Sfax
Sfax, Tunisia
Sifaks / ⵙⵉⴼⴰⴽⵙ / صفاقس | |
|---|---|
 Hédi Chaker Street in Sfax | |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Governorates | Sfax Governorate |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Moncef Abdelhedi |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 330,440 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 |
Sfax (Arabic: صفاقس ; Berber languages: Sifaks) is a city in Tunisia, located 270 km (170 mi) southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014),[1] and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has a population of 330,440 (census 2014).[1] The main economic activities of Sfax are industries (phosphate processing), agriculture (olive and olive oil, nuts), fishing (largest fishing port in Tunisia) and trade (import-export). The city is often described as Tunisia's "second city" (after the capital Tunis). [citation needed]
History
By the end of the 10th century Sfax had become an independent city-state. The city was conquered by Roger II of Sicily in 1148 and occupied until it was liberated in 1156 by local forces, and was briefly occupied by European forces again; this time by the Spanish, in the 16th century, before falling into Ottoman hands this time. Sfax became an integral base of the Barbary piracy, prompting an unsuccessful invasion by Venice in 1785. In the late 19th century Sfax and the rest of Tunisia were conquered by France and incorporated into the French empire. During World War II, the Axis powers used the city as a major base until British forces took it on 10 April 1943. After World War II, Tunisia was returned to France, but gained independence in 1956.
Transport
The A1 motorway connects Sfax with Tunis. A narrow gauge railway system of SNCFT offers passenger services to Tunis and delivers phosphates and iron ore for export. Sfax is served by Sfax – Thyna International Airport and Syfax Airlines has regularly scheduled flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Tripoli International Airport, and charter flights to Jeddah Airport for the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Communications
Founded in 1961, Radio Sfax broadcasts twenty hours a day[2] on MW 720 kHz/105.21 MHz.[3]
Climate
Sfax has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). Owing to its sheltered location relative to Mediterranean Sea winter storms, Sfax receives half the rainfall of Tunis and less even than the major cities of Libya (Tripoli and Benghazi). Summers, like all of North Africa, are hot and almost rainless, whilst winters are very pleasant with only light rain usual.
| Climate data for Sfax | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
36.1 (97.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
38.8 (101.8) |
43.9 (111.0) |
47.2 (117.0) |
46.8 (116.2) |
43.5 (110.3) |
36.9 (98.4) |
32.5 (90.5) |
28.3 (82.9) |
47.2 (117.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
19.5 (67.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
28.9 (84.0) |
32.0 (89.6) |
32.2 (90.0) |
29.8 (85.6) |
26.0 (78.8) |
21.4 (70.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
24.1 (75.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.3 (52.3) |
12.2 (54.0) |
14.0 (57.2) |
16.4 (61.5) |
19.8 (67.6) |
23.4 (74.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.7 (80.1) |
24.8 (76.6) |
21.0 (69.8) |
15.9 (60.6) |
12.2 (54.0) |
18.6 (65.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.8 (42.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.0 (51.8) |
14.4 (57.9) |
17.8 (64.0) |
19.9 (67.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
19.8 (67.6) |
16.1 (61.0) |
10.6 (51.1) |
6.7 (44.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
2.0 (35.6) |
6.1 (43.0) |
9.6 (49.3) |
13.6 (56.5) |
13.2 (55.8) |
11.2 (52.2) |
5.2 (41.4) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 22.7 (0.89) |
19.4 (0.76) |
23.3 (0.92) |
17.6 (0.69) |
9.2 (0.36) |
4.4 (0.17) |
1.8 (0.07) |
5.6 (0.22) |
24.1 (0.95) |
56.4 (2.22) |
22.9 (0.90) |
29.3 (1.15) |
236.7 (9.32) |
