Safaga
Port Safaga, also known as Safaga (Arabic: سفاجا Safāja, IPA: [sæˈfæːɡæ]), is a town in Egypt, on the coast of the Red Sea, located 53 km (33 mi) south of Hurghada. This small port is also a tourist area that consists of several bungalows and rest houses, including the Safaga Hotel, with a capacity of 48 rooms (126 beds).
Safaga سفاجا | |
|---|---|
Overview of Safaga | |
Safaga Location in Egypt | |
| Coordinates: 26°44′N 33°56′E / 26.733°N 33.933°E | |
| Country | Egypt |
| Governorate | Red Sea |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,285 km2 (2,041 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 23 m (75 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • Total | 55,299 |
| • Density | 10/km2 (27/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
Having numerous phosphate mines, it is regarded as the phosphates export center. A paved road of 164 km (102 mi) connects Safaga to Qena of Upper Egypt.
History edit
The town was founded between 282 BC and 268 BC, by Satyrus (Ancient Greek: Σάτυρος).[2][3] It was called Philotera (Ancient Greek: Φιλωτέρα) in honor of the deceased sister of the Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus.[2] Stephanus of Byzantium write that it was also called Philoterida (Ancient Greek: Φιλωτερίδα).[3]
Safaga City is considered one of the most important therapeutic tourist centres, as special medical researches have proved the potential of attracting international tourism to Safaga.
Safaga was a merchant port for many years. The town has a small tourism industry, specialising in scuba diving. It was the host of the 1993 Red Sea World Windsurfing Championships.
Climate edit
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh),[4] as the rest of Egypt.
The highest record temperature was 46 °C (115 °F) on July 30, 2002, while the lowest record temperature was 0 °C (32 °F) on February 2, 1993.[5]
| Climate data for Safaga | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33 (91) | 34 (93) | 38 (100) | 42 (108) | 43 (109) | 46 (115) | 46 (115) | 44 (111) | 43 (109) | 43 (109) | 35 (95) | 34 (93) | 46 (115) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.9 (71.4) | 22.7 (72.9) | 26.1 (79.0) | 28.1 (82.6) | 31.7 (89.1) | 33.8 (92.8) | 34 (93) | 34.4 (93.9) | 32.3 (90.1) | 30.2 (86.4) | 27 (81) | 23.4 (74.1) | 28.8 (83.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.3 (61.3) | 16.8 (62.2) | 20.4 (68.7) | 22.5 (72.5) | 26.2 (79.2) | 28.6 (83.5) | 29 (84) | 29.6 (85.3) | 27.6 (81.7) | 25.2 (77.4) | 21.6 (70.9) | 17.9 (64.2) | 23.5 (74.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.7 (51.3) | 11 (52) | 14.8 (58.6) | 16.9 (62.4) | 20.7 (69.3) | 23.5 (74.3) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.9 (76.8) | 22.9 (73.2) | 20.3 (68.5) | 16.3 (61.3) | 12.4 (54.3) | 18.2 (64.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1 (34) | 0 (32) | 1 (34) | 8 (46) | 10 (50) | 12 (54) | 15 (59) | 13 (55) | 12 (54) | 11 (52) | 6 (43) | 3 (37) | 0 (32) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.0) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 2 (0) |
| Average rainy days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 |
| Source 1: Climate-Data.org (altitude: 18m),[4] Weather2Travel for rainy days and sunshine[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Voodoo Skies for record temperatures[5] | |||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 °C (73 °F) | 22 °C (72 °F) | 22 °C (72 °F) | 23 °C (73 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | 26 °C (79 °F) | 28 °C (82 °F) | 29 °C (84 °F) | 28 °C (82 °F) | 27 °C (81 °F) | 26 °C (79 °F) | 24 °C (75 °F) |
Port edit
Safaga port is also a gateway for Duba port to some hajj pilgrims or travelers to Mecca, by ferries.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c "Safājā (Kism (urban and rural parts), Egypt) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". City Population. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ a b Strabo, Geography, §16.4.5
- ^ a b Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, §Ph666.16
- ^ a b "Climate: Port Safaga - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Safaga, Egypt". Voodoo Skies. from the original on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ^ a b "Safaga Climate and Weather Averages, Egypt". Weather2Travel. from the original on 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2014-01-15.