Sétif is a former
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 ...
which existed between 1957 and 1974.
History
Considered as a French province, Algeria was departmentalised on 9 December 1848, and thereby was administratively structured in the same way as
metropolitan France
Metropolitan France ( or ), also known as European France (), is the area of France which is geographically in Europe and chiefly comprises #Hexagon, the mainland, popularly known as "the Hexagon" ( or ), and Corsica. This collective name for the ...
. Three civil zones (
départements
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 ...
) replaced the three
bey
Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...
liks into which the
Ottoman former rulers had divided the territory. The easternmost of the three original Algerian
departments
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
* Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
was called
Constantine. For over a century the town of
Sétif
Sétif () is the capital city of the Sétif Province and the 5th most populous city of Algeria, with an estimated population of 1.866.845 in 2017). It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is c ...
, was a
sub-prefecture
A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province.
Albania
There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...
in the département of Constantine: this changed in 1957.
On 20 May 1957 the
Sétif
Sétif () is the capital city of the Sétif Province and the 5th most populous city of Algeria, with an estimated population of 1.866.845 in 2017). It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is c ...
sub-prefecture
A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province.
Albania
There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...
was split off and became a separate département, directly to the west of the now diminished département of Constantine. This administrative reorganisation was undertaken in response to the rapid population increase experienced across the territory, especially during the preceding decade.
The new largely mountainous département of Sétif covered an area of 17,405 km
2: a population of 1,001,461 was recorded. The department comprised eight
sub-prefectures: these were
Akbou
Akbou (, ) is a town in the Kabylie region in northern Algeria in Béjaïa Province. It is a growing city with a population of 52,300 in 2008.
History
The modern town of Akbou was established by the French in 1874. However, the area was occup ...
,
Bordj Bou Arréridj
Bordj Bou Arréridj () is the capital city of Bordj Bou Arréridj Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 estimation, its population was 168,346. It is situated 148 miles by road east of Algiers, near the Hodna Massif in the southern Kabylie Mo ...
,
Bougie,
Kherrata, Lafayette,
M'Sila
M'sila (also spelled Msila) (); is the capital of M'Sila Province, Algeria, and is co-extensive with M'sila District. It has a population of 132,975 as per the 2008 census. M'sila University is also located in this city.
History
The city was f ...
,
Sidi-Aïch and
Saint Arnaud.
The 1957 departmental reorganisation was marked by a change in the "suffix" number appearing on automobile license plates and in other places that used the same code. Until 1957, as part of the département of Constantine, Sétif was identified by the department number "93": after 1957 the département of Sétif became department number "9J". (In 1968, under a law enacted in 1964, the number "93" would be reallocated to
a new département comprising the northern suburbs of Paris.)
After independence the department continued to exist until 1974 when it was split into
Béjaïa Province
The Béjaïa Province (Kabyle language, Kabyle: ''Tawilayt n Bgayet''; , Latn, ar, Wilāyat Bijāyah; or ) is a provinces of Algeria, province of Algeria in the Kabylie region. With a population of 984,050 inhabitants in 2019, with a density o ...
,
Jijel Province
Jijel () is a provinces of Algeria, province (''wilaya'') in Algeria, on the eastern Mediterranean coast. The capital is Jijel (Phoenician name : ''Igilgili''). Taza National Park is located in this province.
History
The province was created f ...
,
M'Sila Province
M'sila ( ) is a province () of northern Algeria. It has a population of 958361 people and an area of , with a density of 74/square kilometers while its capital, also called M'sila, home to M'sila University, has a population of about 100,000.
Lo ...
and
Sétif Province
Sétif Province (, ) is a province ('' wilaya'') in north-eastern Algeria. Its capital and largest city is Sétif; the next largest city is El Eulma. There is also the World Heritage Site of Djémila there.
History
In 1984 Bordj Bou Arréri ...
.
See also
Départements français d'Algérie (not yet translated into English).
References
.
Former departments of France in Algeria
States and territories established in 1957
1957 establishments in Algeria
1962 disestablishments in Algeria
{{Sétif-geo-stub