Latakia Governorate
al-Lāḏikiyya / اللاذقية Latakia
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The location of the province in Syria | |
Basic data | |
Country | Syria |
Capital | Latakia |
surface | 2297 km² |
Residents | 1,170,000 (2005) |
density | 509 inhabitants per km² |
ISO 3166-2 | SY-LA |
Coordinates: 35 ° 35 ' N , 36 ° 1' E
Latakia ( Arabic اللاذقية, DMG Muḥāfaẓat al-Lāḏiqiyya , in the dialect Muḥāfaẓit il-Lāzʾiyye ) is a Syrian governorate with the capital of the same name, Latakia . It has an area of 2297 km² and an estimated population of 1.17 million inhabitants (2005).
The population is made up of Arabs and Arameans , half of whom are Christian and half are Muslim . There are also Syrian Turkmens in the north . Unlike in other parts of the country, Sunnis form only a small religious minority, the majority of Muslims are Shiite Alawis . The governorate is located in the west of the country on the border with Turkey and the Mediterranean . The port of Latakia is the main trading port in Syria. The northern part of the governorate forms one of the focal points of the Turkmen and is called Bayırbucak and includes the Jabal Turkmen .
Latakia is important for the parties to the conflict in the Syrian civil war , as many Alawis live here, including President Bashar al-Assad . On the other hand, rebels and other groups can use the nearby Turkish border as a retreat. In addition to the Russian naval base in Tartus in the Tartus Governorate to the south , the Russian army set up another military base in Latakia in 2015 to support the Syrian army .
Districts
The governorate is divided into four districts (Mintaqah):
District | Places (main place in bold) |
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Al-Haffa district | Ain al-Tineh, al-Haffa , Kinsabba, Muzayraʿa / Mazira, Slinfah |
Jabla District | Ain al-Sharqiyya, Ain Schiqaq, Beit Yashut, Daliya, Jabla , al-Qutailibiyya |
Latakia District | Ain al-Bayda, al-Bahluliyya, al-Bassah, Hanadi, Kasab , Latakia , Qastal Maʿaf, Rabiʿa |
Qardaha District | al-Fachurah, Harf al-Musaytira, Jawbat Burghal, Qardaha |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ These are the tanks Russia is setting up in Syria. Business Insider, September 15, 2015