Zelfana ( ar, زلفانة) 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 ...

, coextensive with Zelfana District, in

Ghardaïa Province Ghardaïa ( ar, ولاية غرداية) is located in the north of the Algerian desert, and the headquarters of the state is the city of Ghardaia 600 km south of the capital Algiers, its total area is estimated at 24711 Km², its extensio ...

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

. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 10,161, up from 7,241 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 3.5%.

Climate

Zelfana 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 very hot summers and mild winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.

Transportation

Zelfana is connected by a short road to the N48 highway, which connects it to

Ouargla Ouargla ( Berber: Wargrən, ar, ورقلة) is the capital city of Ouargla Province in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing petroleum industry and hosts one of Algeria's universities, the University of Ouargla. The commune ...

to the east and the

Trans-Sahara Highway The Trans-Sahara Highway or TAH 2 is a proposed transnational highway project to pave, improve and ease border formalities on an existing trade route running north–south across the Sahara Desert. It runs between North Africa bordered by the Medit ...

or N1 to the west, near Noumerat Airport. The N1 connects to

Ghardaïa Ghardaïa ( ar, غرداية, Mzab-Berber: ''Taɣerdayt'') is the capital city of Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. The commune of Ghardaïa has a population of 93,423 according to the 2008 census, up from 87,599 in 1998, with an annual growth rate ...

to the north and to

El Goléa El Menia () is an oasis town and commune, and capital of El Ménia District, in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. The former name is El Goléa (); together in Arabic, the two names mean ''Impregnable Castle''. According to the 2008 census it has a ...

and

In Salah In Salah or officially Aïn Salah ( ar, عين صالح) is the oasis town in central Algeria that is the capital of the In Salah Province and In Salah District. It was once an important trade link of the trans-Saharan caravan route. As of the 2 ...

to the south.

Education

5.5% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 15.4% has completed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 78.8%, and is 85.6% among males and 71.9% among females.

Localities

The commune of Zelfana is composed of five localities: *Centre de Zelfana *Village socialiste agricole et Centre Pétrolier de Oued Noumer *El Hesseï *Gouifla *La Palmeraie

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Ghardaïa Province Communes of Ghardaïa Province