manifestations of Berber architecture, such as Ksar Ouled Soltane, Chenini, Douiret, and Ksar Hadada, are popular tourist sites.

This is where George Lucas filmed part of Star Wars, and a homophone of the Tatooine city was chosen to be the home planet of the protagonist's family (Tatooine).[7]

References

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  1. ^ https://www.tap.info.tn/en/Portal-Top-News-EN/17861830-president-of-the
  2. ^ "2014 Tunisian census data". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18.
  3. ^ (in French) Census 2014 (National Institute of Statistics) Archived 2014-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Bienvenue sur le portail de l'industrie Tunisienne". www.tunisieindustrie.nat.tn. Archived from the original on 2003-06-27.
  5. ^ Institut National de la Statistique Tunisie (web).
  6. ^ Recensement Général de la Population et de l'Habitat 2014 – Population, logements et ménages par commune et arrondissement [Census 2014 results – population, accommodation and households per municipality and delegation] (Report) (in French). National Institute of Statistics. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  7. ^ Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes (Platinum Level) (8th ed.). Prentice Hall, Inc. 2002. ISBN 9780130547903. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
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