Cyrenaica province is one of the three traditional

Provinces of Libya The Provinces of Libya were prescribed in 1934, during the last period of colonial Italian Libya, and continued through post-independence Libya until 1963 when the Governorates system was instituted. The three main provinces of the country follo ...

. It was a formal province from 1934 until 1963, when it was subdivided into the

Governorates of Libya The governorates of Libya (''muhafazah'') were a tenfold top-level Subdivisions of Libya, administrative division of Libya from 1963 until 1983. They came into being on 27 April 1963. In 1970, after the 1 September 1969 History of Libya under Mua ...

. Its capital was the city of

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

. Between 1911 and 1934 it had been the separately governed colony of

Italian Cyrenaica Italian Cyrenaica (; ) was an Italian colony, located in present-day eastern Libya, that existed from 1911 to 1934. It was part of the territory conquered from the Ottoman Empire during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911, alongside Italian Tripolitan ...

. In 1963 the province was split into: *

Bayda Governorate Bayda Governorate (Bayda Governorate, ) was one of the Governorates of Libya, governorates (muhafazah) of Libya from 1963 to 1969. Its capital was Bayda, Libya, Bayda.Other important towns in the governorate were Marj, Libya, Marj, Al Qubah, Shah ...

* Benghazi Governorate * Darnah Governorate

Self-declared federalism

Although a historical region, Cyrenaica has not had an official central government of its own for decades. Its individual provinces have reported directly to the central government in Tripoli. On 20 July 2011, The First National Conference for Federalism offered proposals for ways to quickly achieve stability in the country after the fall of the Gaddafi government. Dr. Abubakr Mustafa Buera, head of the preparatory committee, was then elected first president for the National Federal Block, the first political group to call for federalism. On 6 March 2012 Ahmed al-Senussi, a relative of King Idris, was appointed leader of the self-declared Cyrenaica Transitional Council, a meeting of tribal and military leaders. According to the council, Cyrenaica extended from the central coastal city of

Sirte Sirte (; , ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, almost right in the middle between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups and loyal ...

to the Egyptian border. In October 2013, "transitional" was dropped, and the council was renamed as "Council of Cyrenaica in Libya" (CCL). According to CCL, there would be further announcements relating to the organization of a local parliament and a Shura Council. Struggle for a federal system, to take place purely through legal means, was also emphasized. On 2 November 2012, talks on the federal approach were on the verge of collapse after serious conflicts between the self-declared Cyrenaica Transitional Council (led by Ahmed al-Senussi) and the

National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council (NTC) was a transitional government established in the 2011 Libyan civil war. After rebel forces overthrew the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya of Muammar Gaddafi in August 2011, the NTC governed Libya for a further ...

; however, a new initiative by pro-Cyrenaican youth leaders resurrected the movement with a successful rally. Muheddine Mansury, Osama Buera and Salem Bujazia, the founders of the Movement for Federal Libya, organized numerous rallies and campaigns, in addition to distributing thousands of flags to remind the Cyrenaican people of their identity's symbol. In a competing event, Abd-Rabbo al-Barassi was appointed head of the "Government of Cyrenaica" on 6 November 2013, supported by a local military leader,

Ibrahim Jathran Ibrahim Jadran (; born 1981) is a self imposed Libyan militia leader from Ajdabiya in eastern Libya. Born 1981 in Ajdabiya as the son of Sayyid Jidran, Ibrahim was arrested in February 2005 for organizing an armed group to oust Muammar al-Qaddafi. ...

, who was also acting without the consent of the central government. Based on the appointed posts at the PBC, the government of al-Barassi planned to cover all functions except for foreign affairs and defense. On 11 November 2013, PBC announced formation of its own oil company, further straining relations with the Tripoli government. The CCL stated that it had attempted to present a united front with Jadhran, but that he had proved inflexible and intent on pursuing his own agenda.Jadhran swears in his new Cyrenaican “cabinet”
Retrieved 2013-11-19.

Population

Cyrenaica's population growth over the years has been consistent with overall growth in Libya's population.

Cities and towns of Cyrenaica

* Bayda *

Tobruk Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

* Derna *

Ajdabiya Ajdabiya ( ; ) is a town in and capital of the Al Wahat District in northeastern Libya. It is some south of Benghazi. From 2001 to 2007 it was part of and capital of the Ajdabiya District. The town is divided into three Basic People's Congres ...

* Marj *

Shahhat Shahhat or Shahat (, ) is a town in the Jabal al Akhdar, District of Jabal al Akhdar in northeastern Libya on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. It is located east of Bayda, Libya, Bayda. History The ancient and medieval city of Cyren ...

* Jalu

Notes

Citations

{{Regions of Libya Provinces of Libya