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41-524: Tobruk–Ajdabiya Road is an asphalt road linking Tobruk and Ajdabiya , in the Cyrenaica region of northeastern Libya . It is used primarily by travelers between Tripoli and Tobruk, or to Egypt . The road has shortened the distance between Tobruk and Ajdabiya to about 410 km (256 mi), from 610 km (388 mi) via the Libyan Coastal Highway ( Via Balbia ). However, the traffic on

82-499: A British tank brigade. The siege lasted until December, when Operation Crusader pushed the DAK and Italians back out of Cyrenaica. Rommel's second offensive took place in May and June 1942. Tobruk was taken in an outflanking attack on 21 June 1942 , capturing the largest number of British Commonwealth troops after the fall of Singapore earlier in the year, where over 80,000 were captured. Rommel

123-630: A Libyan woman who was abused by the Gaddafi government during the First Libyan Civil War , is from Tobruk. Omar Mukhtar was born in Zanjhur, near Tobruk. The city is served by Tobruk Airport , with two major domestic airlines serving it. Hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification BWh and BWk ) is a dry climate sub-type in which there

164-694: A cruiser, two destroyers and several smaller ships and boats. Tobruk remained in Axis hands until 11 November 1942, when the Allies captured it after the Second Battle of El Alamein . It remained in Allied hands thereafter. Although not as much a reason for its strategic significance, the British built a rail line from El Alamein to Tobruk during the course of the war. This rail line was significant both for purposes of supply and as

205-766: A few instances), dry summers, though summers are not typically as hot as hot desert climates. Unlike hot desert climates, cold desert climates tend to feature cold, dry winters. Snow tends to be rare in regions with this climate. The Gobi Desert in northern China and Mongolia is one example of a cold desert. Though hot in the summer, it shares the freezing winters of the rest of Inner Asia . Summers in South America's Atacama Desert are mild, with only slight temperature variations between seasons. Cold desert climates are typically found at higher altitudes than hot desert climates and are usually drier than hot desert climates. Cold desert climates are typically located in temperate zones in

246-606: A hotel named Dar al-Salam also known as the Al Masira Hotel in Tobruk. In November 2014 that government was declared illegal by Libya's highest court. Professor Omar El Barasi (b. 1951), who once managed the Libyan branch of Society of Petroleum Engineers , and later became a deputy of Libya PM Abdurrahim El-Keib is from Tobruk and gained his doctorate in petroleum engineering from Waseda University , Japan . Eman al-Obeidi ,

287-565: A sense of pride to the Allied troops, as the rail line was built through a little-populated, inhospitable desert. At the outset of the First Libyan Civil War , the city quickly came under the control of the NTC . In September 2014 the internationally recognized government of Libya relocated to a Greek car ferry in Tobruk harbor. A rival New General National Congress parliament continued to operate in Tripoli. In October 2014 they again re-located, to

328-410: A total of just 16 mm (0.63 in) of rainfall was measured. To determine whether a location has an arid climate, the precipitation threshold is determined. The precipitation threshold (in millimetres) involves first multiplying the average annual temperature in °C by 20, then adding 280 if 70% or more of the total precipitation is in the high-sun summer half of the year (April through September in

369-400: A week and dug in at Sidi Barrani . In early December, British Empire forces—an armoured division and two infantry divisions—launched a counterstrike codenamed Operation Compass . The Italians had previously invaded Albania and occupied part of the south of France , and had now made a military incursion into a British protectorate . The counterstrike involved the British pocketing two of

410-455: Is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation . The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert climates are dry and hold little moisture, quickly evaporating the already little rainfall they receive. Covering 14.2% of Earth's land area, hot deserts are the second-most common type of climate on Earth after the Polar climate . There are two variations of a desert climate according to

