Métouia ( '), also spelled El Méthouia, is a town and commune in the

Gabès Governorate Gabès Governorate ( '; ) is one of the 24 governorates of Tunisia and in south-eastern Tunisia. It covers an area of 7166 km2 and had a population of 374,300 as at the 2014 census. The capital is Gabès. Geography The governorate of Gabès ...

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

. As of 2004 it had a population of 9,946.Recensement de 2004 (Institut national de la statistique)
In summer, it increases to nearly 50 000 inhabitants due to the return of summer residents living abroad. Administratively, it has a municipality seat of 9,946 inhabitants and a delegation attached to the governorate of

Gabès Gabès (, ; ), also spelled Cabès, Cabes, and Kabes, is the capital of the Gabès Governorate in Tunisia. Situated on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès, the city has a population of 167,863, making it the 6th largest city in Tunisia. Located 327 ...

History

Roman remains in Metouia witness Roman presence in ancient time. A large water resource have gathered settling tribes over the centuries in Metouia. According to the work of

Victor Guérin Victor Guérin (; 15 September 1821 – 21 September 1890) was a French people, French intellectual, explorer and amateur archaeologist. He published books describing the geography, archeology and history of the areas he explored, which included ...

, “Archaeological Travel in the Regence of Tunis” (1862) account 500 inhabitants in Métouia in 1862, describing the town as follows: "They grow very fertile gardens, divided by small separation of clay walls and watered by numerous rivulets. The tree that dominates is the palm tree. This set of gardens and the forest is an oasis of date palms larger than the previous one (

Oudhref Oudhref ( ') is a town and commune in the Gabès Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 9,058.

) ".

Geography

Located 12 kilometres from Gabès, Métouia has a wide areas of palm trees (about 270 hectares) and a coastline of 10 kilometres from its centre. Fisheries is diverse (essentially Grooved carpet shell,« Diagnostic initial des sites de pêche artisanale du Maroc et de Tunisie », ''CopeMed II – ArtFiMed Technical Documents'', nº4, Malaga, 2009
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octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

and various species of fish), contributing to the high productivity of the

Gulf of Gabès The Gulf of Gabes (or Cabès, Cabes, Gaps; ), also known as Lesser Syrtis (from ; ), contrasting with the Greater Syrtis in Libya, is a gulf on Tunisia's east coast in the Mediterranean Sea, off North Africa. The gulf roughly spans the coast from ...

. The main highway connecting the city is National Highway 1 (RN1).

Economy

Its economy is based mainly on farming of oasis, select industrial activities (industrial Métouia zone El-Aouinet), and tourism.

Sport

It features two teams of soccer: The Métouian Sport Union, and The Métouian Athletic Youth based in Tunis.

Notable residents

Änis Ben-Hatira Änis Ben-Hatira (born 18 July 1988) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for German Regionalliga club Hertha BSC II. Between 2012 and 2016 he made 12 appearances for the Tunisia national team scoring one ...

, footballer. *

Amor Ben Salem Amor Ben Salem () is a Tunisian people, Tunisian Arabic writer. Biography Amor Ben Salem was born in the village of Métouia in the southeastern province of Gabes in Tunisia where he attended his primary education and secondary education in G ...

, story writer, novelist, historian of modern and contemporary Tunisian literature. *

Oussama Romdhani Oussama Romdhani is the former Tunisian communications minister. Biography Oussama Romdhani was born on December 15, 1956, in Metouia, Tunisia. He received a PhD in American Studies from Tunis University and was a Fulbright scholar at Georgetown ...

, former Tunisian Communications Minister

Twin towns – sister cities

Métouia is twinned with: *

Gausson Gausson (; ; Gallo: ''Gauczon'') is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Gausson are called ''gaussonnais'' in French. See also *Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor departmen ...

, since 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Metouia Populated places in Gabès Governorate Communes of Tunisia