El M'Ghair ( ar, اﻟﻤﻐﻴﺮ), also called El Meghaïer or Mhraïer, is a town and
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
, and capital of
El M'Ghair District and
El M'Ghair Province,
Algeria
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, relig ...
. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 49,793,
up from 40,228 in 1998, and is the second largest town in the province after
Djamaa
Djamaa ( ar, ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ) (also written Jama'a) is a town and commune in El Oued Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 50,916, up from 37,438 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 3.1%.
Geography
To the ea ...
. Its annual population growth rate is 2.2%.
Geography
El M'Ghair lies southwest of
Chott Felrhir
In geology, a chott, shott, or shatt (; ar, شط, šaṭṭ, lit=bank, coast) is a salt lake in Africa's Maghreb that stays dry for much of the year but receives some water in the winter. The elevation of a chott surface is controlled by the pos ...
, a large
endorheic
An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...
salt lake. Between the town and the lake there is an extensive palm plantation.
Climate
El M'Ghair has a hot
desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''BWh''), with very hot summers and mild winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.
Transportation
El M'Ghair has a station on the Biskra-Touggourt railway line, which passes by the east side of the city. The N3 highway, which also connects
Biskra
Biskra ( ar, بسكرة ; ; Latin Vescera) is the capital city of Biskra Province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. Biskra is located in northeastern Algeria, about 248 miles (400 km) from Algiers, 71 miles (115&n ...
to the north with
Touggourt
Touggourt ( ar, ﺗﻗﺮت or تڤرت; ber, ⵜⵓⴳⵓⵔⵜ, Tugurt, lit=the gateway or 'the gate') is a city and commune, former sultanate and capital of Touggourt District, in Touggourt Province, Algeria, built next to an oasis in the Sa ...
to the south, also passes through the city on the west side.
Education
5.4% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 18.0% has completed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 77.4%, and is 83.4% among males and 73.4% among females.
Notable buildings
There are two mosques in the town; ''Mosque Akbar'' in the centre of the city and ''Mosque Atik'' to the west near the highway.
Localities
The commune of El M'Ghair is composed of four localities:
*
M'Gaïer
*
Dendouga
Dendouga is a village in the commune of El M'Ghair, in El M'Ghair District, El M'Ghair Province, Algeria
)
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...
*
N'Sigha
*
Zérig
References
Neighbouring towns and cities
{{El Oued Province
Communes of El Oued Province
El Oued Province