What is "sirte"

Sirte is a city in Libya

Sirte may also refer to:

• Sirte Declaration, a 1999 resolution to create the African Union
• Sirte Oil Company, a Libyan oil company

In geography:

• Gulf of Sirte, alias for Gulf of Sidra on Libya's coast
• Sirte Basin, an oilfield beneath Sirte province and the Gulf

In World War II, two naval battles were fought in the Gulf of Sirte:

• First Battle of Sirte (17 December 1941)
• Second Battle of Sirte (22 March 1942)

In the Libyan Civil War:

• Battle of Sirte (2011)

Sirte (; , ; from ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is on the south coast of the Gulf of Sidra (ancient Syrtis Major, from which Sirte's name is derived). Sirte lies halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi. The settlement was established in the early 20th century by the Italians, at the site of a 19th-century fortress built by the Ottomans. It grew into a city after World War II.

As the birthplace of Muammar Gaddafi, Sirte was favoured by the Gaddafi government. The city was the final major stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists in the Libyan Civil War and Gaddafi was killed there by rebel forces on 20 October 2011. During the battle, Sirte was left almost completely in ruins, with many buildings totally destroyed or damaged. Six months after the civil war, almost 60,000 inhabitants, more than 70 percent of pre-war population, had returned.