The governorates of Libya (muhafazah) were a tenfold top-level administrative division of Libya from 1963 until 1983.
They came into being on 27 April 1963.[1][2] In 1970, after the 1 September 1969 Free Officers Movement coup, there was an administrative reorganization which gave local authorities more power to implement policies of the national government, and redesignated some of the names and boundaries of the ten governorates.[3] In February 1975, Libya issued a law that abolished the governorates and their service directorates,[4] however they continued to operate[4] until they were fully replaced in 1983 by the baladiyat system districts.[1]
Historically, the three provinces of Libya (Tripolitania in the northwest, Cyrenaica in the east, and Fezzan in the southwest) were sometimes called governorates.[citation needed]
Ten governorates
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Ten governorates of Libya, numbers correspond to list at left.
Bayda Governorate In 1971 Bayda was renamed Jabal al Akhdar.[6][7]
Al Khums Governorate
Awbari Governorate
Az Zawiyah Governorate
Benghazi Governorate
Darnah Governorate
Al Jabal al Gharbi Governorate In 1970 Al Jabal al Gharbi was renamed Gharyan.[1]
Misrata Governorate
Sabha Governorate
Tarabulus Governorate.
Reorganisation under Gaddafi
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Further information: Baladiyat of Libya and Libya under Gaddafi
As early as 1973, Libya had been divided into forty-six baladiyat for census purposes.[8] In 1983 Libya replaced the governorates structure with the district (baladiyah) one, creating forty-six districts.[1]
^St. John, Ronald Bruce and Hahn, Lorna (1991) "Governorates" Historical Dictionary of Libya (2nd edition) Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, New Jersey, p. 44, ISBN 0-8108-2451-5
^Zeidan, Shawky S. (1987) "Chapter 4 – Government and Politics: Internal Politics: Subnational Government and Administration" A Country Study: Libya Federal Research Division, Library of Congress
^ abZeidan, Shawky S. (1987) "Chapter 4 – Government and Politics: Internal Politics: Subnational Government and Administration: The Cultural Revolution and People's Committees" A Country Study: Libya Federal Research Division, Library of Congress
^Habib, Henry (1981) Libya past and present Edam Publishing House, Valletta, Malta, p. 8, OCLC 13548454
^Society for Libyan Studies (1984) Libyan Studies Volume 15 (being the Annual Report of the Society for Libyan Studies) Society for Libyan Studies, London, p. 145,