Béchar () is the capital city of

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 ...

, 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%. The commune covers an area of . Béchar thrived on the activity of the coal mines until petroleum production seized the market. Leatherwork and jewellery are notable products of Béchar.

Dates Date or dates may refer to: * Date, the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') * Jujube, also known as red date or Chinese date, the fruit of ''Ziziphus jujuba'' Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activit ...

, vegetables,

figs The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...

, cereals and

almonds The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the sh ...

are produced near Béchar. There are

bituminous coal Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the coal seam, ...

reserves near Béchar, but they are not exploited to their greatest potential because of transportation costs are too high relative to that from the oil and

gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...

fields of eastern Algeria. The city was once the site of a French Foreign Legion post. The Kenadsa longwave transmitter, whose masts are the tallest structures in Algeria at , is found near Béchar.

Geography

Béchar is located in the northwestern region of Algeria roughly south of the Moroccan border. BASA-3K-7-350-47

Béchar lies at an elevation of on the banks of

Oued Béchar Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portions of alluvial fans and ext ...

, which runs through the city from northeast to southwest. The rocky highlands of the

Djebel Béchar : ''For mountains or other uses, see: Jabal.'' Djebel (1937–1958) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 15 of 22 races during 1939–1942 including the Prix d'Essai, 2000 Guineas and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was later a leading sir ...

overlook the city from the southeast, reaching to the east of the city. Further to the northeast the

Djebel Antar : ''For mountains or other uses, see: Jabal.'' Djebel (1937–1958) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 15 of 22 races during 1939–1942 including the Prix d'Essai, 2000 Guineas and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was later a leading sir ...

range rises even higher, to . The northwest, by contrast, is a flat rocky reg.

Climate

Béchar 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BWh''), with extremely hot summers and warm winters despite the high elevation. There is very little rain throughout the year, and summers are especially dry.

Economy

Agriculture is an important industry in Béchar. 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 109,000

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, occupying . Other crops include vegetables, figs, cereals and almonds. As of 2009 there were 19,067 sheep, 16,664 goats, 1,766 camels, and 444 cattle. There were also 126,000 chickens in 20 buildings. There is some tourism in the city, with 10 hotels and tourist attractions including

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

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 ...

groves, the old

ksar Ksar or qṣar (), in plural ksour or qsour (), is a type of fortified village in North Africa, usually found in the regions predominantly or traditionally inhabited by Berbers (Amazigh). The equivalent Berber languages, Berber term used is ' ( ...

, and an ancient fort. Other industries in the city include coal mining, and the production of leatherwork and jewellery.

Infrastructure and housing

98% of Béchar's population is connected to drinking water, 95% is connected to the sewerage system, and 99% (including 33,180 houses) have access to electricity. There are 6 fuel service stations in the town. Béchar has a total of 33,245 houses, of which 25,499 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 6.5 inhabitants per occupied building.

Transportation

The main road through Béchar is the N6 highway; it connects to Mecheria, Saida,

Mascara Mascara (, ) is a Cosmetics, cosmetic commonly used to enhance the upper and lower eyelashes. It is used to darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, powder, or cream—the modern mascara p ...

and

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

to the north, and to Adrar and

Timiaouine Timiaouine (also called Timiaouine, Timéiaouine, Timéiawine) (, Amazigh: ⵜⵉⵎⵢⴰⵡⵉⵏ) is a town and commune in Bordj Badji Mokhtar District, Bordj Baji Mokhtar Province, in southwest Algeria near the border with Mali. According ...

to the south. There is a total length of of roads in the commune. It is served by

SNTF The National Rail Transportation Company (, , abbreviated SNTF) is Algeria's national railway operator. The SNTF, a state-owned company, currently has a monopoly over Algeria's rail network of , although it is currently utilising only . Out of ...

by a

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

railway converted in 2010 from

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

(1,055mm). From 1941 to 1963 it was reached by the standard gauge Mediterranean-Niger-Railway. Béchar is served by

Boudghene Ben Ali Lotfi Airport Boudghene Ben Ali Lotfi Airport () is an airport located 5 km north of Béchar, a city in the Béchar Province of Algeria. Airlines and destinations Statistics See also *List of airports in Algeria This is a list of airports in Alger ...

, to the northwest of the city.

Education

The city is home to the

University of Béchar The University Tahri Mohamed Béchar is a university located in Béchar, Algeria. It was established in 1986;1992;2009. Enrollment and staffing As of the 2014–2015 academic year, there were 14,000 students enrolled at the university and a total ...

. There are 68 elementary schools in Béchar, with 777 classrooms including 581 in use. There are a total of 33,511 school students. 8.3% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 23.0% has competed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 86.4%, and is 91.4% among males and 81.4% among females.

Health

Béchar has 2 hospitals, 4 polyclinics, 17-room care facilities, a maternity ward, 36 private pharmacies, 5 medical operating theatres, and a psychiatric service.

Culture

Béchar has a cinema with 850 seats, as well as a museum.

Religion

Béchar has 27 operational mosques, with another 19 under construction.

Historical population

Localities

The commune is composed of 8 localities: *Béchar Centre *Debdaba *Béchar Djedid *Ouakda *

Benzireg Benzireg is a village in the commune of Béchar, in Béchar District, Béchar Province, 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 ...

*Hassi Haouari *Zouzfana *Gharassa *Manouarar Nekheila Béchar Djedid is located south of the city and was constructed as housing for coal miners working in

Kénadsa Kénadsa is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune in the Sahara Desert of south-western Algeria, and is the capital of Kénadsa District, Béchar Province. As of 2008, Kénadsa had a population of 13,492, up from 11,667 in 1998, and an annual gr ...

References

External links

Official website of Béchar Province
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bechar Communes of Béchar Province Cities in Algeria Province seats of Algeria