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Latakia Governorate, also transliterated as Ladhakia Governorate, ( ar, مُحافظة اللاذقية /
ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...
: ''Muḥāfaẓat al-Lādhiqīyah'') is one of the 14
governorates A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either State (administrative division), states or province, provinces, the term ''govern ...
of
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. It is situated in western Syria, bordering
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
's
Hatay Province Hatay Province ( tr, Hatay ili, ) is the southernmost province of Turkey. It is situated almost entirely outside Anatolia, along the eastern coast of the Levantine Sea. The province borders Syria to its south and east, the Turkish province of A ...
to the north, Idlib and
Hama Governorate Hama Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة حماة / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib Governorate, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates ...
s to the east,
Tartus Governorate Tartus Governorate, also transliterated as Tartous Governorate, ( ar, مُحافظة طرطوس / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ṭarṭūs'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in western Syria, bordering Latakia Governorate to t ...
to the south, and the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
to the west. Its reported area varies in different sources from to . The governorate has a population of 1,008,000 (2011 estimate).


History

The governorate was historically part of the
Alawite State The Alawite State ( ar, دولة جبل العلويين, '; french: État des Alaouites), officially named the Territory of the Alawites (french: territoire des Alaouites), after the locally-dominant Alawites from its inception until its int ...
, which existed from 1920–1936.Longrigg, Stephen Hemsley. "Syria and Lebanon Under French Mandate." London: Oxford University Press, 1958. Tartus governorate was formerly included as part of Latakia, before being split off circa 1972. The region has been relatively peaceful during the Syrian civil war, being a generally pro-
Assad Asad ( ar, أسد), sometimes written as Assad, is an Arabic male given name literally meaning " lion". It is used in nicknames such as ''Asad Allāh'', one of the by-names for Ali ibn Abi Talib. People Among prominent people named ''Asad'', ...
region that had largely remained under government control. The Free Syrian Army attacked Al-Haffah in 2012, and unsuccessfully attempted to wrest control of the province in 2014,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
and 2016. In 2016 the
Islamic State An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
conducted a bomb attack on Jableh, resulting in many deaths.


Archaeological sites

*
Citadel of Salah Ed-Din Sahyun Castle ( ar, قلعة صهيون), also known as the Castle of Saladin ( ar, قلعة صلاح الدين, Qal'at Salah al-Din), is a medieval castle in northwestern Syria. It is located 7 km east of Al-Haffah town and 30 km eas ...
- Crusader castle *
Paltus :''Paltus may also refer to a Russian Kilo class submarine'' Paltus or Paltos ( el, Πάλτος) is a ruined city. It was also a bishopric, a suffragan of Seleucia Pieria in the Roman province of Syria Prima, that, no longer being a residential ...
- Phoenician city *
Ugarit ) , image =Ugarit Corbel.jpg , image_size=300 , alt = , caption = Entrance to the Royal Palace of Ugarit , map_type = Near East#Syria , map_alt = , map_size = 300 , relief=yes , location = Latakia Governorate, Syria , region = ...
- Bronze Age site


Geography

The Latakia Governorate comprises about half of Syria's Mediterranean coastline. The western part of the governorate consists mainly of coastal plains, with the inland eastern parts being mountainous, with the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range (Nusayriyah Mountains) running north to south.Federal Research Division, Library of Congress (2005
"Country Profile: Syria"
page 5
Its highest peak, Nabi Yunis, is 1,562 meters (5,125 ft) tall with the average elevation only about 1,200 meters. The western areas of the governorate catch moisture-laden winds from the Mediterranean Sea and are thus more fertile and more heavily populated than the eastern slopes. The
Orontes River The Orontes (; from Ancient Greek , ) or Asi ( ar, العاصي, , ; tr, Asi) is a river with a length of in Western Asia that begins in Lebanon, flowing northwards through Syria before entering the Mediterranean Sea near Samandağ in Turkey. ...
flows north alongside the range on its eastern verge in the Al-Ghab Plain, a longitudinal trench, and then around the northern edge of the range to flow into the Mediterranean. Another important river is
Nahr al-Kabir al-Shamali , uga, 𐎗𐎈𐎁𐎐 , name_etymology = , image = بحيرات_النهر_الكبير_الشمالي.JPG , image_size = 300 , image_caption = , map = , map_size = , map_caption ...
, a river running from the Turkish
border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
and to the southwest to flow in the Mediterranean, with the 16 Tishreen dam, one of the most important in the region, being constructed for power generation, storage of rain and river water, and the creation of Mashqita Lake.