451-605: Is known for certain to be rainless, in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the average annual rainfall over 17 years was only 5 millimetres (0.20 in). Some locations in the Sahara Desert such as Kufra , Libya , record an even drier 0.86 mm (0.034 in) of rainfall annually. The official weather station in Death Valley , United States reports 60 mm (2.4 in) annually, but in 40 months between 1931 and 1934

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492-536: Is seen in sections of Africa and Arabia . During colder periods of the year, night-time temperatures can drop to freezing or below due to the exceptional radiation loss under the clear skies. However, temperatures rarely drop far below freezing under the hot subtype. Hot desert climates can be found in the deserts of North Africa such as the wide Sahara Desert , the Libyan Desert or the Nubian Desert ; deserts of

533-571: The Cyrenaican frontier. With the spread of Christianity, Antipyrgus became an episcopal see . Only one of its ancient bishops is known by name: Aemilianus, who took part in the Second Council of Constantinople in 553. No longer a residential bishopric, Antipyrgus is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see . Later the site became a way station on the caravan route that ran along

574-894: The Horn of Africa such as the Danakil Desert or the Grand Bara Desert ; deserts of Southern Africa such as the Namib Desert or the Kalahari Desert ; deserts of West Asia such as the Arabian Desert , or the Syrian Desert ; deserts of South Asia such as Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir of Iran or the Thar Desert of India and Pakistan; deserts of the United States and Mexico such as

615-407: The Köppen climate classification : a hot desert climate ( BWh ), and a cold desert climate ( BWk ). To delineate "hot desert climates" from "cold desert climates", a mean annual temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) is used as an isotherm so that a location with a BW type climate with the appropriate temperature above this isotherm is classified as "hot arid subtype" ( BW h ), and a location with

656-759: The Mojave Desert , the Sonoran Desert or the Chihuahuan Desert ; deserts of Australia such as the Simpson Desert or the Great Victoria Desert and many other regions. In Europe , the hot desert climate can only be found on southeastern coast of Spain as well as small inland parts of southeastern, especially parts of the Tabernas Desert . Hot deserts are lands of extremes: most of them are among

697-579: The Northern Hemisphere , or October through March in the Southern), or 140 if 30–70% of the total precipitation is received during the applicable period, or 0 if less than 30% of the total precipitation is so received there. If the area's annual precipitation is less than half the threshold (50%), it is classified as a BW (desert climate), while 50–100% of the threshold results in a semi-arid climate. Hot desert climates ( BWh ) are typically found under

738-572: The Southwestern United States , northern Mexico , sections of southeastern Spain , the coast of Peru , and Chile . This makes hot deserts present in every continent except Antarctica. At the time of high sun (summer), scorching, desiccating heat prevails. Hot-month average temperatures are normally between 29 and 35 °C (84 and 95 °F), and midday readings of 43–46 °C (109–115 °F) are common. The world's absolute heat records, over 50 °C (122 °F), are generally in

779-492: The subtropical ridge in the lower middle latitudes or the subtropics , often between 20° and 33° north and south latitudes. In these locations, stable descending air and high pressure aloft clear clouds and create hot, arid conditions with intense sunshine. Hot desert climates are found across vast areas of North Africa , West Asia , northwestern parts of the Indian Subcontinent , southwestern Africa, interior Australia,

820-635: The 30s and 40s latitudes, usually in the leeward rain shadow of high mountains, restricting precipitation from the westerly winds. An example of this is the Patagonian Desert in Argentina, bounded by the Andes ranges to its west. In the case of Central Asia, mountains restrict precipitation from the eastern monsoon . The Kyzyl Kum , Taklamakan and Katpana Desert deserts of Central Asia are other significant examples of BWk climates. The Ladakh region and

861-552: The Allies back across Cyrenaica to the Egyptian border, leaving Tobruk isolated and under siege . The defenders of the fortress consisted of the Australian 9th Division , the Australian 18th Brigade and some British tanks and artillery. They were later reinforced and replaced by the British 70th Infantry Division , Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade , a Czechoslovak battalion and

