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Mercato “Market" just Mercato, from the Italian for "market" is the name for the large open-air marketplace in Africa, covering several square miles and employing an estimated 13,000 people in 7,100 business entities. The primary merchandise passing through the Mercato is locally-grown agricultural products most notably coffee. The Mercato was instituted by segregationist policies of the Italian occupational government. They restricted the historic St. George Mercato to Europeans, causing the mostly Arab tradesmen to relocate a half mile to the west. Over time, local shopkeepers displaced the Arab merchants and, since the 1960s, the Mercato has had a mostly local flavor. Mercato has over 120 stores and one massive shopping center that have 75 stores.