Settler colonialism Italian Libya

many italians encouraged settle in libya during fascist period, notably in coastal areas. annexation of libya s coastal provinces in 1939 brought them integral part of metropolitan italy focus of italian settlement.

the population of italian settlers in libya increased rapidly after great depression: in 1927, 26,000 of them, 1931 44,600, 66,525 in 1936 , eventually, in 1939, numbered 119,139, or 13% of total population. concentrated on mediterranean coast, in main urban centres , in farmlands around city of tripoli (constituting 41% of city s population) , benghazi (35% of city s population) found jobs in construction boom fuelled fascist interventionist policies. in 1938, governor italo balbo brought 20,000 italian farmers settle in libya, , 27 new villages founded, in cyrenaica.