Salma, Syria

Salma
سلمى
Village
Salma
Coordinates: 35°41′24″N 36°8′12″E / 35.69000°N 36.13667°E
Country  Syria
Governorate Latakia Governorate
District Al-Haffah District
Nahiyah Slinfah
Population (2004 census)[1]
 • Total 2,131
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Salma (Arabic: سلمى‎) is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Latakia Governorate, located northeast of Latakia. Nearby localities include Mashqita and Ayn al-Bayda to the west, al-Haffah to the southwest, Aramo and Slinfah 12 kilometers to the south, and Kinsabba to the north. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Salma had a population of 2,131 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants and those of the Jabal al-Akrad area are predominantly Sunni Muslims, although about 80% of the Latakia District's residents are Alawites.[2]

Salma is well known for its dry climate and its plentiful clean water. It is situated about 800 meters above sea level.[3] Prior to the Baathist takeover of Syria in the 1960s, Salma was one of the few places in the coastal mountain region to be electrified and connected to a grid.[4]

During the ongoing Syrian civil war, most of Salma's residents fled the village which came under rebel control in December 2012. It is currently on the front line of fighting in Latakia Governorate between rebels and government forces.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Latakia Governorate. (Arabic)
  2. ↑ Balanche, 2006, p. 60.
  3. ↑ Guide Arabe Pour Le Commerce, L'industrie & Les Professions Libérales Dans Les Pays Arabes. (1972). Page 12.
  4. ↑ Balanche, 2006, p. 88.
  5. ↑ Sherlock, Ruth. Syrian rebels cut off Bashar al-Assad’s escape route. The Daily Telegraph. 2012-12-17.

Bibliography