Sfax

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sfax
صفاقس
Pedestrian zone and town hall in Sfax
Pedestrian zone and town hall in Sfax
administration
Country TunisiaTunisia Tunisia
Governorate Sfax
mayor Fethi Derbel
Post Code 3000
Demographics
population 265,131 pop ( 2004 )
geography
Sfax (Tunisia)
Sfax
Sfax
Coordinates 34 ° 44 ′  N , 10 ° 45 ′  E Coordinates: 34 ° 44 ′  N , 10 ° 45 ′  E

Sfax ( Arabic صفاقس, DMG Ṣafāqus , Zentralatlas-Tamazight ⵙⵉⴼⴰⴽⵙ Sifaks ) is a port and industrial city in Tunisia and the capital of the governorate of the same name . It is located on the Mediterranean Sea , around 270 km south of Tunis and is now the second largest city in the country with around 270,000 inhabitants. It is best known as an economic center.

history

Ancient Taparura was built by the Romans about 3 km from today's city of Sfax, but very few remains have survived. When the Aghlabids built the Muslim city ​​in the 9th century, Taparura served as a quarry . The Thaenae , raised to Colonia under Hadrian , was 12 km further south.

The city quickly gained economic importance as an important exporter of olive oil and dried fish. From 1148 on it was occupied by the Norman King of Sicily, Roger II , who was driven out in 1159 by the Almohads under Abd al-Mu'min .

With the establishment of the French protectorate in 1881, Sfax suffered severe damage in the course of the conquest by French troops, whose occupation the city refused. In World War II, it also came to damage than 1942/1943 here as part of the battle for Tunisia to fighting between the Axis powers against the Allies came.

Economy and Infrastructure

economy

The economy in the Sfax region was originally based on olive oil production and fishing. Sfax has seen a clear boom since the production of phosphate in the 1960s. Increase in the number of manufacturing businesses, the rapid growth of the service sector and the diversification of agriculture.

  • Agriculture: The region of Sfax is known for olive and almond trees. The region has approximately 6.1 million olive trees and 5 million almond trees. 40% of Tunisian olive oil and 30% of almonds are produced in Sfax. Vegetable growing and fruit growing are less common. The livestock is also an important economic sector in the region. About 50% of the poultry production in Tunisia comes from Sfax. Sfax is also the first milk producer in Tunisia. In the fishing industry, Sfax ensures 25% of national production and 70% of exports with an annual production of 25,000 t.
  • Industry: With 2,300 businesses and 16 business parks, Sfax is the second industrial center in Tunisia after the greater Tunis area. Most of the trades are in the food production, construction, chemical (mainly phosphate), textile, mechanical engineering and energy sectors. In the latter area in particular, Sfax produces around 1.2 million tons of crude oil and 1.7 billion m³ of gas annually.
  • Service sector: Around 100,000 people are employed in this sector. The retail sector in particular plays an important role. Sfax has become a commercial metropolis because of the kindness of its merchants and the increasing business dealings with Libya .

traffic

Diesel locomotive in Sfax station
  • Car traffic: In Sfax, the major roads all lead to the city center by the sea. Several rings around the city help to relieve car traffic. This gives the city the structure of a spider's web. At the national level, Sfax is connected to the other regions of the country by the GP1, GP13, GP14 highways as well as other roads. Sfax is on the road network of the Trans-African Highway , but the highway is still being expanded in Tunisia.
  • Public transport : Several bus routes provide local public transport between the city center and the suburbs as well as between the suburbs. Taxi is also an important means of transport.
  • Rail transport: The Sfax SNCFT station is on the Tunis-Sfax, Tunis- Gabès and Tunis- Gafsa - Tozeur rail lines , for which Tunis-Sfax is the main axis.
  • Air transport: Sfax-Thyna international airport is 7 km from the city center . The airport is used for domestic flights as well as for flights to Libya , France and, during the Hajj season, also to Saudi Arabia .
  • Shipping: The port of Sfax is the second largest in the country after La Goulette . It extends over the entire coast in the city center. Around 1,300 ships arrive there every year. The port is mainly used for the transport of industrial and commercial goods. Nevertheless, part of the port is set up for ferry traffic between Sfax and the Kerkenna Islands , 20 km away .