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902-606: The Australian 6th Division , took Tobruk on 22 January 1941. The Australian 9th Division (" The Rats of Tobruk ") pulled back to Tobruk to avoid encirclement after actions at Er Regima and Mechili and reached Tobruk on 9 April 1941. There prolonged fighting followed, against a siege by German and Italian forces. Although the siege was lifted by Operation Crusader in November 1941, a renewed offensive by Axis forces under Erwin Rommel

943-535: The Italian camps against the Mediterranean, forcing their surrender. This led to a general Italian retreat to El Agheila . Tobruk was captured by British, Australian and Indian forces on 22 January 1941. Italy called on her German ally, which sent an army corps , under the name Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK). Italy also sent several more divisions to Libya. These forces, under Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel , drove

984-606: The Sahara desert. An Ancient Greek agricultural colony, Antipyrgus ( Ancient Greek : Ἀντίπυργος , Antipyrgos ) was once on the site of modern Tobruk, and the ancient name is still occasionally in use. The name roughly meant "across from Pyrgos ", referring to a location in Crete across the Mediterranean Sea from Antipyrgos. In the Roman era, the town became a Roman fortress guarding

1025-585: The Senussi royal dynasty and one of the first to rebel against Muammar Gaddafi in the Arab Spring . Tobruk has a strong, naturally protected deep harbour . It is probably the best natural port in northern Africa , although due to the lack of important nearby land sites it is certainly not the most popular. The city is effectively surrounded by a desert lightly populated with nomadic herdsmen who travel from oasis to oasis. There are many escarpments (cliffs) to

1066-520: The appropriate temperature below the isotherm is classified as "cold arid subtype" ( BW k ). Most desert/arid climates receive between 25 and 200 mm (1 and 8 in) of rainfall annually, although some of the most consistently hot areas of Central Australia , the Sahel and Guajira Peninsula can be, due to extreme potential evapotranspiration , classed as arid with the annual rainfall as high as 430 millimetres or 17 inches. Although no part of Earth

1107-949: The city of Leh in the Great Himalayas in India also have a cold desert climate. In North America, the cold desert climate occurs in the drier parts of the Great Basin Desert and the Bighorn Basin in Big Horn and Washakie County in Wyoming . The Hautes Plaines , located in the northeastern section of Morocco and in Algeria , is another prominent example of a cold desert climate. In Europe , this climate only occurs in some inland parts of southeastern Spain, such as in Lorca . Polar climate desert areas in

1148-512: The coast. At the beginning of World War II , Libya was an Italian colony and Tobruk became the site of important battles between the Allies and Axis powers . Tobruk was strategically important to the conquest of Eastern Libya, then the province of Cyrenaica, for several reasons. Tobruk had a deep, natural, and protected harbour, which meant that even if the port were bombed, ships would still be able to anchor there and be safe from squalls , so

1189-498: The desert while Commandos attacked from the sea. A preparatory air raid by RAF heavy bombers served only to alert the Italian and German defenders. The special forces were unable to silence the coastal artillery batteries and the seaborne assault had to be abandoned after some of the Commandos had been landed in the wrong place. The retiring vessels were then attacked from the air. The British sustained almost 800 casualties, together with

1230-471: The desert, getting cut off in this area was disastrous. Therefore, whoever held both Suluq and Tobruk controlled the majority of Cyrenaica. Finally, 24 km (15 mi) south of the port was the largest airfield in eastern Libya. This was significant due to the importance of air power in desert warfare. Italian forces (and their native Libyan allies—about two divisions of the latter) invaded Egypt in early September 1940 but halted their advance after

1271-505: The following year resulted in Tobruk being captured in June 1942. It was held by the Axis forces until November 1942, when it was recaptured by the Allies. Rebuilt after World War II , Tobruk was later expanded during the 1960s to include a port terminal linked by an oil pipeline to the Sarir oil field . King Idris of Libya had his palace at Bab Zaytun. Tobruk was traditionally a stronghold of

