Bizerte

Bizerte is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under French control after the rest of the country won its independence from France. The city had 162,053 inhabitants in 2014.

Names

The classical name of Bizerte, Hippo, is the latinization of a Punic name, probably related to the word ûbôn, meaning "harbor". To distinguish it from Hippo Regius, the Greeks and Romans used several epithets. Scylax of Caryanda mentions it as and . Polybius mentions it as , "Hippo Divided-by-the-Water", in reference to the town's prominent canal. It also appears in Roman, Vandal, and Byzantine sources as. Its Arabic name Binzart and the French and English forms derived from it all represent phonetic developments of its ancient name.

History

Later history

armies took Bizerte in 647 in their first invasion of the area, but the city reverted to control from Constantinople until the Byzantines were defeated and finally driven from North Africa in 695–98. The troops of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire captured the city in 1535; the Turks took it in 1574. The city then became a corsair harbour associated to the Ottoman Tunisia and struggled against the French, the Venetians and the Spanish viceroyalty of Sicily.
With its occupation of Tunisia in 1881, France gained control of Bizerte and built a large naval harbour in the city.
In 1924, after the French government officially recognized the Soviet Union, the western military fleet of White Russia that had been kept in the port of Bizerte was returned to the Soviet government. The ships were never moved from the port and finally were sold there as scrap metal.
In March 1939, towards the end of the Spanish Civil War, Spanish Republican Navy Commander Miguel Buiza ordered the evacuation of the bulk of the Republican fleet. Three cruisers, eight destroyers and two submarines left Cartagena harbor and reached Bizerte, where the French authorities impounded them.
During the Second World War, the German and Italian armies occupied Bizerte until Allied troops defeated them on 7 May 1943. During the fighting between the Allied forces and the German Army, many of the city's inhabitants fled to the countryside or to Tunis. The city suffered significant damage during the battle.
Due to Bizerte's strategic location on the Mediterranean, France retained control of the city and their naval base after Tunisian independence in 1956.
In 1961 Tunisian forces blockaded the area of Bizerte and demanded French withdrawal. The face-off escalated when a French helicopter took off and drew fire. The French brought in reinforcements; when these were fired upon, France took decisive military action against the Tunisian forces. Using superior weapons and decisive force the French took Bizerte and Menzel Bourguiba. During three days in July 1961, 700 Tunisians died ; the French lost 24 dead.
Meetings at the UN Security Council and other international pressure moved France to agreement; the French military finally abandoned Bizerte on 15 October 1963.

Geography

Location

Bizerte is on a section of widened inlet and east-facing coast of the north coast of Tunisia, 15 kilometres from Ras ben Sakka, 20 kilometers northeast of the Ichkeul lake, north of the archaeological site of Utica and 65 kilometers north of Tunis.
West of the city there are coastal hills forming an outcrop of the Tell Atlas with well-conserved woods and vantage points. Its associated beaches include Sidi Salem, La Grotte, Rasenjela, and Al Rimel. It is on a section of Mediterranean climate coastline, close to Sardinia and Sicily, as opposed to coasts in the south of the country which have a year-round dry desert climate.
The city is centered on the north shore of the canal of Bizerte linking the Mediterranean Sea to a tidal lake, the Lac de Bizerte which is larger than all parts of the town combined, to the immediate south. Built-up areas are in three directions:

South-west along the widening canal with jetties at Pecherie and Jarrouba, the latter associated with Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed Air Base adjoining the opening of the lake and military/rescue heliport.
North are Sidi Salam and Corniche. They are within meters of the coast and on coast-facing slopes of the Ain Berda, a range of hills toward Cap Blanc, a small headland in the Ain Damou Plage natural conservation area.
Zarzouna, Menzel Jemil and Menzel Abderrahmane are on the south shore of the canal, formed by the locality of Zarzouna and the towns of Menzel Jemil and Menzel Abderrahmane, by a moveable bridge and both Menzels face the lake itself. The rest of the isthmus on which they stand is the gently rising Foret de Remel, reaching a high point east of its forest area at Cap Zebib.
Transport

The bridge leads to the motorway A4 leading to Tunis–Carthage International Airport and the capital. On the town side the P11 passes semi-rural Louata, hugs Ichkeul Lake and branches into a western route, the P7, leading directly to Tabarka on the coast next to the Algerian border. The P11 leads south-west to Béja, a governorate center, in the foothills of the Tell Atlas, forks into several roads at Bou Salem, a small town in a broad fertile plain, and climbs to Firnanah passing two high-altitude lakes and also approaching the north-west border with Algeria.

