Kebili

Kebili (Arabic: ڨبلي‎ Gbillī) is a town in the south of Tunisia and one of the main cities in the Nefzaoua region. It is located south of Tunisia. It is the capital of the Kebili Governorate.

Kebili

ڨبلي
Entrance of the Kebili town
Kebili
Coordinates: 33°42′18″N 08°57′54″E
CountryTunisia
GovernoratesKebili
Population
 (2014)
 • Total28,081
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

History

Kebili is one of the oldest oases in Tunisia and North Africa. It holds the earliest hard evidence of human habitation in Tunisia (found near the town) and dates back about 200,000 years.[1] Kebili, along with many other Tunisian cities, became part of the Roman Empire after the Punic Wars.

Demographics

Kebili's population is more diverse compared to other Tunisian governorates. The population traces its roots to three main groups:

Language and religion

While Arabic is the dominant language in the region, several differences set it apart from the Tunisian Arabic spoken elsewhere in the country. Most notably, the letter qāf ق is pronounced as a [g] rather than the guttural [q]. Additionally, some villages use the feminine plural pronouns antunna أنتن (plural you) and hunna هن (they). These pronouns are very rare throughout the Arab world and are usually replaced by their masculine counterparts antum أنتم and hum هم. Bedouin vocabulary and expressions have declined in usage among the new generations.

Islam is the dominant religion. Kebili, as many other Tunisian towns, holds a great number of Soofiat Maqams (Saleheen).

Economy

The economy of Kebili has seen diverse orientations throughout its history. Kebili was one of the main hubs of the African slavery trade to satisfy European needs. Slaves were taken to Europe through the port of Gabès. Nowadays, Kebili relies heavily on agriculture and tourism.

Agriculture
Kebili village.

The main agricultural product in the region are dates or "deglets". Kebili produces a very high quality date, exported all around the world and contributing significantly to the local and national economy.

Tourism

Since national independence, the government of Tunisia has encouraged tourism projects and resorts in the Saharan region. Of these Douz, south of Kebili, is the most famous Saharian destination of Tunisia (known as the Sahara Gate).

Climate

Temperature records have been kept here from 1901–1939, 1949–1953, and 2000–2012. The French colonial authorities of the Service météorologique de Tunis maintained the older records. A portion of the original data logs for this early period is in the NCDC archives and at the POR of 1907 to 1932. Like Azizia, Kebili is subject to the foehn-like wind phenomena known as a Ghibili.

Climate data for Kebili (1981–2010, extremes 1988–2017)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 26.5
(79.7)		 34.3
(93.7)		 38.2
(100.8)		 40.1
(104.2)		 45.5
(113.9)		 47.7
(117.9)		 48.8
(119.8)		 47.6
(117.7)		 45.8
(114.4)		 41.2
(106.2)		 35.7
(96.3)		 28.9
(84.0)		 48.8
(119.8)
Average high °C (°F) 17.1
(62.8)		 19.5
(67.1)		 23.3
(73.9)		 26.9
(80.4)		 31.8
(89.2)		 36.3
(97.3)		 39.2
(102.6)		 39.2
(102.6)		 34.9
(94.8)		 30.0
(86.0)		 23.0
(73.4)		 17.9
(64.2)		 28.3
(82.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 10.5
(50.9)		 12.5
(54.5)		 16.3
(61.3)		 19.9
(67.8)		 24.5
(76.1)		 28.6
(83.5)		 31.2
(88.2)		 31.5
(88.7)		 28.0
(82.4)		 23.2
(73.8)		 16.2
(61.2)		 11.3
(52.3)		 21.1
(70.1)
Average low °C (°F) 4.6
(40.3)		 5.9
(42.6)		 9.8
(49.6)		 13.4
(56.1)		 17.7
(63.9)		 21.6
(70.9)		 23.9
(75.0)		 24.7
(76.5)		 22.0
(71.6)		 17.2
(63.0)		 10.0
(50.0)		 5.3
(41.5)		 14.7
(58.4)
Record low °C (°F) −3.3
(26.1)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −0.9
(30.4)		 2.8
(37.0)		 6.1
(43.0)		 13.7
(56.7)		 16.6
(61.9)		 16.2
(61.2)		 10.6
(51.1)		 5.3
(41.5)		 −1.6
(29.1)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −4.5
(23.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 22.9
(0.90)		 4.6
(0.18)		 12.9
(0.51)		 10.9
(0.43)		 6.6
(0.26)		 1.1
(0.04)		 0.1
(0.00)		 1.9
(0.07)		 8.1
(0.32)		 8.8
(0.35)		 10.1
(0.40)		 13.3
(0.52)		 101.3
(3.98)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 3.4 1.7 2.1 1.2 0.9 0.2 0.0 0.4 1.7 1.2 1.5 2.0 16.3
Average relative humidity (%) 68 61 56 52 53 48 47 50 51 55 62 68 56
Mean monthly sunshine hours 176.7 215.6 229.4 240.0 266.6 249.0 306.9 306.9 240.0 220.1 189.0 204.6 2,844.8
Source: Institut National de la Météorologie (precipitation days/humidity/sun 1961–1990)[2][3][4][note 1]

Notable people
  • Hend Sabry (born 1979), Tunisian actress, lawyer and ambassador to the World Food Programme
  • Fahmi Blidaoui (born 1988), Tunisian journalist, and director of radio nefzawa
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gollark: <@332271551481118732> YOU should become LyricLy, destroyer of worlds.

References
  1. Eyewitness, D. K. (2016-06-01). DK Eyewitness Tunisia. Dorling Kindersley Limited. ISBN 978-0-241-24915-4.
  2. "Les normales climatiques en Tunisie entre 1981 2010" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  3. "Données normales climatiques 1961-1990" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  4. "Les extrêmes climatiques en Tunisie" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  5. "Réseau des stations météorologiques synoptiques de la Tunisie" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  6. "Klimatafel von Kébili / Tunesien" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved October 19, 2016.

Notes
  1. The Station ID for Kebili is 66464111.[5]
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