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Sfax (Tunisian Arabic: صفاقس Ṣfāqes ; Berber: Sifaks) is a city in Tunisia, located 270 km (170 mi) southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 860,000 inhabitants in 2005),[1] and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has a population of 340,000 (2005 estimate).[1] The main economic activities of Sfax are industries (phosphate processing), agriculture (olive and olive oil, nuts), fishing (largest fishing port in Tunisia) and trade (import-export). The city is often described as Tunisia's "second city" (after the capital Tunis).
By the end of the 10th century Sfax had become an independent city-state. The city was conquered by Roger II of Sicily in 1148 and occupied until it was liberated in 1156 by local forces, and was briefly occupied by European forces again; this time by the Spanish, in the 16th century, before falling into Ottoman hands this time. Sfax became an integral base of the Barbary piracy, prompting an unsuccessful invasion by Venice in 1785. In the late 19th century Sfax and the rest of Tunisia were conquered by France and incorporated into the French empire. During World War II, the Axis powers used the city as a major base until British forces took it on 10 April 1943. After World War II, Tunisia was returned to France, but gained independence in 1956.
Sfax is served by a narrow gauge railway system of SNCFT that delivers phosphates and iron ore for export, but also sees passenger services to Tunis. Sfax is moreover served by Sfax – Thyna International Airport and Syfax Airlines with regularly scheduled flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Tripoli International Airport, and charter flights to Jeddah Airport for the pilgrimage to Mecca.
The A1 motorway connects Sfax with Tunis.
Founded in 1961, Radio Sfax broadcasts twenty hours a day[2] on MW 720 kHz/105.21 MHz.[3]
The University of Sfax includes:
Sfax is twinned with:
Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Morocco
United Kingdom, European Union, Italy, Canada, Spain
University of Toronto, Concurrent Euclid (programming language), Motorola, Unix-like, Operating system
Ukraine, India, China, Turkey, United Kingdom
Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hamburg, France, United Kingdom
Tunisia, Nigeria, Angola, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia national football team, Tunis
Rades, Soviet Union, Brazil, France, Mexico
Tunisia, Sfax, Bulgaria, CS Sfaxien, African Clubs Championship (volleyball)
Tunis, Sfax, Hammamet, Tunisia, Ben Arous, Hammam Lif