Zaltan or Zelten () is a town in the
district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
of
Nuqat al Khams
Nuqat al Khams ( ''Nuqāṭ al Ḫams'' ) is one of the districts of Libya. It is in the northwest of the country, in what had been the historical region of Tripolitania. Its capital is Zuwara. Nuqat al Khams has a northern shoreline on the Medi ...
of northwestern
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
. The town, which has a population of around 17,700 (2009),
''World Gazetteer'' is on the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
coast. It is located around west of
Tripoli
Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to:
Places Greece
*Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...
.
History
The town has been in existence at least since Roman times. Archaeological excavations have uncovered parts of the old town as well as Roman olive presses.
Economy
The surrounding area is used primarily in dryland farming with barley, wheat, olives, dates, citrus fruits, figs, and grapes grown for export. There is a secondary trade in livestock, primarily sheep, goats and camels, brought in from outlying communities. Salt has been collected in pans since Roman times. Zaltan's proximity to the
Tunisian border has made Zaltan a regional center for trade. Olive and
palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...
are produced locally.
Culture
There is a small museum in Zaltan displaying some of the local archaeological finds. An annual poetry festival is also held in the town.
See also
*
List of cities in Libya
This is a list of the 100 largest populated places in Libya. Some places in the list could be considered suburbs or neighborhoods of some large cities in the list, so this list is not definitive.
''Source:Amraja M. el Khajkhaj, "Noumou ...
Notes
External links
"Zaltan Map – Satellite Images of Zaltan" Maplandia
{{Authority control
Populated places in Nuqat al Khams District
Baladiyat of Libya
fr:Zenten