MESTRE

northwestern suburb of Venice, in Venezia provincia, Veneto regione, northern Italy. Mestre lies on the mainland shore of the Venice Lagoon. It existed in Roman times and was the site of an important fortress in the 12th century. It came under Venetian domination in 1337 and was incorporated into the commune of Venice in 1926. Included in Mestre are the industrial districts of Marghera and Porto Marghera. The latter was built in 191928 and is one of the most important industrial and commercial ports in Italy. There are chemical, metallurgical, iron, and glass industries, coal processing, oil refining, engineering, and naval dockyards. The port exports regional products and imports coal, oil, ores, and cereals. Pop. (1987 est.) 184,000.