Boukaïs () is a town and commune in Lahmar District,

Béchar Province Béchar () is a Provinces of Algeria, province ''(Wilayah, wilaya)'' in Algeria, located on the border with Morocco in the Algerian Desert, Algerian Sahara. It is the second least-densely populated province in Algeria, with a population of 353591 ...

, in western

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. According to the 2008 census its population is 970, up from 890 in 1998, and its annual population growth rate is 0.9%. The commune covers an area of .

Geography

Boukaïs lies at an elevation of on a rocky plain at the edge of a region of higher, darkly colored rocky hills. There is an even higher range of lightly colored hills to the west. The Oued Ihrassa passes by the town to the east; water from this river is used to irrigate the

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 **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

grove found to the southwest of the town.

Climate

Boukaïs 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 very hot summers and cool winters, and low precipitation throughout the year, especially in summer.

Economy

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

is a significant industry in Boukaïs. The commune has a total of of

arable land Arable land (from the , "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 purposes of a ...

, of which is

irrigated Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) 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 be ...

. There are a total of 19,000

date palms ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as the 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 East, ...

planted in the commune. As of 2009 there were 1,613

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal 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 d ...

, 1,815

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly 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 ...

s, 613

camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

s, and 8

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

Infrastructure and housing

100% of Boukaïs's population is connected to drinking water, 99% is connected to the sewerage system, and 91% (including 210 buildings) have access to electricity. There is no fuel service stations in the town. Boukaïs has a total of 239 houses, of which 163 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 6.0 inhabitants per occupied building.

Transportation

A local road connects the town to Lahmar, to the east, and then continues south to the provincial capital

Béchar Béchar () 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 rate of 2.1% ...

, from Boukaïs. There is a total length of of roads in the commune.

Education

There is one elementary school, with 8 classrooms including 5 in use. There are a total of 97 elementary and middle school students; secondary school students attend education in Lahmar. 6.0% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 20.6% has competed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 79.7%, and is 86.7% among males and 73.2% among females.

Health

Boukaïs only has one room care facility; for medical treatment residents must travel to a clinic in Lahmar or the hospital in Béchar.

Religion

Boukaïs has one operational

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, with another one under construction.

Localities

The commune is composed of just one locality – the town of Boukaïs itself.

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boukais Communes of Béchar Province