Sfax

Sfax
/sfahks/, n.
a seaport in E Tunisia, in N Africa. 75,000.

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or Ṣafāqis

Port city (pop., 1994: 230,900), east-central Tunisia.

Built on the site of two ancient settlements, the city grew as an Islamic trading centre. It was occupied by the Normans in the 12th century and by the Spanish in the 16th century, and later served as a stronghold of the Barbary Coast pirates. The town was bombarded by the French in 1881 prior to their occupation of Tunisia and again in World War II (1939–45), when it was a base for German forces until taken by the British in 1943. Tunisia's second-largest city, it is a transportation hub and a major fishing port.

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also spelled  Ṣafāqis 

      major port town situated in east-central Tunisia on the northern shore of the Gulf of Gabes (Gabes, Gulf of). The town was built on the site of two small settlements of antiquity, Taparura and Thaenae, and grew as an early Islamic trading centre for nomads. It was temporarily occupied in the 12th century by Sicilian Normans and in the 16th century by the Spanish, and it later served as a stronghold of the Barbary pirates (Barbary pirate). The town was bombarded by the French in 1881 prior to their occupation of Tunisia and again in World War II, when it was used as an Axis base until captured by the British in 1943. Construction of the modern port was begun in 1895, but the port was destroyed—along with a large portion of the town itself—during the war. The subsequent reconstruction left Sfax divided into two parts: the town's newer section and the old city (medina), with its 10th-century mosque and casbah (citadel) surrounded by the original ramparts built in the 9th century.

      Now a transportation hub and a market for the phosphates of the Gafsa (Qafṣah) region, with which it is connected by rail, Sfax is one of Tunisia's largest cities, a main outlet for the country's central and southern regions, and a major fishing port with fish canneries. Ferries to the Kerkenah Islands leave from Sfax, and the nearby airport handles some international flights. The University of Sfax (1986) is located in the town. Sfax has become an important commercial and industrial centre, with modern industrial zones and an expanding population. Exports besides phosphates include olive oil, esparto grass, and sponges. The town is surrounded by an important esparto-, vegetable-, and olive-growing region. In the hinterland there are oil fields and oil pipelines. Pop. (2004) 265,131.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sfax — Bandera …   Wikipedia Español

  • SFAX — Édifiées sur le site de l’antique cité romaine de Taparura, Sfax (Sfaqus) et sa banlieue représentent l’agglomération urbaine la plus dynamique de Tunisie. Après la longue période de repliement consécutive aux invasions arabes du XIe siècle,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Sfax — (Sfakes), Stadt in Tunesien (Afrika), liegt an der Küste, hat fruchtbare Umgebungen mit starkem Getreide , Öl u. Obstbau, lebhaften Handel mit Früchten, Seife, Wachs u. Wolle, Verfertigung wollener Zeuge u. 12,000 Ew …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Sfax — [sfäks] seaport on the E coast of Tunisia: pop. 231,000 …   English World dictionary

  • Sfax — 34° 44′ N 10° 46′ E / 34.74, 10.76 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sfax — 34.74138888888910.756666666667 Koordinaten: 34° 44′ N, 10° 45′ O …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sfax — Infobox City official name = Sfax native name = صفاقس nickname = motto = imagesize = 250px image caption = A Sfax street (Rue Hédi Chaker) mapsize = map caption = pushpin pushpin label position = top pushpin map caption = pushpin mapsize =… …   Wikipedia

  • Sfax — Sfạx,   arabisch Safakis, Hafen und Industriestadt mit Seebad an der Ostküste Tunesiens, 230 900 Einwohner; Universität (gegründet 1986); Wirtschaftszentrum Südtunesiens; Phosphatexport und verarbeitung (größtes Phosphatwerk Tunesiens;… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Sfax — Original name in latin Sfax Name in other language Gorad Sfaks, SFA, Safakes, Safakis, Safaqis, Sfaks, Sfaksas, Sfakso, Sfax, Sfvks, Szfaksz, Taparura, Thaenae, seupagseu, sfaqs, si fa ke si, spaksi, spqs, sufakkusu, afqis, Горад Сфакс, Сфакс,… …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • Sfax (Gouvernorat) — Sfax Gouvernorat Basisdaten Staat Tunesien …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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