Sidra, Gulf of

views updated May 18 2018

SIDRA, GULF OF

A body of water on the coast of Libya.

The Gulf of Sidra is located on the Mediterranean cost of Libya. Its coastline, 310 miles (500 km) of barren desert, forms an important geographical boundary between Libya's two major populated areas: Tripolitania, the western coastal region that shares many historical features with the Maghrib, and Cyrenaica, the eastern coastal region that has been more closely associated with the Arab states of the Middle East. This gulf then provides an important dividing line for the culture of the Maghrib and that of the Mashriq.

see also maghrib.

stuart j. borsch

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