In Tunisia, regions are called vilayets. There are 24 of them in the country. Such administrative division has developed in the state after its formation as a republic. One of the regions has the name Gabes. Its territories extend along the shores of a large bay of the same name, which in ancient times was called Small Sirte.
The article will discuss the Gulf of Gabes and its coastal territories.
general description
This is an amazingly beautiful place with its rich history and traditions. Gabes Bay is located in Africa (northern shores) on the Mediterranean Sea. Its length is 41 kilometers, its width is about 68 km, its depth is 50 meters. The bay washes the coastal territory of Tunisia with a length of more than 100 km.
The nature of the tides is semidiurnal (amplitude up to 0.4 meters). Water temperature - 14-29 Λ.
In the southern zone of the entrance to the bay is the delightful island of Djerba, in the northern - Kerkenna. On the southern coast of the bay is the large port and industrial city of Gabes, which is the center of southern Tunisia. On the north coast is Sfax - a large port city.
In the Gulf of Gabes developed fishing. 60% of Tunisia's fishing fleet is concentrated in the city of the same name with the bay.
Terrain features
The gulf is located in the region, popularly called "Western Tunisian Sicily." It is separated from Hammett Bay by the shallow waters of the Kerkenna Islands and small islands. The coastal relief smoothly sinks into the sea, creating shallow water, stretching to the small towns of Skhira, Zarrat and Mahares.
Two powerful marine currents, uniting in Gabes, create unique physical and chemical conditions that contribute to the formation of no less unique biological diversity. The phenomenon of the presence of different currents, typical of Gabes Bay, is also a unique phenomenon. Differences in currents are observed in both the lower and upper layers of the sea. Sometimes they can reach huge sizes, and sometimes only up to two meters wide. The region is a unique biocenosis of the Mediterranean.
It should be noted that Gabes has been known since ancient times under the name "Certificate Minor".
Gabes city
The administrative and commercial and transport center of the province of Gabes, stretching along the coast of the same bay in the Mediterranean Sea, is a wonderful city of the same name, built in a palm oasis.
The pledge of the existence of the city is the reservoir Heart of Ueda, from which numerous irrigation canals depart. Gabes is an industrial center in Tunisia, engaged in industrial refining and producing cement. Pomegranates and dates are also grown here. Many residents of the city are engaged in fishing. The production of olive oil and wine is developed here.
On the shore of the bay is the port, the terminal station of the railway. The city is a developing industrial area of ββSouth Tunisia.
Gabes Bay Inhabitants
One of the most common types of fishing in the bay is stone mullet trawling. Tuna is caught in these places all year round (12 varieties), and the bulk of fish - only in summer and spring. Among the tuna, the main ones are bonito, bonito and with blue fins.
Octopuses live in the waters of the bay, for fishing which fishermen use the old way. On the ropes, a vessel hollowed out from the inside is thrown into the sea water, having a hole in which the mollusk can swim in, but can no longer swim out.
In the Gulf of Gabes, there are such marine inhabitants as sea bream, cogs, hargs, crucians and crustaceans, including king prawns. The latter go well for export abroad. It is the area of ββthis bay that is especially important in catching these shrimps. It is known that they live mainly where there is a lot of plankton, dead seaweed, and the seabed is composed of muddy, dirty sand with the remains of extinct organisms. King prawn dwells at depths within 40-50 meters. This place is located northeast of Djerba. Also in the waters of the bay there are many varieties of cephalopods. In total there are 6 varieties of octopuses, 13 species of decapods (squid).