Benghazi

Benghazi, city and major seaport of northeastern Libya, on the Gulf of Sidra.

It was founded by the Greeks of Cyrenaica as Hesperides (Euesperides) and received from the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy III the additional name of Berenice in honour of his wife. After the 3rd century ce it superseded Cyrene and Barce as the chief centre of the region, but its importance waned, and it remained a small town until it was extensively developed during the Italian occupation of Libya (1912–42). In World War II Benghazi suffered considerable damage, and, after changing hands five times, it was finally captured by the British in November 1942. In 2011 Benghazi played an important role in an uprising against Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, serving as the headquarters of the opposition movement that ultimately drove him from power.

Benghazi is Libya’s second largest city and is an administrative, commercial, and educational centre. It is the site of several national government buildings as well as the Gar Younis (formerly Benghazi) University (founded 1955). Local industries include salt processing, oil refining, food processing, cement manufacturing, and tanning, brewing, and fishing. Fresh water is provided by large desalination facilities and by the Great Man-Made River, a network of underground pipelines that carries water from aquifers in the Sahara. Benina International Airport is 20 miles (32 km) east of the city. Roads connect Benghazi with other Libyan centres on the Mediterranean coast. Pop. (2005 est.) 685,367.