Aziziya ( ' / ' / ), sometimes spelled El Azizia, is a small town and capital of the Jafara district in northwestern Libya, 41 km southwest of the capital Tripoli. From 1918 to 1922, it was the capital of the Tripolitanian Republic, the first formal republic in the Arab world. Before 2001, it was part of the Aziziya District and served as its capital. Aziziya is a major trade centre of the Sahel Jeffare plateau, being on a trade route from the coast to the Nafusa Mountains and the Fezzan region to the south. As of 2006, the town's population has been estimated at 23,399.

Geography and climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, 'Aziziya has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh). On 13 September 1922, a high temperature of 58.0 C was recorded in Al-ʿAzīzīyah. This was long considered the highest temperature ever measured on Earth, however this record was deemed illegitimate in 2012 after an investigation by the WMO. Even before it was officially declared illegitimate, the 1922 reading was still controversial: