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Marsala
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<p>Marsala is an Italian comune located in the <a href="/facts/Province_of_Trapani/9dTyBtRs">Province of Trapani</a> in the westernmost part of <a href="/facts/Sicily/E6fug03z">Sicily</a>. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth largest in Sicily.</p>Historical population<table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Pop.</th><th>±%</th></tr><tr><th>1861</th><td>29,012</td><td>— </td></tr><tr><th>1871</th><td>31,384</td><td>+8.2%</td></tr><tr><th>1881</th><td>36,903</td><td>+17.6%</td></tr><tr><th>1901</th><td>53,173</td><td>+44.1%</td></tr><tr><th>1911</th><td>63,803</td><td>+20.0%</td></tr><tr><th>1921</th><td>70,442</td><td>+10.4%</td></tr><tr><th>1931</th><td>52,804</td><td>−25.0%</td></tr><tr><th>1936</th><td>57,171</td><td>+8.3%</td></tr><tr><th>1951</th><td>68,886</td><td>+20.5%</td></tr><tr><th>1961</th><td>74,786</td><td>+8.6%</td></tr><tr><th>1971</th><td>73,492</td><td>−1.7%</td></tr><tr><th>1981</th><td>79,175</td><td>+7.7%</td></tr><tr><th>1991</th><td>80,177</td><td>+1.3%</td></tr><tr><th>2001</th><td>77,784</td><td>−3.0%</td></tr><tr><th>2011</th><td>80,218</td><td>+3.1%</td></tr><tr><th>2021</th><td>80,474</td><td>+0.3%</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">Source: <a href="/facts/National_Institute_of_Statistics_(Italy)/dWu26TRm">ISTAT</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The town is famous for the docking of <a href="/facts/Giuseppe_Garibaldi/QmtD7sKy">Giuseppe Garibaldi</a> on 11 May 1860 (the <i><a href="/facts/Expedition_of_the_Thousand/VKpfQCw7">Expedition of the Thousand</a></i>) and for its <a href="/facts/Marsala_wine/vNe30DQu">Marsala wine</a>. A feature of the area is the <a href="/facts/Stagnone_Lagoon/kalAzKMQ">Stagnone Lagoon</a> Natural Reserve – a marine area with salt ponds. </p><p>Marsala is built on the ruins of the ancient <a href="/facts/Ancient_Carthage/5BFU7yB5">Carthaginian</a> city of Lilybaeum, and includes in its territory the archaeological site of the island of <a href="/facts/Motya/Ev8MP715">Motya</a>, an ancient Phoenician town. The modern name likely derived from the Arabic مَرْسَى عَلِيّ (<i>marsā ʿaliyy</i>, "Ali's harbor"), or possibly مَرْسَى اللّٰه (<i>marsā llāh</i>, "God's harbor"). </p>