Italian Libya - Administrative Divisions

Administrative Divisions

In 1934, Italy adopted the name "Libya" (used by the Greeks for all of North Africa, except Egypt) as the official name of the colony (made up of the three Provinces of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan). The colony was administered among four provincial governatores (Commissariato Generale Provinciale) and the southern military territory (Territorio Militare del Sud or Territorio del Sahara Libico):

• Tripoli Province, capital Tripoli.
• Benghazi Province, capital Benghazi.
• Derna Province, capital Derna.
• Misrata Province, capital Misrata.
• Territorio Sahara Libico ("Military Territory of the South"), capital Hun

The commissariats were further divided into wards (circondari). On 9 January 1939, a decree law transformed the commissariats into provinces within the metropolitan territory of the Kingdom of Italy.

Libya was thus formally annexed to Italy and the coastal area was named the Fourth Shore (Quarta Sponda). Key towns and wards of the colony became Italian municipalities (comune) governed by podestà.