Bône (, ''‘Annāba'') was a French ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

which existed between 1955 and 1962. Considered as a French province, Algeria was departmentalised on 9 December 1848. Three civil zones (

départements In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

) replaced the three

bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

liks into which the Ottoman former rulers had divided the territory. The easternmost of the three original Algerian

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

was called Constantine. For over a century the town of

Annaba Annaba (), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River and is in the Annaba Province. With a population of about 263,65 ...

, known at that time as Bône (and in

classical times Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the interwoven civilization ...

Hippo The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic Mammal, mammal native to su ...

), was a

sub-prefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...

in the département of Constantine: this changed in 1955. On 7 August 1955 the eastern extremity of the former département of Constantine was split off and became the separate département of Bône. This administrative reorganisation was a response to the rapid population increase experienced across the territory, especially during the preceding decade. The new coastal département of Bône covered an area of ; a population of 730,594 was recorded. The department comprised five sub-prefectures: these were La Calle, Clairfontaine,

Guelma Guelma ( ''Qālima''; ; Algerian pronunciation: ) is the capital of Guelma Province and Guelma District, located in north-eastern Algeria, about 65 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Its location corresponds to that o ...

Souk Ahras Souk Ahras () is a municipality in Algeria. It is the capital of Souk Ahras Province. The Numidian city of Thagaste (or Tagaste), on whose ruins Souk Ahras was built, was the birthplace of Augustine of Hippo and a center of Berber culture. Etym ...

and

Tébessa Tébessa or Tebessa ( ''Tibissa'', ''Tbessa'' or ''Tibesti''), the classical Theveste, is the capital city of Tébessa Province in northeastern Algeria, near the border with Tunisia. It hosts several historical landmarks, the most important o ...

. A final but temporary change took place between 17 March 1958 and 7 November 1959, during which time the Tébessa sub-prefectures was transferred to the département of Batna. In 1962 Bône département was renamed Annaba département. The département of Annaba remained in existence until after the independence of Algeria and subsequently became

Annaba Province Annaba () is a province ('' wilaya'') in the north-eastern corner of Algeria. Its capital, Annaba, is Algeria's main port for mineral exports. History In 1984 El Taref Province was carved out from its territory. Administrative divisions The ...

References

Former departments of France in Algeria States and territories established in 1955 Annaba Province 1955 establishments in Algeria 1974 disestablishments in Algeria {{Annaba-geo-stub