The Baladiyah (singular), or baladiyat (plural), is the intended second-level administration subdivision of Libya being reintroduced in 2012 by the General National Congress with Law 59 on the system of local administration, dividing the country into governorates (muhafazat) and districts (baladiyat), with baladiyah having local councils. As the proposed governorates have not been created, the 22 districts continue to serve as the primary administrative divisions of Libya.

Baladiyah is an Arabic word used in many Arab countries to denote administrative divisions of a country.

History

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Baladiyat were first introduced in Libya in 1983 to replace the governorate system. The ten existing governorates were replaced with forty-six baladiyat,[1] but in 1988 that number was reduced to twenty-five baladiyat. In 1995 they were replaced by shabiyat. For Libya, the baladiyat are usually known in English as "districts" and sometimes as "municipalities", but the municipal level under the baladiyat and subsequent shabiyat systems was the Basic People's Congress. After the fall of Gaddafi and the transfer of government from the interim National Transitional Council to the elected General National Congress, the previous shabiyat and Basic People's Congress system was deemed inappropriate, and a revised system was authorized with governorates (muhafazat) as the primary division and districts (baladiyat) as their subdivision, with baladiyat having local councils.[2][3] This was implemented in part by the Council of Ministers with resolution No. 180 in July 2013, creating the baladiyah.[4] There were originally ninety-nine baladiyat listed for Libya,[5] but by March 2015 that number had grown to 108.[6] The first-level administration subdivisions, the governorates (muhafazat), have yet to be created[7] due to a vested interest in maintaining decentralized governance, and the continuing civil war.[8]

 
The baladyat of libya map

1988

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Map showing subdivision of former governorates into the 25 baladiya

The table hereunder lists the old twenty-five baladiyat in alphabetical order with a link to each one and numbered to be located on the map. Note that each district linked may be both a baladiyah and a shabiyah. The many changes may not always be reflected in the linked article.

Number Name Region
1 Ajdabiya Cyrenaica
2 ‘Aziziya Tripolitania
3 Butnan Cyrenaica
4 Fati Cyrenaica
5 Jabal al Akhdar Cyrenaica
6 Jufra Fezzan
7 Khoms Tripolitania
8 Kufra Cyrenaica
9 Nuqat al Khams Tripolitania
10 Wadi al Shatii Fezzan
11 Ubari Fezzan
12 Zawiya Tripolitania
13 Benghazi Cyrenaica
14 Derna Cyrenaica
15 Ghadames Tripolitania
16 Gharyan Tripolitania
17 Misrata Tripolitania
18 Murzuq Fezzan
19 Sabha Fezzan
20 Sawfajjin Tripolitania
21 Sirte Tripolitania
22 Tripoli Tripolitania
23 Tarhuna Tripolitania
24 Yafran Tripolitania
25 Zlitan Tripolitania

2013

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Below is a list of the 99 baladiyat in Libya as created July 2013.[5]

