Provinces of Algeria

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Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

 is currently divided into 48 wilayas (province

Province

A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

s), 553 daïra

Daïra

A daïra |circle]]; plural dawaïr) is an administrative division of a wilaya in Algeria and in Western Sahara. Another transliteration of the word is Daerah.*Daïra of Algeria*Daïra of Western Sahara-See also:* Provinces of Algeria...

s (circles, or counties; see Districts of Algeria

Districts of Algeria

The provinces of Algeria are divided into 553 districts . The capital of a district is called a district seat...

) and 1541 baladiyah

Baladiyah

Baladiyah is a type of Arabic administrative division that can be translated as municipality or district. The plural is baladiyat . Grammatically, it is the feminine of بلدي "rural, country-, folk-"....

s (municipalities, in French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

: commune). The capital city of a baladiyah, daïra, or province (which is also the largest city of those) always gives those entities their name, even Algiers

Algiers

' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...

, the capital of the country gave it its name (El Djazayar, the Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 name for both the city and the country).

According to the Algerian constitution, a wilaya is a territorial collectivity enjoying economic and diplomatic freedom, the APW, or "Popular Provincial Parliament/Provincial Popular Parliament" (the Assemblée Populaire Wilayale, in French) is the political entity governing a province, directed by the "Wali

Wali

Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...

" (Governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

), who is chosen by the Algerian President to handle the APW's decisions, the APW has also a president, who is elected by the members of the APW, which is elected by Algerians.
The province numbers are the first 31 provinces (see the second section) in Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 alphabetical order, after the adding of 17 other provinces in 1983, the old numbering was kept and the 17 new provinces have been assigned codes from 32-48, in Arabic alphabetical order. There are 48 provinces (since 1983) in Algeria, they are:

1 Adrar Adrar Province Adrar is a province in southwestern Algeria, named after its capital Adrar. It is the second-largest province, with an area of 427,368 km²... 2 Chlef Chlef Province Chlef is a province in Algeria, and has about 1 million inhabitants. Its capital is Chlef. Another locality is Ténès, on the Mediterranean Sea.-Administrative divisions:... 3 Laghouat Laghouat Province Laghouat is a province in central Algeria. The name means "the oases". The capital is Laghouat. Other localities include Aflou, Ain Madhi, Kourdane and Makhareg.-Administrative division:... 4 Oum el-Bouaghi 5 Batna Batna Province Batna is a wilaya of Algeria. Capital is Batna. Localities in this province include Barika, Merouana and Timgad. Belezma National Park is there.- Administrative divisions :It is made up of 22 districts and 61 municipalities.The districts are:... 6 Béjaïa Béjaïa Province Béjaïa is a province of Algeria. The capital city is Béjaïa. Gouraya National Park is there. A population of the endangered primate, Barbary Macaque is found within this the province's Gouraya National Park; this canid has a severely restricted and disjunctive range.-Administrative divisions:The... 7 Biskra Biskra Province Biskra is a province of Algeria. The capital city is Biskra. Tolga is one of the famous daïras of this wilaya. Other localities include Lichoua, Sidi Okba, Sidi Khaled, El-Kantara and Ouled Djellal.- Administrative division :... 8 Béchar Béchar Province Béchar is a province in Algeria, named after its capital Béchar.The greater part of the province is uninhabitable sand dune fields , in particular the Great Western Erg and the Erg Er Raoui, or dry plains suitable for grazing but with insufficient surface water to support agriculture... 9 Blida Blida Province Blida is a province in Algeria. Its capital is Blida. The Chréa National Park is situated here.-Administrative divisions:It is made up of 10 districts and 25 municipalities.The districts are:# Blida# Boufarik# Bougara# Bouïnian... 10 Bouira Bouira Province -Administrative divisions:It is made up of 12 districts and 45 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn Bessem# Bechloul# Bir Ghbalou# Bordj Okhriss# Bouïra# El Hachimia# Haïzer# Kadiria# Lakhdaria# M'Chedellah# Souk El Khemis... 11 Tamanghasset Tamanghasset Province Tamanrasset or Tamanghasset is the largest province in Algeria. It was named after its province seat: Tamanrasset. The Province has two national parks, more than any other in Algeria. They are: Tassili n'Ajjer National Park and Ahaggar National Park... 12 Tébessa Tébessa Province Tébessa is a province of Algeria. Tébessa is also the name of the capital, which in ancient times it was known as Theveste. Another important city is El Ouenza.Tebessa is located only 20 kilometers west from Tunisia border....

