Gafsa Governorate

Gafsa
ڨفصة
Map of Tunisia with Gafsa highlighted
Subdivisions of Gafsa Governorate
Coordinates: 34°25′N 8°47′E / 34.417°N 8.783°E / 34.417; 8.783
Country Tunisia
Created1956[1]
CapitalGafsa
Government
 • GovernorSlim Frouja (since 2024) [2]
Area
 • Total
7,807 km2 (3,014 sq mi)
 • RankRanked 5th of 24
Population
 (2019)
 • Total
351,437
 • RankRanked 17th of 24
 • Density45.02/km2 (116.6/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01 (CET)
Postal prefix
xx
ISO 3166 codeTN-71

Gafsa Governorate (Tunisian Arabic: ولاية ڨفصة Wilāyat Gafṣa; French: Gouvernorat de Gafsa) is one of the 24 governorates of Tunisia. It is situated in central Tunisia, bordering Algeria. It covers an area of 7807 km2[1] and has a population of 337,331 (2014 census).[3][4] The capital of the city is Gafsa. The governorate is considered a primarily mining region. Phosphate is the region's main resource, with 47 industrial enterprises located there.

Geography

The governorate is located 355 kilometres (221 mi) from the capital and borders the governorates of Gabès, Sidi Bouzid, Kebili, Tozeur, and Kasserine.

The average temperature is 19.8 °C and annual rainfall is 48.9 millimeters.[1]

Gafsa is a noted irrigated fruit-growing oasis and a major shipping center for phosphates obtained from the salt flats of Chott el Djerid.

Administrative divisions

Administratively, the governorate is divided into eleven delegations (mutamadiyat), eight municipalities, nine rural councils, and 76 sectors (imadas).[1] The delegations and their populations from the 2004 and 2014 censuses,[3] are listed below:

Delegation Population in 2004 Population in 2014
Belkhir 15,159 14,784
El Guetar 19,942 20,137
El Ksar 32,186 36,482
Gafsa Nord 9,407 10,022
Gafsa Sud 90,742 100,148
Mdhilla 14,841 15,306
Metlaoui 38,938 38,634
Oum El Araies 31,733 27,012
Redeyef 27,940 26,976
Sidi Aïch 8,297 10,084
Sned 34,524 36,746

The following eight municipalities are located in Gafsa Governorate:

6111 Gafsa 129,931[5]
6112 El Ksar 23,806
6113 Moularès (Oum El Araies) 31,767
6114 Redeyef 31,421
6115 Métlaoui 44,547
6116 Mdhila 16,883
6117 El Guettar 20,784
6118 Sened 23,633
Belkhir 15,923
Lalla 16,125
Sidi Aïch 12,029
Sidi Boubaker 5,402
Zannouch 16,525
[[Other (if aggregated)] ] N/A

References

  1. ^ a b c d (in French) "tunisieindustrie.nat.tn". Archived from the original on 2014-12-19.
  2. ^ "President of the Republic reshuffles governors". tap.info.tn. 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
  3. ^ a b "2014 Tunisian census data". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18.
  4. ^ (in French) Census 2014 (National Institute of Statistics) Archived 2014-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Gafsa (Governorate, Tunisia) – Population Statistics". City Population. Retrieved 2026-03-06. Based on RGPH 2024 census results from Institut National de la Statistique (INS); municipal boundaries as of 2023.