Culture and sport

Maison de France

Part of the novel Les Choses (The Things) by Georges Perec is set in Sfax in the 1960s. This is where the two protagonists of the novel, Sylvie and Jérôme, flee.

Museums

  • Archaeological Museum: has a collection of mosaics, pottery and coins from the Roman era found in the area's archaeological sites.
  • “Dar Jellouli”: Museum of traditional art, housed in a luxury house built in the 17th century in the medina of Sfax. In addition to traditional clothes, there are also wooden artworks and common household tools on display, illustrating the lifestyle of Sfax people over the centuries.
  • “La Kasbah”: Museum of traditional architecture.

Sports

40 sports clubs are registered in Sfax, in which around 7200 athletes are active. The most popular sports are soccer , volleyball , basketball , handball , tennis , athletics , weightlifting , swimming , judo and boxing . The most famous sports clubs in the city are:

Sfax hosted the 2004 African Cup of Nations and the 2005 Men's Handball World Cup .

Town twinning

Sfax are sister cities

  • SenegalSenegal Dakar (Senegal), since 1965
  • GermanyGermany Marburg (Germany), since 1971
  • MoroccoMorocco Casablanca (Morocco), since 1981
  • FranceFrance Grenoble (France), since 1998
  • AlgeriaAlgeria Oran (Algeria), since 1989
  • RussiaRussia Makhachkala (Russia), since 1990

There are cooperation agreements with

sons and daughters of the town

Climate table

Sfax
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.
 
 
23
 
17th
6th
 
 
19th
 
18th
7th
 
 
23
 
20th
8th
 
 
18th
 
22nd
11
 
 
9
 
25th
14th
 
 
4th
 
29
18th
 
 
2
 
32
20th
 
 
6th
 
32
21st
 
 
24
 
30th
20th
 
 
56
 
26th
16
 
 
23
 
21st
11
 
 
29
 
18th
7th
Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm
Source: wetterkontor.de
Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Sfax
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 16.7 18.0 19.5 21.8 25.4 28.9 32.0 32.2 29.8 26.0 21.4 17.6 O 24.1
Min. Temperature (° C) 5.8 6.5 8.4 11.0 14.4 17.8 19.9 21.1 19.8 16.1 10.6 6.7 O 13.2
Precipitation ( mm ) 23 19th 23 18th 9 4th 2 6th 24 56 23 29 Σ 236
Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 6.4 7.2 7.7 8.6 10.0 11.1 12.2 11.2 9.1 7.8 7.0 6.3 O 8.7
Rainy days ( d ) 3 3 4th 3 3 1 0 1 3 4th 4th 3 Σ 32
Water temperature (° C) 15th 14th 15th 17th 19th 20th 24 26th 26th 24 20th 16 O 19.7
Humidity ( % ) 65 63 63 63 62 60 59 63 65 66 65 66 O 63.3
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
16.7
5.8
18.0
6.5
19.5
8.4
21.8
11.0
25.4
14.4
28.9
17.8
32.0
19.9
32.2
21.1
29.8
19.8
26.0
16.1
21.4
10.6
17.6
6.7
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g 		23
19th
23
18th
9
4th
2
6th
24
56
23
29
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Source: wetterkontor.de

Web links

Commons : Sfax  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Institut National de la Statistique - Tunisie: Résultats du Recensement 2004 ( Memento of the original of September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (French) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ins.nat.tn
  2. ^ Municipality of Sfax - Coopération internationale> Relations de Jumelage et d'amitié , accessed on March 25, 2018