Jijel ( ar, جيجل), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of

Corniche Jijelienne Corniche Jjilienne ( ar, كورنيش جيجل) is a natural region of northern Algeria characterised by rocky forested massifs rising above the coastal plain.Berardo Cori and Enrica Lemmi. 2002 The forested areas provide some of the last extant h ...

and had a population of 131,513 in 2008. Jijel is the administrative and trade center for a region specialising in

cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

processing, leather tanning and steelmaking. Local crops include citrus and

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

. Fishing is also of great importance. Tourists (mainly Algerians) are attracted to Jijel for its landscapes and fine sand beaches. Being a

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

, there are many hotels and restaurants. There are Phoenician tombs nearby.

Geography and ecology

Jijel is situated 30 km from

Taza National Park The Taza National Park (Arabic:الحظيرة الوطنية تازة) is one of the smaller national parks of Algeria. It is located in Jijel Province in the region of the Tell Atlas, and is named after the nearby city of Taza. Its total area is ...

; this

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

and other vicinity features support a variety of flora and fauna. It is an important habitat for the endangered

Barbary macaque The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar. It is the type species of the ...

, ''Macaca sylvanus''.C. Michael Hogan. 2008

History

Igilgili originally Phoenician, the city passed to the Carthaginians, the Roman Republic and Empire, the Vandals, the Byzantines, the Umayyads, the

Genovese Genovese is an Italian surname meaning, properly, someone from Genoa. Its Italian plural form '' Genovesi'' has also developed into a surname. People * Alfred Genovese (1931–2011), American oboist * Alfredo Genovese (born 1964), Argentine ar ...

, and the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

. It was conquered for the last in the 16th century by Hayreddin Barbarossa. In July 1664, the French took the city. Resistance was organised under the direction of

Shaban Aga Shaʽban ( ar, شَعْبَان, ') is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called as the month of "separation", as the word means "to disperse" or "to separate" because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water. The fiftee ...

and the French were driven out in October of the same year. Jijel remained a

corsair A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially: * Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber pirates and privateers operating from North Africa * French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown Corsair may also refer to: Arts and ...

stronghold until recaptured by the French in 1839. Strong local resistance, finally subdued in 1851, resulted in the construction of three forts along its southern fringe as well as minimal colonisation. The original town was devastated by an earthquake in 1856.

Communications

Due to the rugged landscape, Jijel is slightly isolated. However, it is connected by road to large cities like Bejaïa (90 km west), Setif (135 km southwest) and

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given na ...

(150 km southeast). The city also has its own airport

Jijel Ferhat Abbas Airport Jijel Ferhat Abbas Airport , also known as Ferhat Abbas Airport, is an airport near Jijel, Algeria. Its name comes from the first president of Algerian National Assembly, Ferhat Abbas Ferhat is a Turkish given name and the Turkish spelling of ...

Infrastructure

Jijel is built along modern patterns with wide streets framed by trees. The surroundings consist largely of dense cork-oak forest. A

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

lies right out from the coast and there is a citadel to the north. There is a hospital, previously a Catholic church (which was demolished), mosques and

University of Jijel The University of Jijel is a university, located in Jijel, Algeria. See also * List of universities in Algeria External links * http://www.univ-jijel.dz Jijel Jijel ( ar, جيجل), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Pro ...

Port

A relatively new port has been built at Djen Djen,Enterprise Portuaire de Djen Djen. 2009 approximately 7 miles east of Jijel, which can handle large bulk carriers having a draft up to 18.2m. Presently, the port is mainly used by car carriers and break bulk vessels.

Sources

* C. Michael Hogan. 2008
''Barbary Macaque: Macaca sylvanus'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
* Encyclopædia Britannica. 2002. Edition 15, v. 6 , * Enterprise Portuaire de Djen Djen. 2009

References

{{Lighthouse identifiers , qid2=Q106097461 Communes of Jijel Province Mediterranean port cities and towns in Algeria Cities in Algeria Province seats of Algeria Lighthouses in Algeria