TRIPOLI. A vilayet of the Ottoman Em pire, situated on the northern coast of Africa, and bounded by Barca and the Libyan desert on the east, Tunis on the west, and the desert of Sahara on the south, on which side the boundary is very indefinite (Map: Africa, F 2). The northern half is the country called Tripoli and the southern half is Fezzan (q.v.). The area of Tripolitania, including Barca (the mutes sarritlik of Bengazi), is in round numbers about 400,000 square miles. The interior of Tripoli is elevated and sandy, with fertile spots along the wadis. The country is exposed to the clouds of sand from the deserts. The coasts are mostly low and sandy, with the exception of the north eastern part, where some of the mountains attain an altitude of nearly 2000 feet. Tripoli has no permanent rivers, but there are a considerable number of springs. and the dry river courses fill up during the rainy season. The climate is hot during the summer, but it has more of a Mediterranean than African character. During the winter the coasts are occasionally covered with snow, while in the interior the win ter is marked by copious rains. In its flora and fauna Tripoli resembles the rest of the countries on the northern coast of Africa. to the scarcity of productive land and its small popu lation. Tripoli is very little developed.
Agriculture is parried on only to a limited extent. More attention is paid to stock-raising. The chief agricultural products are wheat, dates, grapes, and olives. Sheep are raised on a large scale, and cattle are also to some extent. Some sulphur and salt are obtained near the coast, and there are small sponge fisheries. The commerce was formerly very considerable, and the port of Tripoli was once an important outlet for the products of the interior, with which it is con nected by numerous caravan routes. The chief domestic exports are wool, oil, and cattle, while from the interior of Africa come gold, ostrich feathers, ivory, rubber, and a few other African products. The imports front Europe consist chiefly of manufactures. The centre of foreign commerce is Tripoli, the capital (q.v.). The
annual value of the commerce is in the neighbor hood of $4,000,000 annually.
Tripoli, including Barca, is divided into four provinces, administered by boys, who ap pointed by the Governor. The latter is appointed by the Sultan, and is intrusted with extensive powers. The Turkish Government maintains a considerable military force, necessitated by the frequent political outbreaks. The population is estimated at from 800,000 to 1,000,000. It con sists largely of Berbers and Moors, the latter living mostly in the cities. The Turkish element outside of the official circles is very limited. The official language is Arabic.
HisrortY. Tripoli appears early to have formed a portion of the territory of the Carthaginians. It. next passed to the Romans, who included it within the Province of Africa, and gave it the name of Regio Surlier,. About the beginning of the third century A.D. it became known as the lecgio TripoMem (on account of its three prin cipal cities, (Ea, Sabrata, and Leptis, which were leagued together; whence its present name Tripoli), and was probably raised to the rank of a separate province by Septimins Seven's, who was a native of Leptis. Later it passed into possession of the Vandals and Greeks. In the seventh century it was conquered by the Arabs (see BARBARY STATES), and the feeble Christianity of the natives was supplanted by a vigorous and fanatical :\fohanpnedanism. In 1510 the city of Tripoli was captured by Ferdi nand the Catholic, front 1530 to 1551 it was in possession of the Knights of Saint John. Since 1551 the country has formed part of the Turkish Empire, though the authority of the Sultan, down to 1835, had been virtually at zero for more than a century. During this period Tripoli was a piratical stronghold. In conse quence it was attacked by successive expeditions of the English and the French. In 1801-5 it was involved in an unsuccessful war with the United States, and in 1815 an American expedition ex acted reparation for injuries done to American commerce. (See BARBARY POWERS, WARS WITII