Cities

Latakia is the regional capital; other major settlements include
Al-Haffah Al-Haffah ( ar, ٱلْحَفَّة, al-Ḥaffah) is a town in northwestern Syria administratively belonging to the Latakia Governorate, located east of Latakia. It is the centre of al-Haffah District, one of the four districts ('' mantiqah'') of ...
, Ibn Hani,
Jableh ) , settlement_type = City , motto = , image_skyline = Jableh Collage.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = General view of city and port • Roman Amphitheater• A ...
,
Kessab Kessab, Kesab, or Kasab ( ar, كسب ; hy, Քեսապ, Kesab) is a mostly Armenian-populated town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Latakia Governorate, located 59 kilometers north of Latakia. It is situated near the border w ...
, Manjila, Qaranjah,
Qardaha Qardaha ( ar, القَرْدَاحَة / ALA-LC: ''Qardāḥah'') is a town in northwestern Syria, in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Latakia. Nearby localities include Kilmakho to the west, Bustan al-Basha to the southwest, Harf a ...
and
Salma The South American land mammal ages (SALMA) establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric South American fauna beginning 64.5 Ma during the Paleocene and continuing through to the Late Pleistocene (0.011 Ma). These periods are referred to as a ...
. The following cities are the administrative centres of the districts in Latakia Governorate (Population based on 2004 official census):


Districts

The governorate is divided into four
districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
(
manatiq Minṭaqah ( ; plural ''manāṭiq'' ) is a first-level administrative division in Saudi Arabia and Chad and for a second-level administrative division in several other Arab countries. It is often translated as ''region'' or ''district'', but the ...
). The districts are further divided into 22 sub-districts ( nawahi): *
Latakia District Latakia District ( ar, منطقة اللاذقية, manṭiqat al-Lādhiqīyah) is a district of the Latakia Governorate in northwestern Syria. The administrative centre is the city of Latakia. At the 2004 census, the district had a population o ...
(7 sub-districts) ** Latakia Subdistrict ** Al-Bahluliyah Subdistrict ** Rabia Subdistrict ** Ayn al-Baydah Subdistrict ** Qastal Ma'af Subdistrict ** Kessab Subdistrict ** Hanadi Subdistrict *
Al-Haffah District Al-Haffah District ( ar-at, منطقة الحفة, manṭiqat al-Ḥaffah) is a district of the Latakia Governorate in northwestern Syria. Administrative centre is the city of al-Haffah. At the 2004 census, the district had a population of 81,2 ...
(5 sub-districts) ** Al-Haffah Subdistrict ** Slinfah Subdistrict ** Ayn al-Tineh Subdistrict ** Kinsabba Subdistrict ** Muzayraa Subdistrict *
Jableh District Jableh District ( ar-at, منطقة جبلة, manṭiqat Jablah) is a district of the Latakia Governorate in northwestern Syria. Administrative centre is the city of Jableh. At the 2004 census, the district had a population of 196,171. Agricult ...
(6 sub-districts) ** Jableh Subdistrict ** Ayn al-Sharqiyah Subdistrict ** Al-Qutailibiyah Subdistrict ** Ayn Shiqaq Subdistrict ** Daliyah Subdistrict ** Beit Yashout Subdistrict *
Qardaha District Qardaha District ( ar-at, منطقة القرداحة, mantiqah, manṭiqat al-Qardāḥah) is a Districts of Syria, district of the Latakia Governorate in northwestern Syria. Administrative centre is the city of Qardaha. At the 2004 census, the d ...
(4 sub-districts) ** Qardaha Subdistrict ** Harf al-Musaytirah Subdistrict ** Al-Fakhurah Subdistrict ** Jawbat Burghal Subdistrict