| Average precipitation days | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 32 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 65 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 62 | 60 | 59 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 65 | 66 | 63 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 198.4 | 201.6 | 238.7 | 258.0 | 310.0 | 333.0 | 378.2 | 347.2 | 273.0 | 241.8 | 210.0 | 195.3 | 3,185.2 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 6.4 | 7.2 | 7.7 | 8.6 | 10.0 | 11.1 | 12.2 | 11.2 | 9.1 | 7.8 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 8.7 |
| Source: NOAA[4] | |||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 °C (61 °F) | 15 °C (59 °F) | 15 °C (59 °F) | 17 °C (63 °F) | 19 °C (66 °F) | 22 °C (72 °F) | 26 °C (79 °F) | 28 °C (82 °F) | 27 °C (81 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | 22 °C (72 °F) | 18 °C (64 °F) |
Education
The University of Sfax includes:
- ENIS (École Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax) issued a number of well-known scientists and industrialists.[6]
- ESCS (École Supérieure de Commerce de Sfax) issued a number of managers, Economy and Management researchers and young entrepreneurs.[7]
- FLSHS (Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines de Sfax) issued a number of renowned poets and prose writers.[8]
- Sfax Faculty of Medicine (Faculté de Médecine de Sfax).[9]
- ISAAS (Institut Supérieur d'Administration des Affaires de Sfax)[10]
- FSEGS (Faculté des Sciences Économiques et de Gestion de Sfax).[11]
- ISIMS (Institut Supérieur d'Informatique et de Multimédia de Sfax).[12]
- FDS(Faculté de Droit de Sfax)(http://www.fdsf.rnu.tn/)
- ISAMS (Institut Supérieur des Arts et Métiers de Sfax)
Sport
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2011) |
- CS Sfaxien, a club of football (soccer), volleyball, basketball and rugby.
Notable people
- Max Azria, fashion designer
- Mamdouh Bahri, artist, composer and famous jazz guitarist and teacher now living in France
- Hédi Bouraoui, a poet and writer now living in Canada
- Nouri Bouzid, cineast
- Mohamed Charfi, academic and politician, jurist and scholar committed Francophile and a supporter of "reasoned" secularism, he headed the Tunisian League of Human Rights before being appointed to head the Department of Education.
- Moncef Dhouib, cineast and theatre writer
- Tom Dixon, industrial designer
- Mohamed Gouaida, footballer
- Farhat Hached, major syndicalist political leader assassinated by the French terrorist organization "La main rouge"
- Mohamed Jamoussi, artist, poet, composer and famous singer
- Mounir Laroussi, Scientist, inventor
- Christian Lauba, composer
- Mansour Moalla, former Minister of Economy, economist and banker
- Georges Perec, writer
- Hatem Trabelsi, former football player for Ajax Amsterdam, Manchester City, and the Tunisian national team
International relations
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2015) |
Twin towns — Sister cities
Sfax is twinned with:
Grenoble, France[13]
Makhachkala, Russia
Marburg, Germany[14]
Dakar, Senegal
Oran, Algeria
Safi, Morocco
See also
- Fossa regia
- Sfax War Cemetery
- Sufax, a possible etymon of Sfax
- Transport in Tunisia
References
- Notes
- ^ a b LookLex Encyclopaedia accessed 10 July 2008
- ^ Jeter, James Phillip; Rampal, Kuldip R.; Cambridge, Vibert C.; Pratt, Cornelius B. (1996). International Afro mass media: a reference guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 130. ISBN 0-313-28400-8. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ Radio Tunis (2010). "Radio Sfax, official site". Radiodiffusion Television Tunisienne. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "Sfax Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ "Sfax Climate and Weather Averages, Tunisia". Weather2Travel. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ enis.rnu.tn
- ^ escs.rnu.tn
- ^ flshs.rnu.tn
- ^ fmsf.rnu.tn
- ^ isaas.rnu.tn
- ^ fsegs.rnu.tn
- ^ isimsf.rnu.tn
- ^ Jérôme Steffenino, Marguerite Masson. "Ville de Grenoble –Coopérations et villes jumelles". Grenoble.fr. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Universitätsstadt Marburg Partnerstädte". marburg.de. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
External links
Sfax travel guide from Wikivoyage- Sfaxonline.com
- Histoiredesfax.com
- CSS.org.tn
- Flysyphax.com
