Benghazi , transliterated as Bin; Turkish: Bingazi) is the second largest city in Libya and the main city (or capital) of the Cyrenaica region . It is also a district of Libya of the wider city area. This creates a constant atmosphere of rivalry and sensitivities between it and Tripoli and by extension between the two regions (Cyrenaica and Tripolitania). The population was 500,120 in 1995 (census) and has increased to 660,147 in the 2004 census (another 2004 estimate puts the number at 950,000, possibly due to the inclusion of a larger area of outskirts around the city.