Climate


Economy

The governorate is located on the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
, which gave it great economic importance, with the capital of the governorate, Latakia serving as Syria's main port. Its
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
was established on 12 February 1950. Its imported cargo includes clothing, construction materials, vehicles, furniture, minerals, tobacco, cotton, and food supplies such as lintels, onions, wheat, barley, dates, grains and figs; in 2008, the port handled about 8 million tons of cargo. The governorate is also a popular domestic tourist destination, with the
Cote d'Azur The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
B=beach of Latakia being Syria's premier coastal resort, offering water skiing, jet skiing, and windsurfing. The city contains eight hotels, two of which have five-star ratings; both the Cote d'Azur de Cham Hotel and Lé Meridien Lattiquie Hotel are located north of the city, at Cote d'Azur. The latter hotel has 274 rooms and is the only international hotel in the city. Latakia is also host to numerous designer-label stores, notably on 8 Azar Street, and the heart of the city's shopping area is the series of blocks enclosed by 8 Azar Street, Yarmouk Street, and Saad Zaghloul Street in the city centre.
Cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...
s in Latakia include Ugarit Cinema, al-Kindi, and a smaller theater off al-Moutanabbi Street.


Demographics

As per the 2004 Syrian census the population was 879,550. A 2011
UNOCHA The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is a United Nations (UN) body established in December 1991 by the General Assembly to strengthen the international response to complex emergencies and natural disaste ...
estimate put the population at 1,008,000, though this has likely changed since the start of the war. The majority at 63% are
Alawites The Alawis, Alawites ( ar, علوية ''Alawīyah''), or pejoratively Nusayris ( ar, نصيرية ''Nuṣayrīyah'') are an ethnoreligious group that lives primarily in Levant and follows Alawism, a sect of Islam that originated from Shia Isl ...
, followed by 26% Sunni Muslim, 6%
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, 5%
Shi'ite Muslim Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...
and 0.2% Ismaili.


Languages

The primary languages of the province are
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...
,
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
and Turkish ( Syrian Turkmen dialects). Arabic is spoken in all district centres of the governorate and most, if not all towns and villages surrounding them, with the North Levantine dialect mostly used. An exception is
Kessab Kessab, Kesab, or Kasab ( ar, كسب ; hy, Քեսապ, Kesab) is a mostly Armenian-populated town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Latakia Governorate, located 59 kilometers north of Latakia. It is situated near the border w ...
, a historically Armenian-populated town where Armenian is the primary language in it and the surrounding villages such as Sev Aghpyur, Esguran and Duzaghaj, and the
Turkmen Mountain Turkmen Mountain ( ar, جبل تركمان; ''Jabal Turkman'', tr, Türkmen Dağı) is a mountain range in the north of the Latakia region of Syria, in the area called Bayırbucak locally in Turkish, neighboring the Turkish border. The name is ...
where Turcoman is spoken primarily, though many Turkmen have fled the area since the start of the civil war.


Gallery

File:Latakia_Governorate_map.png, Map of Latakia governorate File:Beit Yashot02.jpg, Mountains near Beit Yashout File:Ugarit 02.jpg, Ruins of Ugarit File:Holy Mother of God Armenian Apostolic Church, Kessab, Syria.jpg, Armenian church in Kessab File:Mushayrafet al-Samouk.JPG, Countryside near Mushayrafet al-Samouk File:Cote d'Azure - Latakia, Syria.jpg, Sunbathers on the Latakian Cote d'Azur


References


External links

{{Authority control Governorates of Syria