Murzuq ( ar, مرزق ''Murzuq'') is one of the districts of Libya. It is in the south of the country. Its capital is

Murzuk Murzuk, Murzuq, Murzug or Merzug ( ar, مرزق) is an oasis town and the capital of the Murzuq District in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya.Robinson, Harry (1960) "Murzuq" ''The Mediterranean Lands'' University Tutorial Press, London, p. 414 ...

. The city was occupied by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1578 and served as the capital of

Fezzan Fezzan ( , ; ber, ⴼⵣⵣⴰⵏ, Fezzan; ar, فزان, Fizzān; la, Phazania) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ...

off and on until the Ottomans ceded Libya to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in 1912. It was not occupied by the Italians until 1914. To the southeast, Murzuq borders the

Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Region The Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti (BET) was until 2008 one of the then 18 regions of Chad, its capital being Faya-Largeau. It comprised the former Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Prefecture. Most of the region was part of the Sahara desert. In 2008, this region ...

of Chad, and to the southwest it borders the Agadez Department of

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesTumu. Domestically, it borders

Ghat Ghat, a term used in the Indian subcontinent, depending on the context could refer either to a range of stepped hills with valleys (ghati in Hindi), such as the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats; or the series of steps leading down to a body of ...

in the west, Wadi al Hayaa in northwest, west of Sabha, Sabha in northwest, east of Wadi Al Hayaa, Jufra in north and

Kufra Kufra () is a basinBertarelli (1929), p. 514. and oasis group in the Kufra District of southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. At the end of nineteenth century Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in ...

in the east. Per the census of 2012, the total population in the region was 157,747 with 150,353 Libyans. The average size of the household in the country was 6.9, while the average household size of non-Libyans being 3.7. There were totally 22,713 households in the district, with 20,907 Libyan ones. The population density of the district was 1.86 persons per sq. km. Per 2006 census, there were totally 28,642 economically active people in the district.

Geography

Libya has mostly a flat undulating plain and occasional plateau, with an average elevation of around . Around 91 per cent of the land is covered by desert, with only 8.8 per cent agricultural land (with only 1% arable lands) and 0.1 per cent of forests. The major resources are petroleum, gypsum and natural gas. Along the coastal regions, the climate is Mediterranean in coastal areas, while it is desert climate in all other parts. Dust storms lasting four to eight days is pretty common during Spring. Triplotania is the northwest region, while it is Cyrenacia in the east and Fezzen in southwest. Fezzen is mostly full of deserts. The region receives an annual rainfall of . There are no perennial rivers in the region, but the region is abundant with groundwater aquifers.

Demographics

Per the census of 2012, the total population in the region was 157,747 with 150,353 Libyans. The average size of the household in the country was 6.9, while the average household size of non-Libyans being 3.7. There were totally 22,713 households in the district, with 20,907 Libyan ones. The population density of the district was 1.86 persons per sq. km. Per 2006 census, there were totally 28,642 economically active people in the district. There were 15,907 government employees, 2,678 employers, 9,613 first level workers and 001 second level workers. There were 6,726 workers in state administration, 3,351 in agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry, 3,789 in agriculture & hunting, 6,607 in education, 2,303 in private enterprises, 2,231 in health & social work, 1,670 in production, 6,554 in technical work and 480 service workers. The total enrollment in schools was 27,761 and the number of people above secondary stage and less than graduation was 1,710. As per the report from

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

(WHO), there were 1 communicable disease centres, 1 dental clinics, 1 general clinics, 0 in-patient clinics, 2 out-patient clinics, 9 pharmacies, 52 PHC centres, 1 polyclinics, 1 rural clinics and 0 specialized clinics. Islam is the state and major religion of the country.

Local administration

The border between Murzuq and Jufra districts was modified after 2007 administrative reorganization of Libyan Districts. Among the towns in Murzuq district are

Qatrun Qatrun, Al Katrun, Gatrone, or Al Gatrun ( ar, القطرون) is a village in the Murzuq District in southern Libya on the main road to Chad and Niger. It has a filling station (gas station) and a Niger consulate office is located there. When the ...

, Al `Uwaynat (Sardalis), Al Wigh,

, Qawat, and Tajarhi. The border settlement of

Wath Wath may refer to: Places in England * Wath, Cumbria, a U.K. location * Wath (near Ripon), a village in Harrogate district, North Yorkshire * Wath, Ryedale, a village in North Yorkshire * Wath-in-Nidderdale, a village near Pateley Bridge in Har ...

also serves the district. Libya became independent in 1951 from the colonial empire and generally known for its oil rich resources. All the powers rested centrally with the President Gaddafi for 42 years till the 2011 armed rebellion which topple him. As per the constitution, Libya is the most decentralized Arab nation, but practically all powers are vested on central government on account of control over the oil revenues. Local governmental institutions manage the administration of education, industry, and communities. As a part of decentralization in 2012, the country is administratively split into 13 regions from the original 25 municipalities, which were further divided in 1,500 communes. Since 2015, the chief of the state is a Chairman of Presidential Council, while the Prime Minister is the head of the state. The House of Representatives is an elected body that is elected on universal suffrage and popular vote. As of 2016, there were 22 administrative divisions in the country in the form of districts.

References

{{Authority control Districts of Libya +

Geography

Demographics

Local administration

See also

References