Climate

Bizerte enjoys a hot-summer mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The Mediterranean Sea breeze makes summers cooler and more humid than in the interior of Tunisia.
The city's climate is unique by North African standards due to its geography. The rainy season typically lasts from October to March but can extend from September to May. Bizerte experiences an average of 110 rainy days per year greater than 0.1 mm, a relatively high number for its annual rainfall total of 653.2 mm despite its modest elevations. This is partly due to its direct exposure to westerly and north-westerly winds, which are very active throughout the year. These winds account for over 58% of all wind flows in winter and nearly 50% in summer.
During the summer, the climate is moderated by thermal sea breezes, making it more pleasant than many other coastal regions in North Africa. Sea breezes are observed on more than two-thirds of summer days, with their frequency peaking at over 80% in August. A typical summer sea breeze starts around 8:30 AM, reaches its maximum speed of up to 7 m/s around 3:00 PM, and subsides around 9:00 PM, lasting for about 13 hours. This effect is pronounced, with coastal neighborhoods like the Corniche being up to 2.5 °C cooler than inland areas where the official weather station of Sidi Ahmed is located. Forested areas, such as the Ennadhour forest, also benefit from this cooling effect. In contrast to the moderating breezes, the region also experiences hot, dry Sirocco wind events, which occur on average 7 to 8 days per year during the hot season.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Demography

In 2020 the estimated population of Bizerte was 182,662, with a density of 392.4/km².

Population structure

In 2014 the Males represented 50.3% of the population and the Females 49.7%.
The population aged 60 years and over represented 12.4% and the urban population represented 60.4% of the population.

Demographic evolution

Architecture and landscape

Vieux Port

Le vieux port of Bizerte is a port with its small pool surrounded by white houses, cafes and large boats in bright colors. The old port is the most charming place in Bizerte. The quay stretches in an arc along the Siena earth ramparts of the Kasbah and the low white houses. A modest boat painted in red and green slices through the calm water, a fisherman unloads his fish for the nearby market, another weighs anchor... Bizerte presents the familiar spectacle of a small Provençal or Spanish port which would have traded its bell tower for a minaret. The old port of Bizerte comes alive particularly at the end of the day, when the terraces of the bistros invade the quays.

Medina

The medina corresponds to the old town of Bizerte. It stretches north of the modern city, above Avenue Bourguiba, and runs along the old port to the Kasbah. Once protected by a rampart facing inland, it was brought down during the French protectorate to assert its power over the city. The medina is a sort of labyrinth of narrow streets that intersect in all directions. In the souks, the smells change from one alley to another, according to the shops of craftsmen and their products. The names of the streets correspond to the old corporations present here: rue des armuriers, rue des carpenters, weavers, jewelers... In narrow stalls you can see a craftsman at work. The tall octagonal-shaped minaret of the Great Mosque rises above the medina. At his side, the zaouïa of Sidi Mokhtar Dey, boss of Bizerte.
The Medina of Bizerte is an old town that surrounds the picturesque Old Port district. It is a bustling center of traditional crafts. In its winding labyrinth of narrow alleys and covered souks are the workshops of metalworkers and carpenters, and butchers and grocery stores. The streets are named after the artisans who live and work there: the blacksmiths on rue des Forgerons, the gunsmiths on rue des Armuriers, carpenters on rue des Menuisiers and butchers on rue des bouchers. It is a very atmospheric place to walk, and unlike the Medinas of Hammamet and Monastir, it has not been restored so it oozes with all the exotic charm of the Orient.