Tindouf (
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
: Tinduf, ar, تندوف) is the main town, and a
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 ...
in
Tindouf Province,
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
, close to the
Mauritanian,
Western Saharan and
Moroccan borders. The commune has population of around 160,000 but the census and population estimates do not count the
Sahrawi refugees making the population as of the 2008 census 45,966,
up from 25,266 in 1998, and an annual population growth rate of 6.3%.
The region is considered of strategic significance. It houses
Algerian military bases and an
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
with regular flights to
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
as well as to other domestic destinations. The settlement of
Garet Djebilet
Garet Djebilet (also written Gâra Djebilet) is a settlement in the commune of Tindouf, in Tindouf Province, Algeria. The village is located southeast of Tindouf near the Mauritanian border, and is the location of an iron mine
Iron ores are ...
lies within the
municipal territory of Tindouf near the border with
Mauritania
Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...
; the settlement has an
iron mine
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the for ...
and a defunct airport, and is approximately northwest of
Âouinet Bel Egrâ
Âouinet Bel Egrâ (also known as Aouinet Bélagraa) is a village in the commune of Tindouf, in Tindouf Province, Algeria. It is in the Sahara Desert approximately 160 kilometres south-east of Tindouf
Tindouf ( Berber: Tinduf, ar, تندوف) i ...
. Since 1975, it also contains several
Sahrawi refugee camps
The Sahrawi refugee camps (also romanized with Saharawi) in Tindouf, Algeria, are a collection of refugee camps set up in the Tindouf Province, Algeria in 1975–76 for Sahrawi refugees fleeing from Moroccan forces, who advanced through Wester ...
operated by the
Polisario Front
The Polisario Front, Frente Polisario, Frelisario or simply Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro), (in ar, rtl=yes, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الس ...
, a national
liberation movement
A liberation movement is an organization or political movement leading a rebellion, or a non-violent social movement, against a colonial power or national government, often seeking independence based on a nationalist identity and an anti-imperi ...
seeking the
self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...
of
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...
.
History
The town of Tindouf was built near an isolated
Saharan oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
in 1852 by members of the
Tajakant The Tajakant (also Tadjakant) is a Sahrawi tribe of Berber Sanhaja origins. They speak Hassaniya Arabic.
The Tajakant mainly live in Mauritania, Morocco, Western Sahara, Algeria, and Mali. They are Muslims, adhering to the Maliki school of Sunni ...
tribe, but sacked and destroyed by the
Reguibat
The Reguibat ( ar, الرقيبات; variously transliterated ''Reguibate'', ''Rguibat'', ''R'gaybat'', ''R'gibat'', ''Erguibat'', ''Ergaybat'') is a Sahrawi tribe of Sanhaja- Berber origins. The Reguibat speak Hassaniya Arabic, and are Arabized ...
, another
Sahrawi tribe in 1895, and the Tajakant tribe were expelled from the region. It remained deserted until
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
troops arrived in the area in 1934. Since Algerian
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
in 1962, the town has been deliberately built up, partly because of its importance as a last outpost before the Moroccan, Sahrawi and Mauritanian borders.
In 1963, the area was the scene of fighting between Algerian and Moroccan forces laying claim to western Algeria, in the
Sand War
The Sand War or the Sands War () was a border conflict between Algeria and Morocco in October 1963. It resulted largely from the Moroccan government's claim to portions of Algeria's Tindouf and Béchar provinces. The Sand War led to heightene ...
. The region has since been heavily militarized, increasing its relevance. Since the mid-70s, the Tindouf region served as base for the
Polisario Front
The Polisario Front, Frente Polisario, Frelisario or simply Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro), (in ar, rtl=yes, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الس ...
, a Sahrawi nationalist organization fighting for
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...
's independence. The Polisario Front is headquartered in self-administered refugee camps south of the city, which filled up as Moroccan and Mauritanian forces conquered Western Sahara in 1975. During the war years of 1975–1990, Polisario forces struck in Western Sahara, Mauritania (until 1979) and southern
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
(including the region of
Tata), using the Tindouf region as their rear base area with Algerian protection and support. Since 1990 the area has been quiet, although the refugee community remains in Algeria, pending a UN-sponsored peace process and a referendum on independence. (See
Minurso
The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ( ar, بعثة الأمم المتحدة لتنظيم استفتاء في الصحراء الغربية; french: Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au ...
.)
Demographics
Tindouf has a population of 47,965 (2010 estimates), though this figure is of questionable authenticity, given the fact that the exact number is a sensitive issue due to the
Sahrawi refugees, who are excluded from the estimate.
Climate
Tindouf 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 ...
(
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 extremely hot summers and very warm winters. There is very little rain for most of the year, generally concentrated in February and —associated with the
West African Monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscill ...
— by September–October. The region can be hit by rare events of heavy rain, such as in February 2006 or October 2015. Summer daytime temperatures commonly approach 45 °C (113 °F) with blazing sunshine, while winter nighttime temperatures can sometimes drop to 5 °C (41 °F) or less.
Education
6.1% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 18.8% has completed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 75.0%, and is 79.7% among males and 70.1% among females.
Localities
The commune is composed of five localities:
*Tindouf-ville
*
Garet Djebilet
Garet Djebilet (also written Gâra Djebilet) is a settlement in the commune of Tindouf, in Tindouf Province, Algeria. The village is located southeast of Tindouf near the Mauritanian border, and is the location of an iron mine
Iron ores are ...
*
Aouinet Bélagraa
*
Chenachène
Chenachène (also written Chenachane) is an isolated village in the commune of Tindouf, in Tindouf Province, Algeria.
Climate
Chenachène has a hyper-arid hot desert climate (Köppen ''BWh''). It is one of the driest places on earth and the hott ...
*
Oum El Achar
Oum El Achar is a village in the commune of Tindouf, in Tindouf Province, Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
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, capital ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Communes of Tindouf Province
Province seats of Algeria
Populated places established in 1852