Zliten Geography

spatial boundaries

Zliten is located in the northwestern part of Libya on the Mediterranean coast to the east of the city of Tripoli, at a distance of approximately 150 km. The population of the study area, according to the 2006 census, is (184,884) people, 231 thousand people, according to the 2012 census, distributed over an area of about (2743.25) km. square meters, while the population census on 12/31/2018 was about (330,318) people.

Geographical location
astronomical location

The astronomical location means: the location in relation to longitude and latitude. The Zliten region extends between latitudes 31.55 – and 32.30 north, and between longitudes 14, 10 and 14, 50 east. (1)

Geographical location

The Zliten region is located in the northwestern part of Libya, about 150 km east of Tripoli, the capital of the country, as the region overlooks the Mediterranean Sea from the north, and is bordered on the south by the Bani Walid region, while from the east it is bordered by the Misrata region, and from the west Al Khums, Msallata and Tarhuna. The area of the region is about (2743.25) square kilometers distributed over [39] thirty-nine localities. The geographical importance of the region stems from its location on the coast and its location in relation to the transportation network.

Natural phenomena
geological structure

The formations of the fourth geological time dominate most of the area of the region, and these formations appear on the surface in some places, and are often covered by sandy formations or other recent sediments. The formations of the third geological time are also spread over large areas of the region. The geological composition of the land of the region varies according to its constituent stages. The most recent rocks cover the northern parts of the region, and they are of the Pleistocene formation dating back to the fourth time. They are covered with Celtic sands from the excavator formation with a depth of several meters and interspersed with layers of limestone rocks parallel to the seashore with a strip ranging from Between 10-20 km approximately. As for the coastal strip and along the borders of the study area, it consists of rocks that follow the Qarqarash Formation, which dates back to the fourth geological time. Its sands are composed of quartz and lime. As for the rocks of the second time dating back to the Upper Cretaceous period, which represent the oldest geological formations of the Zliten region, they cover the southwestern parts of the region and appear in the Wadi Majer area. The Zliten region contains some natural components that can be exploited in some industries, such as quartz and limestone present in the calcareous components interspersed with clay layers belonging to the five-fold formation that are found in the western parts of the region south of the coastal road, which is a raw material for the cement industry, in addition to the presence of basalt, which It is used after crushing it in paving and paving roads.

surface appearances

The topographical shape of the Zliten region varies in height at different levels of terrain features, which bear the plain and plateau character, and with a gradual slope from south to north with a degree of between 0.04 degrees..4 degrees.
The area can be divided into several different terrain sections, namely: o Coastal strip o Flood plain o Plateaus o Valleys

the coast line

The formation of the coastal strip dates back to the fourth geological time, particularly in the modern Pleistocene and Holocene era, as it consists of continental and marine sediments, which are wind dunes formed at the heights of the ancient beaches composed of bio-silicate and marine grains. Two types of dunes can be distinguished: To the periods of the modern Pleistocene, where the winds reshaped the sands of the beaches and deposited them in the form of sand dunes separating the dunes of depressions between a dune whose breadth ranges between [200] to [500] meters. Modern dunes: the ancient dunes covered a group of modern dunes that belong to the Holocene It is not hardened, and its sands are biological and silicate. They spread on the coastal strip in the form of hills covering some areas of this strip. The coastal region is generally characterized by rippling its surface from west to east, as the height of the coast extending from Daphnia in the east to the Qusayba area in the west reaches about [20] meters, and the coast begins to decline. Gradually, starting from the Al-Qusay’ah area in the east to the northern Azdo in the west, and the height here is less than [20] meters. Between [20] to [30] meters. The phenomenon of capes, such as the head of Marsa Zliten, decreases in the coastline extending from the locality of Al-Dafnia in the east to Wadi Majer in the west. .

The floodplain

It extends between the edge of the Miocene plateau and the strip of sand dunes, and this plain may have been the result of the convergence of a group of valleys emerging from the plateau, as it formed a floodplain in each of Al-Juma’a, Kadoush, Al-Houriyat, Na’ima and Suq Al-Thulatha. about [1] degrees. These plains differ from one place to another depending on the advance and retreat of the edge of the plateau and depending on the overlapping of the coastal strip. Accordingly, the floodplain of the region is divided into: In the figure (the map), these plains are bounded from the north by sand dunes that extend along the sea coast, with a height of [20] meters. These plains extend from the locality of Al-Dafniyah in the east to the village of Naima in the west, and are characterized by a high surface, as its height is not less than [20] meters above sea level, and the plain rises gradually towards the northern edges of the plateau, which is located on