Ouled Khoudir ( ar, أوﻻد ﺧﺪﻳﺮ) is a town and commune in

Ouled Khoudir District Ouled Bouachra is a town and commune in Médéa Province, Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coo ...

, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 4,251, up from 3,893 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 0.9%. The commune covers an area of .

Geography

Ouled Khoudir lies at in the

Saoura The Saoura () is a valley in southwestern Algeria. It is formed by the wadi known as Oued Saoura, formed from the confluence of the Oued Guir and Oued Zouzfana at Igli.] From Igli it runs through Béchar Province past the towns of Béni Abbès, T ...

valley the on banks of

Oued Saoura Oued Saoura is an intermittent river, or wadi, formed from the confluence of the Oued Guir and Oued Zouzfana at Igli, forming the Saoura valley. While in the past the flow of the river was steady and plentiful, in recent years it has diminished ...

, a wadi that separates the

Grand Erg Occidental The Grand Erg Occidental ( ar, العرق الغربي الكبير, al-ʿIrq al-Gharbī al-Kabīr), (also known as the Western Sand Sea) is the second largest erg in northern Algeria after the Grand Erg Oriental. It covers an area of approximatel ...

, a large area of sand dunes in the Sahara desert to the east, from the rocky hills of the

Ougarta Range Ougarta Range or Mountains of Ougarta ( ar, سلاسل الوقارتة, french: Chaînes d'Ougarta) are a mountain range in the Saoura area of southwestern Algeria. The range is oriented from northwest to southeast, and extends over a length of ...

to the west.

Climate

Ouled Khoudir has a hot desert climate ( Köppen climate classification ''BWh''), with extremely hot summers and cool winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.

Economy

Agriculture is the main industry in Ouled Khoudir. The commune has a total of of arable land, of which is irrigated. There are a total of 130,700 date palms planted in the commune. As of 2009 there were 1,935 sheep, 843 goats, 198

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 12 cattle. There were also 1800 chickens in 1 building.

Transportation

Ouled Khoudir is located from the N6 highway, on a local road that leads northeast to the town. The town of

Timoudi Timoudi (Arabic: ﺗﻴﻤﻮدى) is a town and commune in Kerzaz District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 2,389, up from 2,116 in 1998, with an annual population growth rate of 1.2%. The area ...

is northwest of Ouled Khoudir. Ouled Khoudir is from the provincial capital, Béchar.

Infrastructure and housing

95% of Ouled Khoudir's population is connected to drinking water, 95% is connected to the sewerage system, and 99% (including 1,071 buildings) have access to electricity. There are no fuel service stations in the town; the nearest is in

Kerzaz Kerzaz ( ar, كرزاز) is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune, and capital of Kerzaz District, in Béchar Province, western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 5,028, up from 4,276 in 1998, and its annual growth rate is ...

. Ouled Khoudir has a total of 991 houses, of which 493 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 8.6 inhabitants per occupied building, the second highest in the province after the neighbouring town of

. There is a total length of of roads in the commune.

Education

There are 3 elementary schools, with 30 classrooms including 24 in use. There are a total of 964 school students. 4.8% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 16.2% has competed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 74.0%, and is 85.4% among males and 62.9% among females.

Health

Ouled Khoudir has one polyclinic, 5 room care facilities, and a maternity ward. The nearest hospital is in Béni Abbès.

Religion

Ouled Khoudir has 5 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 ...

, with another 1 under construction.

Localities

The commune is composed of five localities: *Ouled Khodir *

Ouled Rafaa Ouled Rafaa (also written Ouled Raffa) is a village in the commune of Ouled Khoudir, in Ouled Khoudir District, Béchar Province, Algeria. The village is located on the northeast bank of the Oued Saoura east of Ouled Khoudir. It is connected to ...

* El Ksar *El Khabaïb *

Meslila Meslila is a settlement in the commune of Ouled Khoudir, in Ouled Khoudir District, Béchar Province, Algeria. The settlement is surrounded by the dunes of the Grand Erg Occidental The Grand Erg Occidental ( ar, العرق الغربي الكب� ...

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Béchar Province Communes of Béchar Province