Sidi Bouzid Governorate ( aeb, ولاية سيدي بوزيد), sometimes spelt ''Sidi Bou Zid'', is one of the 24
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 states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is often used in translation from ...
(
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
s) of
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
. It is in central Tunisia and landlocked. It covers an area of 7405 km2 and has a population of 429,912 (2014 census). The capital is its most populous settlement,
Sidi Bouzid
Sidi Bouzid ( ar, سيدي بوزيد '), sometimes called ''Sidi Bou Zid'' or ''Sīdī Bū Zayd'', is a city in Tunisia and is the capital of Sidi Bouzid Governorate in the centre of the country. Following the suicide of Mohamed Bouazizi in ...
.
Geography
Toward the east and south of the governorate feature narrow escarpments of the dorsal Atlas Mountains and the western border is elevated. The land otherwise slopes generally east throughout. Lakes are scarce relative to other northern and central divisions. A dammed lake, the Barrage Sidi Saad, commences on the northern border with
Kairouan Governorate
Kairouan Governorate ( ') is one of the twenty-four governorates of Tunisia. It is landlocked and in the centre-east of the country. It covers an area of 6,712 km2 and has a population of 570,559 (2014 census). The narrower province of Sou ...
; within the administrative area its principal effect is to widen the main river, the Oued El Hatech which rises close to the Algerian border on the far west side of neighbouring
Kasserine Governorate
Kasserine Governorate ( ar, ولاية الڨصرين ' ), sometimes spelt ''Casrein'', is one of the twenty-four governorates (provinces) of Tunisia. It is in west-central Tunisia on the frontier with Algeria, wholly north of the true centre lin ...
. The river adjoins fields on the northern edge of the town of Sidi Bouzid. A larger seasonal salt lake, the Sebkhet en Noual is largely within the area and on the south-east border. It is described on some maps as a salt marsh.(U.S.) Defense Mapping Agency Map, 1981: Mediterranean extract /ref> The smaller maximum-size Sebkhet Mecheguia forms a short part of the eastern border. The natural landscape is semi-arid with irrigated areas used for cultivation and grazing. The climate is therefore temperate at night, except in unusual overcast conditions and precipitation is confined largely to winter months/early spring, its levels are variable, see
Climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...
Meknassy
Meknassy ( ar, المكناسي '), sometimes spelt ''Maknassy'', is a town and commune in the Sidi Bou Zid Governorate, Tunisia. In 2004 it had a population of 13,742.Mezzouna
Mezzouna (Arabic: المزونة) is a town and commune in the Sidi Bou Zid Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004, it had a population of 6,101.Ouled Haffouz
*
Regueb
Regueb is a town and commune in the Sidi Bou Zid Governorate, central Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 7,892.Sidi Ali Ben Aoun
*
Sidi Bouzid
Sidi Bouzid ( ar, سيدي بوزيد '), sometimes called ''Sidi Bou Zid'' or ''Sīdī Bū Zayd'', is a city in Tunisia and is the capital of Sidi Bouzid Governorate in the centre of the country. Following the suicide of Mohamed Bouazizi in ...