Zawiya District

Zawiya (الزاوية)
District
Sabratha ruins
Country	Libya
Capital	Zawiya
Area	2,890 km2 (1,116 sq mi)
Population	290,993 (2006)
Density	101/km2 (262/sq mi)
Map of Libya with Zawiya district highlighted

Zawiya (Arabic: مدينة الزاوية‎‎ Az Zāwiya) is one of the districts of Libya. It is located in the north western part of the country, in what had been the historical region of Tripolitania. Its capital is also named Zawiya. Since the 2007 reorganization of Libyan districts, the former district of Sabratha Wa Surman has been part of Zawiya District. In the north, Zawiya has a shoreline bordering the Mediterranean Sea, while it borders Tripoli in east, Jafara in southeast, Jabal al Gharbi in south, Nuqat al Khams in the west.

Per the census of 2012, the total population in the region was 157,747. The average size of the household in the country was 6.9. 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.

In the north, Zawiya has a shoreline bordering the Mediterranean Sea. On land, it borders the following districts, namely, Tripoli in east, Jafara in southeast, Jabal al Gharbi in south, Nuqat al Khams in the west. Zawiya is a part of Triplotania geographical region of Libya that runs from north to south and has set of coastal oases, plains and limestone plateaus having an elevation of 2,000 ft (610 m) to 3,000 ft (910 m). The region receives an annual rainfall of 16 in (410 mm). There are no perennial rivers in the region, but the region is abundant with groundwater aquifers. Most of the major cities of Libya are located in the coastal regions. Libya has mostly a flat undulating plain and occasional plateau, with an average elevation of around 423 m (1,388 ft). 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.