Département Of Oran

Oran () was a French ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' in

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 ...

existing from 1848 until 1974. Originally a French province, it was departmentalised on 9 December 1848. Its principal town,

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 ...

, was made the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

of the ''département''. There were three French ''départements'' in

: Oran in the west, Alger in the center, and

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...

in the east. Oran covered 67,262 km², encompassing five sub-prefectures of

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 ...

Mostaganem Mostaganem () is a port city in and capital of Mostaganem (province), Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria. The city, founded in the 11th century lies on the Gulf of Arzew, Mediterranean Sea and is 72 km ENE of Oran. It is consi ...

Sidi Bel Abbès Sidi Bel Abbès (), also called Bel Abbès, is the capital''Sidi Bel Abbes'', lexicorient.com (Encyclopaedia of the Orient), internet article. of the Sidi Bel Abbès wilaya, Algeria. It is named after Sidi bel Abbass, a Muslim marabout or noble ...

Tiaret Tiaret () or Tahert () is a major city in northwestern Algeria that gives its name to the wider farming region of Tiaret Province. Both the town and region lie south-west of the capital of Algiers in the western region of the Hautes Plaines, i ...

and

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

. It was only in the 1950s that the

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

was annexed into departmentalised Algeria, which explains why the ''département'' of Oran limited itself to what is the northwest of Algeria today. However, prior to departmentalisation, the two eastern territories of the south were managed by the department of Oran. In 1956 an administrative reform aimed at taking into account the strong demographic growth in Algeria split the province into four parts,

and

, taking place on 20 May 1957. After independence the department continued to exist until 1974 when it was split into

Mascara Province Mascara ( ', ') is a province (''wilaya'') in Algeria. It was named after its capital, whose name is Arabic for "military garrison". It is unsure whether the place is related to "mascara", the cosmetic. Another important locality is the town o ...

Oran Province Oran Province (, ) is a provinces of Algeria, province (''Wilayas of Algeria, wilayah'') in Algeria whose seat is the Oran, city of the same name. Geography It is located in the northwestern part of the country. Its population is 1,584,607 and i ...

Saïda Province Saïda () is a province ('' wilaya'') of Algeria, named after its capital. History The province was created from parts of Oran department, Saïda province and Saoura province in 1974. In 1984 El Bayadh Province and Naama Province were c ...

Sidi Bel Abbès Province Sidi Bel Abbès () is one of the provinces ('' wilayas'') of Algeria. Its name is derived from the name of its capital, the city of Sidi Bel Abbès. It is situated in the northwestern part of the country. History The province was created from ...

and

Tlemcen Province Tlemcen () is a province ('' wilaya'') in northwestern 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 ...

. Former departments of France in Algeria States and territories established in 1848 Oran 1848 establishments in Algeria 1962 disestablishments in Algeria {{Algeria-hist-stub