Boumerdès Province
Boumerdès (Arabic: ولاية بومرداس, Berber languages: ⴱⵓⵎⴻⵔⴷⴰⵙ, French: Wilaya de Boumerdès) is a province (wilaya) of northern Algeria in the Kabylie region, between Algiers and Tizi-Ouzou, with its capital at the coastal city of Boumerdès (formerly Rocher-Noir) just east of Algiers.
Boumerdès Province ولاية بومرداس ⴱⵓⵎⴻⵔⴷⴰⵙ Wilaya de Boumerdès | |
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Map of Algeria highlighting Boumerdès | |
Coordinates: 36°46′N 03°29′E | |
Country | |
Capital | Boumerdès |
Government | |
• Wāli | Nouria Yamina Zerhouni |
Area | |
• Total | 1,591 km2 (614 sq mi) |
Population (2008)[1] | |
• Total | 795,019 |
• Density | 500/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01 (CET) |
Area Code | +213 (0) 24 |
ISO 3166 code | DZ-35 |
Districts | 9 |
Municipalities | 32 |
Administrative divisions
It is made up of 9 districts and 32 communes or municipalities.
Communes
- Aafir
- Ammal
- Baghlia
- Ben Choud
- Beni Amrane
- Bordj Menaiel (Bordj Ménaïl)
- Boudouaou
- Boudouaou-El-Bahri
- Boumerdès
- Bouzegza Keddara
- Chabet el Ameur
- Corso
- Dellys
- Djinet
- El Kharrouba
- Hammedi
- Issers
- Keddara
- Khemis El-Khechna
- Larbatache
- Legata
- Naciria
- Ouled Aissa
- Ouled Hedadj
- Ouled Moussa
- Si-Mustapha
- Sidi Daoud
- Souk El-Had
- Taourga
- Thenia
- Tidjelabine
- Timezrit
- Zemmouri
Geography
The province is largely mountainous, with a long coastline and a number of rivers, notably the Isser and Sebaou. Its western edges have in effect become suburbs of Algiers as the capital has expanded.
History
The three towns of Zemmouri El Bahri (Rusubbicari), Djinet (Cissi), and Dellys (Rusucurium), all of Phoenician foundation, were the province's principal ancient sites, although smaller Roman towns existed inland, as at Taourga; at none do any significant classical ruins remain. Zemmouri El Bahri (under the name of Marsa-d-Dajaj) and Dellys both attained some significance in the Islamic period, beginning with Hammadid times; the largely Ottoman-era casbah of Dellys remains an attraction. Boumerdès itself, called Rocher-Noir in the colonial period, was expanded substantially following the establishment of the new wilaya in 1983. The province was very hard hit by the 2003 Boumerdès earthquake, whose epicentre was near Zemmouri.
Notable people
- Mohamed Deriche (1865–1948), Algerian politician.
- Mohamed Seghir Boushaki (1869–1959), Algerian politician.
- Toufik Boushaki (born 1975), Algerian engineer.
- Yahia Boushaki (born 1935), Algerian politician.
- Lyès Deriche, 20th-century leader of the Algerian national political movement against the French.
References
- Office National des Statistiques, Recensement General de la Population et de l’Habitat 2008 Archived July 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Preliminary results of the 2008 population census. Accessed on 2008-07-02.