Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne ( ar, مشرع ھوارى بومدين) 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 ...

Abadla District Abadla is a district in Béchar Province, Algeria. It was named after its capital, Abadla. According to the 2008 census, the total population of the district was 21,133 inhabitants. Most of the population of the region is clustered around the Oue ...

Béchar Province Béchar ( ar, ولاية بشار) is the second least-densely populated province (''wilaya'') in Algeria, named after its capital Béchar. History The greater part of the province is dry plains (hamadas) suitable for grazing but with insuffic ...

, in western

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. According to the 2008 census its population is 3,091, down from 3,133 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of -0.1%. The commune covers an area of .

Etymology

The town is named after

Houari Boumediene Houari is a given name and surname. It may refer to: Persons Given name *Houari Boumédiène, also transcribed Boumediene, Boumedienne etc. (1932–1978), served as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Algeria from 19 June 1965 until 12 Decembe ...

, a former president of Algeria.

Geography

Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne lies at an elevation of 572m to the west of the

Oued Guir Oued Guir is an intermittent river or wadi that flows through the Drâa-Tafilalet and Oriental regions in southeastern Morocco and Béchar Province in western Algeria. Course The Oued Guir originates high in the Atlas Mountains northeast of t ...

, an intermittent

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

, and just south of the town of

Abadla Abadla ( ar, العبادلة) is a town and commune in western Algeria, and capital of Abadla District, Béchar Province. It is located on the Oued Guir southwest of Béchar. According to the 2008 census its population is 13,636, up from 10,8 ...

. From here through Abadla to

Erg Ferradj Erg Ferradj ( ar, ﻋﺮق ﻓﺮاج) is a town and commune in Abadla District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 4,406, down from 4,670 in 1998, and an annual population growth rate of -0.6%, ...

is the site of an extensive 3000 hectare

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

plantation.

Climate

Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne 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 desert ...

, with extremely hot summers and cool winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.

Economy

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

is the main industry in Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne. The commune has a total of of

arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the ...

, of which is

irrigated Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

. There are a total of 41,850

date palms ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...

planted in the commune. As of 2009 there were 791

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

, 2,986

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

s, 1,636

camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...

s, and 10

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

. There were also 14,600

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

s in 6 buildings.

Infrastructure and housing

100% of Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne's population is connected to drinking water, 99% is connected to the sewerage system, and 83% (including 555 buildings) have access to electricity. There are no fuel service stations in the town; the nearest is in

. Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne has a total of 759 houses, of which 511 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 6.0 inhabitants per occupied building.

Transportation

Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne is on the N6 national highway between

Béchar Béchar ( ar, بشار) is the capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. It is also a commune, coextensive with Béchar District, of Béchar Province. In 2008 the city had a population of 165,627, up from 134,954 in 1998, with an annual growth ...

to the northeast and

Adrar Adrar (in Tifinagh script "ⴰⴷⵔⴰⵔ"), a Berber word meaning "mountain", is the name of several areas in Northwest Africa: Algeria * Adrar, Algeria, a town in Algeria * Adrar Province, an administrative division of Algeria * Adrar District, ...

to the southeast. The town of

is on the highway to the north, while to the south the towns of Igli,

Béni Abbès Béni Abbès ( ar, بني عباس), also known as the ''Pearl of the Saoura'', and also as the ''White Oasis'', is a town and commune located in western Algeria in Béchar Province, far from the provincial capital Béchar, and from Algiers. ...

and others can be accessed. The N50 highway leaves the N6 to the west just to the north of Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne; it eventually leads to

Tindouf Tindouf ( Berber: Tinduf, ar, تندوف) is the main town, and a commune in Tindouf Province, Algeria, close to the Mauritanian, Western Saharan and Moroccan borders. The commune has population of around 160,000 but the census and population ...

, passing

Hamaguir Hammaguir (also written Hamaguir and Hammaguira) ( ar, حماقير) is a village in Abadla District, Béchar Province, Algeria, south-west of Béchar. It lies on the N50 national highway between Béchar and Tindouf. The location is notable for ...

and

Tinfouchy Tinfouchy (sometimes known as Fort Fouchet) is a locality and military base in the commune of Oum El Assel in Tindouf Province, Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = ...

on the way. Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne is from Abadla, and from the provincial capital, Béchar. There is a total length of of roads in the commune.

Education

There are 2 elementary schools, with 24 classrooms including 14 in use. There are a total of 732 school students. 3.6% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 13.8% has competed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 63.9%, and is 70.2% among males and 57.7% among females. The rate for males is the lowest in the province, and the rates overall and for females are the second lowest.

Health

Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne has a hospital, which is a central focus of healthcare for Abadla district and

Tabelbala Tabelbala ( ar, تبلبالة, ber, ⵜⴰⴱⵍⴱⴰⵍⵜ, Tabelbalt, Korandje: ''tsawərbəts'') is a town and commune between Béchar and Tindouf in south-western Algeria, and is the capital, and only significant settlement, of the Daïra ...

. There are also a polyclinic, a room care facility, and a medical operating theatre.

Religion

Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne has 2 operational

mosques A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mechraa Haouri Boumedienne Communes of Béchar Province