Number Name District Region
1 Tobruk Butnan (Capital) Cyrenaica
2 Musaid Butnan Cyrenaica
3 Jaghbub Butnan Cyrenaica
4 Derna Derna (Capital) Cyrenaica
5 Al Qubah Qubah (Capital) Cyrenaica
6 Abraq Derna Cyrenaica
7 Bayda Jebel Akhdar (Capital) Cyrenaica
8 Cyrene Jebel Akhdar Cyrenaica
9 Sahel El-Jebel Jebel Akhdar Cyrenaica
10 Umm al Rizam Derna Cyrenaica
11 Marj Marj (Capital) Cyrenaica
12 Jardas al ‘Abid Marj Cyrenaica
13 Tocra Marj Cyrenaica
14 Abyar Marj Cyrenaica
15 Qaminis Benghazi Cyrenaica
16 Suluq Benghazi Cyrenaica
17 Benghazi Benghazi (Capital) Cyrenaica (Historical Capital)
18 Ajdabiya Al Wahat (Capital) Cyrenaica
19 Brega Al Wahat Cyrenaica
20 Kufra Kufra (Capital) Cyrenaica
21 Tazirbu Kufra Cyrenaica
22 Awjila Al Wahat Cyrenaica
23 Jikharra Al Wahat Cyrenaica
24 Jalu Al Wahat Cyrenaica
25 Marada Al Wahat Cyrenaica
26 Gulf of Sidra Sirte Tripolitania
27 Sirte Sirte (Capital) Tripolitania
28 Zamzam Sirte Tripolitania
29 Hun Jufra (Capital) Fezzan
30 Shatii Shargi Wadi Shatii Fezzan
31 Shatii Garbi Wadi Shatii Fezzan
32 Sebha Sebha (Capital) Fezzan (Historical Capital)
33 Murzuk Murzuk (Capital) Fezzan
34 Eshargia Murzuk Fezzan
35 Wadi Utba Wadi Shatii Fezzan
36 Traghan Murzuk Fezzan
37 Ubari Wadi al Hayaa District (Capital) Fezzan
38 Ghat Ghat (Capital) Fezzan
39 Bent Bayeh Wadi al Hayaa District Fezzan
40 Misurata Misurata (Capital) Tripolitania
41 Zliten Murqub Tripolitania
42 Al Khums Murqub (Capital) Tripolitania
43 Essahl Murqub Tripolitania
44 Qasr Khiar Murqub Tripolitania
45 Msallata Murqub Tripolitania
46 Tarhuna Murqub Tripolitania
47 Bani Walid Misurata Tripolitania
48 Castelverde Tripoli Tripolitania
49 Tajura Tripoli Tripolitania
50 Tripoli (Capital of Libya) Tripoli (Capital) Tripolitania (Historical Capital)
51 Suani Tripoli Tripolitania
52 Qasr bin Ghashir Tripoli Tripolitania
53 Janzur Tripoli Tripolitania
54 Andalus Tripoli Tripolitania
55 Wadi Rabie Tripoli Tripolitania
56 Abu Saleem Tripoli Tripolitania
57 Sbaiea Tripoli Tripolitania
58 Sidi Saeh Tripoli Tripolitania
59 Souq Elkhamis Murqub Tripolitania
60 Souq al Jum'aa Tripoli Tripolitania
61 ‘Aziziya Jafara (Capital) Tripolitania
62 Zahra Jafara Tripolitania
63 Zawiya Zawiya (Capital) Tripolitania
64 Western Zawiya Zawiya Tripolitania
65 Al Maya Zawiya Tripolitania
66 Zuwarah Nuqat al Khams Tripolitania
67 Sabratha Zawiya Tripolitania
68 Sorman Zawiya Tripolitania
69 Jumayl Nuqat al Khams (Capital) Tripolitania
70 Zaltan Nuqat al Khams Tripolitania
71 Ajaylat Nuqat al Khams Tripolitania
72 Reqdalin Nuqat al Khams Tripolitania
73 Baten Eljabel Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
74 Gharyan Nafusa Mountains (Capital) Tripolitania
75 Yafran Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
76 Kikla Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
77 Sorman Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
78 Jadu Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
79 Rhibat Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
80 Ryaina Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
81 Asbi'a Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
82 Rijban Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
83 Zintan Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
84 Dahr Eljabal Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
85 Haraba Nafusa Mountains Tripolitania
86 Nalut Nalut (Capital) Tripolitania
87 Wazzin Nalut Tripolitania
88 El Houamed Nalut Tripolitania
89 Kabaw Nalut Tripolitania
90 Nesma Nalut Tripolitania
91 Eshgiga Murqub Tripolitania
92 Ghadames Nalut Tripolitania
93 Qayqab Derna Cyrenaica
94 Bi'r al Ashhab Butnan Cyrenaica
95 Qatrun Murzuk Fezzan
96 Tawergha Misurata Tripolitania
97 Alghoraifa Wadi al Ajal Fezzan
98 Dawon Murqub Tripolitania
99 Elgurda Wadi Shatii Fezzan

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Districts of Libya". Statoids.com. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  2. ^ "للقانون رقم 59 لسنة 2012 ميلادية بشأن نظام الإدارة المحلية" [Law No. 59 for the year 2012 AD on the local administration system] (PDF) (in Arabic). اللجنة المركزية لانتخاب المجالس البلدية [The Central Committee for the election of baladiyah councils]. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  3. ^ Bader, Mahmoud (April 2014). "Is Local Government in Libya the Solution?". Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). Archived from the original on 17 July 2014.
  4. ^ "قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم 180 لسنة 2013 ميلادي بإنشاء البلديات" [Council of Ministers resolution No. 180 for the year 2013 AD the establishment of baladiyat] (PDF) (in Arabic). اللجنة المركزية لانتخاب المجالس البلدية [The Central Committee for the election of baladiyah councils]. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  5. ^ a b "الكشف المرفق بقرار مجلس الوزراء رقم 180 لسنة 2013 ميلادي بإنشاء البلديات" [Appendix Council of Ministers resolution No. 180 for the year 2013 AD the establishment of baladiyat] (PDF) (in Arabic). اللجنة المركزية لانتخاب المجالس البلدية [The Central Committee for the election of baladiyah councils]. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  6. ^ "اسماء البلديات" [The names of the baladiyat] (in Arabic). اللجنة المركزية لانتخاب المجالس البلدية [The Central Committee for the election of baladiyah councils]. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  7. ^ Shanks, Tracy and Chemonics International Inc. (3 July 2014). "Libya Public Financial Management System Reform" (PDF). Asia Middle East Economic Growth Best Practices Project (AMEG). pp. 5–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 24, 2015.
  8. ^ Vandewalle, Dirk (2015). "Libya's Uncertain Revolution". In Cole, Peter; McQuin, Brian (eds.). The Libyan Revolution and its Aftermath. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-19-025733-0.