Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-03-29
Geographic News
Bulletins By the
National Geographic Society
FRENCH GIBRALTAR

EI6ENCh GlbtGA4IEts
Bizerta, Frances little-known
Gibraltar at the northernmost point
of Africa, is brought to notice by the
recent protest of the Russian gov
ernment to the reported plan OF
France to sell the ships Of the ILL
fated General Wrangel, now lying in
the African harbor.
This important naval base OF the
French Mediterranean feet 10 the
subject OF the following bulletin
from the Washington, d. G. head
quarters Of the National Geographic
Society:
"Bizerta, Tunis, is a dark horse
in the race for naval base strength
in the Mediterranean. 1t is a fair
question whether it is not already
as valuable strategically as that
household word for strength, Glib
raltar, or Britain's convenient naval
halfway house, the Island of Malta.
For Gibraltar is in gun-reach from
neighboring Spanish territory botn
in Europe and Africa: and Isolated
Malta, dependent for supplies on the
outside world, might conceivably be
starved out in a few months. Biz
erta, on the other hand, has a pro-
ductive hinterland of French con.
trolled territory behind its heavily
fortified and magnificent land lock-
ed harbor.
a Huge Harbor Ten Miles Inland
There are two Bizertas, in real
ity. Along q wide deep. quay-iired
channel near the sea is the CONNER
cial harbor protected by jetties and
breaiwaters. Beyond the inner end
of the channel, on the Lake OF BIZ
zerta, a deep arm of the sea, is the
naval base, from which commercial
craft are excluded. This lake has
an area of more than so square
miles and much of it has a depth OF
80 feet. On deep water ten miles
from the sea, only a giants stone
throw from the ruins of Carthage,
are naval works such as the sea-
faring old Phoenicians never drean1-
ed of. The base constitutes a city
in itself, Ferryville, named for Jules
Ferry. who is in large part respon-
sible for the presence of French
authority in North Africa today. In
the harbor are always to be found
battIeships and cruisers, torpedo
boats and submarines. The skyline
shoreward is pierced by great cranes.
and dock structures; and over all is
the smoke and din of machine shops.
1.-The name by which the French
African seaport is most widely
known, Bizerta, is an Italian form.
Northern Africa has for centuries
been field of activity for Italian
and Sicilian fishermen and artisans.
To the French the port is 'Bizerte.'
The French are in the minority in
the population of the city. OF the
total civil population of nearly 49,.
600 about $1,000 are Moi1ammedans
Of Arabic and Berber stock and some
5000 are Italians and Maltese. The
French garrison numbers about
1000.
Once Rival of Carthage
"Bizerta, known in Roman days
as Hippo Zarytus, was originally a
Tyrian colony comparable in age to-
Carthage. It's citizens fought with
the Cartha4inians for supremacy for
a while, but finally acknowledged
the suzerainty of the African Rome.
When Carthage was destroyed Hip
po Zarytus became a seat of Roman
administration and grew in import
ance Later it passed into Byzantine
hands and in the seventh century
fell to the Arabs. The Spanish cap
tured the place in 1885, but held it
only a few years. Then came cen
turtles of neglect under Turkish and
local rule. During the sixteenth CEN
tury it was a notorious lair for pir-
ates.
when France intervened in Tu-
mis- in 1881 a French expeditionary
force landed in Bizerta, and the town
has been under the Tri-color ever
since, though a Tunisian Bey is the
nominal ruler. The new channel was
cut and the Lake of Bizerta made ac-
cessible to deep draft vessels between
1890 and 1895. .4.
"Bizerta. has strategic value be-
cause 1t dominates both the rela-
tive narrow passages at the waist
of the Mediterranean those between
Africa and Sardinia and between
Africa and Sicily. Only the home
fleet base at Toulon, 420 miles to
the north, is stronger than Bizerta
among French Mediterranean naval
stations,
Germany seems to have had her
eye on BiZerta. as a possible point
from which to dominate the Medi-
terranean, and in a draft of peace
terms early in the World War let
it be known that, as a victor, she
would insist on the cession to her of
Tunis along with other French ter
ritory."