Bizerta

Bizerta, or BENZERTA, a fortified seaport of Tunis, at the head of a bay of the Mediterranean, and at the mouth of a lagoon, united to the bay by a narrow channel. It is the most northerly town in Africa, being 38 miles N.W. of Tunis. Its port, formerly one of the best in the Mediterranean, has again been deepened, provided with breakwaters, and made a great French naval station. The tunny, mullet, and coral fisheries are very productive. Pop. about 10,000.—The ancient Hippo Diarrhytus or Zaritus, Bizerta was founded by the Tyrians, was fortified by Agathocles in 307 B.C., and under the Romans was a free city. Since 1881 it has been held by the French.