Menzel Bourguiba
Menzel Bourguiba (Arabic: منزل بورقيبة, romanized: Manzil Būrgībah, lit. 'House of Bourguiba'), formerly known as Ferryville, is a town located in the extreme north of Tunisia, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Tunis, in the Bizerte Governorate.
Menzel Bourguiba منزل بورقيبة Ferryville | |
---|---|
Town | |
Entrance sign with anchors | |
Menzel Bourguiba Location in Tunisia | |
Coordinates: 37°9′N 9°47′E | |
Country | |
Governorate | Bizerte Governorate |
Population (2014) | |
• Total | 54,536 |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
Toponymy
The town's name translates as "House of Bourguiba", as it was named after the first president of independent Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba, in 1956. During the French protectorate of Tunisia (1881–1956), Menzel Bourguiba was named Ferryville, referring to contemporary French minister Jules Ferry.
Economy
Menzel Bourguiba is an important town for economic reasons. Its economy is based mainly around metallurgy. It was founded as a naval installation under French rule, because of its strategic location between two lakes: The inland Ichkeul Lake on the west, and Bizerte Lake on the east, which connects to the Mediterranean Sea by the Bizerte canal.
Its most important economic activity was the ailing state-owned shipyard. The yard has seen its workforce decline, after the high level of activity in the 1970s and 1980s, when Tunisia had a larger merchant fleet and when the Soviet Union used Menzel Bourguiba to drydock its ships. At that time, the yard employed over 1,300 people. It has recently been bought by a French ship repair company, Compagnie Marseille Réparation.[1]
Sister city
Menzel Bourguiba Mayors
Period | Mayor(s) |
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1958–1962 | Ahmed Ben Hémida |
1962–1980 | Taïeb Tekaia |
1980–1990 | Mohamed Dridi |
1990–1995 | Kamel Dhaouadi |
1995–2000 | Fethi Sâafi |
2000–2005 | Fethi M'rabet |
2005–2010 | Sadok Chalghoumi |
2010–2011 | Jamel Eddine El Batti |
2011–2018 | Mohamed Arbi Mimouni |
2018–Present | Slaheddine Jebari |
Celebrities From Menzel Bourguiba
- Majdouline Cherni Politician
- Mohamed Habib Marzouki Politician
- Ridha Saidi Politician
- Aymen Ben Ahmed Sportsman
- F. R. David French Singer
- Paul Barge French Actor
- Élisabeth Faure French Painter
- Michel Giliberti French Painter & Photographer
- Nicole Gotteri French Historian & Activist
- Jean-Gabriel Montador French Painter
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Menzel Bourguiba. |
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-02-05. Retrieved 2006-07-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Stuttgart Städtepartnerschaften". Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart, Abteilung Außenbeziehungen (in German). Retrieved 2013-07-27.
External links
- Menzel Bourguiba page at the Global Gazetteer (including location map)
- Ferryville. Menzel Bourguiba (site dedicated to pre-1961 period, in French)
- Old postcards from Menzel Bourguiba
- Bizerta Economic Activities Park