Igli () is a town and commune in

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 ...

, 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 ...

, located 152 km south of Bechar. It is coextensive with Igli District. Its population was 6,682 as of the 2008 census, up from 5,474 in 1998, and an annual population growth rate of 2.1%. The commune covers an area of . Its inhabitants, along with those of the small neighbouring town of Mazzer, speak a Zenati

Berber language The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight, are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related but mostly mutually unintelligible languages spoken by Berber communities, who ar ...

termed ''tabəldit'', closely related to that of other south-western Algerian

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 ' ( ...

s and of Figuig.

Geography

Igli lies on the left (eastern) bank of the Oued Saoura in the Saoura valley, just south of the confluence of Oued Guir and Oued Zouzfana. The Grand Erg Occidental, a large area of continuous sand dunes lies to the east, while the

Hamada A hamada (, ) is a type of desert landscape consisting of high, largely barren, hard rocky (basalt) plateaus, where most of the sand has been removed by Aeolian processes#Wind erosion, deflation. The majority of the Sahara is hamada. Other e ...

, a broad rocky plateau, lies across the river to the west.

Climate

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

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 an important industry in Igli. 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 75,450 date palms planted in the commune. As of 2009 there were 4,652

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 ...

, 1,785

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, 401

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 5

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 ...

. Local tourist attractions include

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

, and local

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

Infrastructure and housing

90% of Igli's population is connected to drinking water, 95% is connected to the sewerage system, and 99% (including 1,728 buildings) have access to electricity. There is one fuel service station in the town. Igli has a total of 1,425 houses, of which 972 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 6.9 inhabitants per occupied building.

Transportation

Igli is connected by a local road to the N6 national highway between

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% ...

to the north and Adrar to the southeast. Abadla is accessible to the north via the N6, while to the south the towns of El Ouata, Béni Abbès and Kerzaz, among others can be accessed. Igli is from the provincial capital,

. There is a total length of of roads in the commune.

Education

There are 4 elementary schools, with 36 classrooms including 23 in use. There are a total of 1,282 school students. 9.8% of the population has a tertiary education (the highest in the province), and another 19.8% has competed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 84.3%, and is 88.3% among males and 79.9% among females.

Health

Igli has one polyclinic, 3 room care facilities, and a maternity ward.

Religion

Igli has 3 operational

mosques 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 Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

, with another 3 under construction.

Localities

The commune is composed of three localities: *Igli *Touzdit * Mazzer The locality of Mazzer is located about south of Igli on the eastern bank of the Oued Saoura.

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Béchar Province Communes of Béchar Province Béchar Province