Bizerte

Port in Tunisia, 90 km/56 mi northwest of Tunis; population (2004) 114,400. Chief industries include fishing, oil refining, and metal works. It was formerly a French protectorate.

Features Bizerte is strongly fortified by coastal batteries. The modern town of Bizerte (Arabic Ben-zert) lies north of the canal, and south of the Arab town and the ancient citadel.

History The ancient name of the harbour, always the safest on the coast, was Hippo Zaritus or Diarrhytus, once a Tyrian, later a Roman colony. It was taken by the Arabs in the 7th century, and by Spain in 1535. Long neglect allowed the fine harbour to decay until the declaration of the French protectorate over Tunis in 1881, and its subsequent rise to importance as a naval station. It was occupied by the Germans during World War II, and was retaken by American troops on 7 May 1943. The French base in Bizerte was retained after Tunisian independence in 1956, and there was heavy fighting between the French and Tunisians after the Tunisians blockaded the base 20–23 July 1961. The French left finally in October 1963.