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1312-595: The hot deserts, where the heat potential can be the highest on the planet. This includes the record of 56.7 °C (134.1 °F) in Death Valley , which is currently considered the highest temperature recorded on Earth . Some deserts in the tropics consistently experience very high temperatures all year long, even during wintertime. These locations feature some of the highest annual average temperatures recorded on Earth, exceeding 30 °C (86 °F), up to nearly 35 °C (95 °F) in Dallol, Ethiopia . This last feature

1353-444: The hottest, the driest, and the sunniest places on Earth because of nearly constant high pressure; the almost permanent removal of low-pressure systems, dynamic fronts, and atmospheric disturbances; sinking air motion; dry atmosphere near the surface and aloft; the exacerbated exposure to the sun where solar angles are always high makes this desert inhospitable to most species. Cold desert climates ( BWk ) usually feature hot (or warm in

1394-522: The port could never be rendered wholly useless regardless of military bombardment . This was of critical importance, as it made Tobruk an excellent place to supply a desert warfare campaign. It was also heavily fortified by the Italians prior to their invasion of Egypt in November 1940. In addition to these prepared fortifications, there were a number of escarpments and cliffs to the south of Tobruk, providing substantial physical barriers to any advance on

1435-445: The port over land. Tobruk was also on a peninsula, allowing it to be defended by a minimal number of troops, which the Allies used to their advantage when the port was under siege. An attacker could not simply bypass the defenders, for if they did, the besieged would sally forth and cut off the nearby supply lines of the attacker, spoiling their advance. But Tobruk was also strategically significant, due to its location with regard to

1476-420: The remainder of Cyrenaica. Attackers from the east who had secured Tobruk could then advance through the desert to Benghazi , cutting off all enemy troops along the coast, such as those at Derna . This advance would be protected from counterattack , due to escarpments that were quite difficult for a military force to climb, running generally from Tobruk to Suluq . Due to the importance of maintaining supply in

1517-487: The road is negligible. After the civil war that took place in 2011, the road witnessed several incidents made the traffic on it is dangerous, like: Tobruk Tobruk was the site of an ancient Greek colony and, later, of a Roman fortress guarding the frontier of Cyrenaica . Over the centuries, Tobruk also served as a waystation along the coastal caravan route . By 1911, Tobruk had become an Italian military post. During World War II , Allied forces, mainly

1558-423: The south of Tobruk, as is common across Cyrenaica, the eastern half of Libya. These escarpments generally have their high sides to the south and their low sides ( dip slopes ) to the north. This constitutes a substantial physical barrier between the north and south of Libya in the Tobruk area. Previously, Tobruk was some 470 km (290 mi) from Benghazi through the Libyan Coastal Highway , but this distance

1599-400: The two countries as well as those from Bayda and Derna . Tobruk suffers a serious saltwater intrusion problem. A factory for the desalination of sea water has been built there. Tobruk features a hot desert climate ( BWh according to the Köppen climate classification .) However, its maritime location allows it to receive significantly more precipitation than areas further inland in

1640-518: Was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall , shortly thereafter and was the youngest in the Wehrmacht Heer to achieve this rank. The following units were deployed in Tobruk on 20 June 1942, and most of them were captured by the Axis forces: A British raid on Tobruk on 13–14 September 1942, codenamed Operation Agreement , intended to destroy port facilities and stores being used to support the Axis forces further west. Special forces approached from across

1681-594: Was shortened to 450 km (280 mi) after the construction of the Charruba–Timimi Road between the years 1975 and 1985. Construction of the Tobruk–Ajdabiya Road reduced the distance between those two cities from 620 km (390 mi) to about 410 km (250 mi). Because it is approximately 150 km (93 mi) away from Egypt by land, Tobruk is also an important hub for merchants from both Egypt and Libya , and for travellers between

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