13 Tlemcen Tlemcen Province Tlemcen is a province in northwestern Algeria. The Tlemcen National Park is located there.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 20 districts , which are further divided into 53 communes or municipalities.... 14 Tiaret Tiaret Province Tiaret is a province of Algeria. The capital is Tiaret.-Administrative division:The province is divided into 14 districts , which are further divided into 42 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn Deheb# Aïn Kermes... 15 Tizi Ouzou Tizi Ouzou Province Tizi Ouzou is a province in Algeria, named after its capital.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 21 districts , which are further divided into 67 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn El Hammam... 16 Algiers 17 Djelfa Djelfa Province Djelfa is a province of Algeria. Its capital is Djelfa.It was first established by the administrative reorganization of 1974, and is home to over 1.2 million inhabitants... 18 Jijel Jijel Province Jijel is a province in Algeria in the eastern Mediterranean cost. The capital is Jijel . Taza National Park is there.-Administrative divisions:... 19 Sétif Sétif Province Sétif Province is a province 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.-Administrative divisions:... 20 Saïda Saïda Province Saïda is a province of Algeria, named after its capital.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 6 districts , which are further divided into 16 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn El Hadjar... 21 Skikda Skikda Province Skikda is a province of Algeria, on its eastern Mediterranean coastline.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 13 districts , which are further divided into 38 communes or municipalities.-Districts:... 22 Sidi Bel Abbes Sidi Bel Abbes Province Sidi Bel Abbès is one of the provinces 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.-Administrative divisions:... 23 Annaba Annaba Province Annaba is a small province in the north-eastern corner of Algeria. Its capital, Annaba is Algeria's main port for mineral exports.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 6 districts and 12 municipalities.The districts are:... 24 Guelma Guelma Province Guelma Province is a province in eastern Algeria. Its namesake is its seat and most populous municipality: Guelma.-History:Its civilians suffered heavy casualties during the 1945 Sétif massacre by the French Army. The province itself was established on 1974. Before that, it was part of Annaba...

25 Constantine Constantine Province Constantine is one of the 48 provinces of Algeria, whose capital is the city of the same name.- Adminsitrative divisions :The province is divided into 6 districts, which are subdivided into 12 communes or municipalities.-Districts:... 26 Médéa Médéa Province Médéa is a province of Algeria. The capital is Médéa.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 19 districts , which are further divided into 64 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn Boucif# Aziz... 27 Mostaganem Mostaganem Province Mostaganem is a province of Algeria. The capital is Mostaganem. Other localities include Ain Nouissi, Ain Tadles, Tazgait and Stidia.-Administrative divisions:... 28 M'Sila M'Sila Province M'Sila is a province of northern Algeria. It has a population of 1 million people and an area of 18,718 km², while its capital, also called M'sila, home to M'Sila University, has a population of about 100,000. Some localities in this wilaya are Bou Saada and Maadid. Chott El Hodna, a salt... 29 Mascara Mascara Province Mascara is a province in Algeria. There was an earthquake in Mascara City on 18 August 1994 - 5.6 on the Richter scale - which killed 171 people. It was named after its capital, whose name means "military garrison" in Arabic, and which is unrelated to "Mascara", the cosmetic... 30 Ouargla Ouargla Province Ouargla or Warqla is a province in eastern Algeria. Its capital is Ouargla. Other localities include Temacine, Touggourt, and Hassi Messaoud. It contains the Issaouane Erg desert.-History:... 31 Oran Oran Province Oran is a province in Algeria whose seat is the city of the same name.-Geography:It is located in the northwestern part of the country. Its population is 1,584,607 and it covers a total area of 2,114 km²... 32 El Bayadh El Bayadh Province El Bayadh is a province in Algeria, named after its capital El Bayadh.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 8 districts, which are further divided into 22 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Boualem# Bougtob... 33 Illizi Illizi Province Illizi is a province in the south-eastern corner of Algeria named after its eponymous seat.It borders Libya to the east, Ouargla Province to the north and, Tamanghasset Province to the east and south.-Administrative divisions:... 34 Bordj Bou Arréridj Bordj Bou Arréridj Province Bordj Bou Arréridj is a province and in the east Algeria around 200 km away from the capital Algiers. It is notable for its many electronic industries . Its capital is Bordj Bou Arreridj... 35 Boumerdès Boumerdès Province Boumerdès is a province of northern Algeria, between Algiers and Tizi-Ouzou, with its capital at the coastal city of Boumerdès just east of Algiers.-Administrative divisions:... 36 El Tarf

