Sabha, Libya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sabha
سبها
Sabhā
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Sebha Bank from Kazem hotel (2010)
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 Sabha, Libya
Location in Libya
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| Country |  Libya |
| Region | Fezzan |
| District | Sabha |
| Elevation | 420 m (1,380 ft) |
| Population
(2012)
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| • Total | 99,028 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| License Plate Code | 1 |
Sabha (also spelled Sebha) is a city in southwestern Libya. It is like an oasis in the desert, located about 640 kilometers (400 miles) south of Tripoli. Historically, Sabha was the main city of the Fezzan region. Today, it is the capital of the Sabha District.
The city is home to Sabha Air Base, which has Libyan Air Force planes. A former leader of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, grew up and went to school in Sabha. He also started his political activities here. After the Libyan Civil War, there were some reports about illegal activities in Sabha. However, investigations by the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) found that these reports were often exaggerated. The city's control has changed between different groups, including the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Government of National Accord (GNA).
Contents
History of Sabha
In the past, Sabha was a very important place for trade routes across the desert. Many caravans carrying goods would pass through here.
Rocket Testing Site
The Sabha Oasis was also used as a test site for OTRAG rockets. These rockets were launched here after another test site in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) could no longer be used. On March 1, 1981, an OTRAG rocket was launched, reaching a height of 50 kilometers (31 miles). From 1984 to 1991, Sabha was also a secret test site for the Soviet Space program.
Nuclear Program and Civil War
In 2004, a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency mentioned that the Sabha base might have been connected to Libya's nuclear research program. However, when Anti-Gaddafi forces took control of Sabha in September 2011 during the Fezzan campaign, they found no signs of a nuclear weapons program.
Recent Events and Reports
In April 2017, the BBC reported about a market in Sabha where African migrants were being illegally sold. However, the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) later stated that these media reports were often exaggerated. They found that while illegal sales did happen, they were rare and not public events.
In January 2019, forces loyal to Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Khalifa Haftar took control of Sabha. By the end of that month, it was announced that Haftar's forces had captured the city. However, by May 2020, some local politicians and activists switched their support to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA). As of December 2021, the city is under the control of local governments that support the GNA.
Climate and Weather
| Weather chart for Sabha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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7
19
5
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0
22
7
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10
26
11
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7
32
16
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1
36
20
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0
39
24
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0
38
23
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0
38
23
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0
36
21
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0
31
17
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1
25
11
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1
20
6
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| temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm |
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Imperial conversion
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Sabha has a hot desert climate. This means it gets very hot! Summers often see temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Winters are mild, but the temperature can change a lot between day and night. There is very little rain throughout the year, and the air is not very humid. Sabha enjoys a lot of sunshine all year round.
| Climate data for Sabha (1962–1990) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 18.9 (66.0) |
22.0 (71.6) |
26.1 (79.0) |
31.8 (89.2) |
35.7 (96.3) |
39.2 (102.6) |
38.3 (100.9) |
37.8 (100.0) |
35.9 (96.6) |
31.3 (88.3) |
24.9 (76.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
30.2 (86.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
14.4 (57.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
23.9 (75.0) |
27.9 (82.2) |
31.4 (88.5) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.4 (86.7) |
28.6 (83.5) |
24.1 (75.4) |
17.8 (64.0) |
12.9 (55.2) |
22.7 (72.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) |
6.8 (44.2) |
10.6 (51.1) |
15.9 (60.6) |
20.1 (68.2) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
22.9 (73.2) |
21.3 (70.3) |
16.9 (62.4) |
10.7 (51.3) |
5.7 (42.3) |
15.2 (59.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 1.1 (0.04) |
0.8 (0.03) |
0.5 (0.02) |
0.5 (0.02) |
0.3 (0.01) |
0.5 (0.02) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.4 (0.02) |
2.1 (0.08) |
0.9 (0.04) |
1.1 (0.04) |
8.2 (0.32) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.9 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 42 | 37 | 31 | 22 | 27 | 27 | 32 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 38 | 40 | 32 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 260 | 252 | 269 | 275 | 304 | 341 | 375 | 361 | 295 | 284 | 258 | 252 | 3,526 |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity and sun 1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
Important Landmarks
Sabha is known for the Fort Elena castle. This castle is even shown on the back of the ten dinars banknote in Libya! Fort Elena used to be called Fortezza Margherita. It was built when Italy controlled this area. Today, this old Italian fort is used by the military.
The city is also home to Sabha University. This university does a lot of research and field studies in the desert. You can also see many irrigation canals around Sabha. These canals bring fresh water to help grow crops in the area.
Transportation
Sabha has its own airport, called Sabha Airport. This airport was made bigger in the late 1970s. There are also plans to build a long railway, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) long. This railway would connect Sabha to the port of Misrata. It would mainly be used to transport iron ore.
Images for kids
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Sebha Bank from Kazem hotel (2010)
See also
In Spanish: Sabha para niños
