Boumerdès Province


Boumerdès is a province of northern Algeria in the Kabylie region, between Algiers and Tizi-Ouzou, with its capital at the coastal city of Boumerdès just east of Algiers.

Administrative divisions

It is made up of 9 districts and 32 communes or municipalities.

Districts

  1. Baghlia
  2. Bordj Ménaïl
  3. Boudouaou
  4. Boumerdès
  5. Dellys
  6. Isser
  7. Khemis El Khechna
  8. Naciria
  9. Thénia

    Communes

  10. Aafir
  11. Ammal
  12. Baghlia
  13. Ben Choud
  14. Beni Amrane
  15. Bordj Menaiel
  16. Boudouaou
  17. Boudouaou-El-Bahri
  18. Boumerdès
  19. Bouzegza Keddara
  20. Chabet el Ameur
  21. Corso
  22. Dellys
  23. Djinet
  24. El Kharrouba
  25. Hammedi
  26. Issers
  27. Keddara
  28. Khemis El-Khechna
  29. Larbatache
  30. Legata
  31. Naciria
  32. Ouled Aissa
  33. Ouled Hedadj
  34. Ouled Moussa
  35. Si-Mustapha
  36. Sidi Daoud
  37. Souk El-Had
  38. Taourga
  39. Thenia
  40. Tidjelabine
  41. Timezrit
  42. Zemmouri

    Geography

The province is largely mountainous, with a long coastline and a number of rivers, notably the Isser and Sebaou. Its western edges have in effect become suburbs of Algiers as the capital has expanded.

History

The three towns of Zemmouri El Bahri, Djinet, and Dellys, all of Phoenician foundation, were the province's principal ancient sites, although smaller Roman towns existed inland, as at Taourga; at none do any significant classical ruins remain. Zemmouri El Bahri and Dellys both attained some significance in the Islamic period, beginning with Hammadid times; the largely Ottoman-era casbah of Dellys remains an attraction. Boumerdès itself, called Rocher-Noir in the colonial period, was expanded substantially following the establishment of the new wilaya in 1983. The province was very hard hit by the 2003 Boumerdès earthquake, whose epicentre was near Zemmouri.

Notable people