37 Tindouf Tindouf Province Tindouf, also written Tinduf, is the westernmost province of Algeria, having a population of 58,193 as of the 2008 census. Despite the barren landscape, Tindouf is a resource-rich province, with important quantities of iron ore located in the Gara Djebilet area close to the border with Mali... 38 Tissemsilt Tissemsilt Province Tissemsilt is the province n° 38 of Algeria with the capital being Tissemsilt. Théniet El Haâd National Park is there.-Administrative divisions:... 39 El Oued El Oued Province El Oued is a Saharan province of Algeria dominated by Oued Souf. It was named after its eponymous capital. Notable towns include El Oued itself and Guemar, Debila, and Robbah.-Administrative division:... 40 Khenchela Khenchela Province -Administrative division:The province is divided into 8 districts, which are further divided into 21 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Khenchela, as a district and capital# Aïn Touila, located northeastern of capital... 41 Souk Ahras Souk Ahras Province Souk Ahras is a province in Algeria, named after its capital, Souk Ahras. It stands on the border between Algeria and Tunisia.- Geography :Souk Ahras is situated in the extreme north east of Algeria, it is 4360 km².... 42 Tipasa Tipasa Province Tipaza or Tipasa is a province on the coast of Algeria, Its capital is Tipasa, 50 km west of the capital of Algeria.-Administrative divisions:... 43 Mila Mila Province Mila is a province of Algeria, whose capital is Mila. Other localities include Telerghma, Grarem Gouga, Hamala and Rouached.-Administrative divisions:... 44 Aïn Defla Aïn Defla Province Aïn Defla is a wilaya in northern Algeria. It is located to the southwest of Algiers, the capital. Localities in Ain Delfa include Miliana, Hammam Righa, and Aïn Torki.-Administrative divisions:... 45 Naama Naama Province Naâma is a province of Algeria named after its provincial seat, the town of Naâma. There is an airport in Mécheria; and a big sabkha.-Administrative divisions:... 46 Aïn Témouchent Aïn Témouchent Province Aïn Témouchent is a province in northwestern Algeria, named after its capital: Aïn Témouchent.-Administrative divisions:It is made up of 8 districts and 28 municipalities.The districts are:# Aïn Kihel# Aïn Larbaâ# Aïn Témouchent... 47 Ghardaïa Ghardaïa Province Ghardaïa is a province in eastern Algeria, named after its capital Ghardaïa. The M'Zab Valley, located there, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.-Administrative divisions:... 48 Relizane Relizane Province Relizane is a province of Algeria. Relizane is the capital. Other localities include Bendaoud, Bouzegza, Hamri, Kalaa, Mazouna and Zemmoura.-Administrative divisions:...

1974-1983

The 15 départments were reorganized to form 31 provinces:


1 Adrar

Adrar Province

Adrar is a province in southwestern Algeria, named after its capital Adrar. It is the second-largest province, with an area of 427,368 km²...

2 Chlef

Chlef Province

Chlef is a province in Algeria, and has about 1 million inhabitants. Its capital is Chlef. Another locality is Ténès, on the Mediterranean Sea.-Administrative divisions:...

3 Laghouat

Laghouat Province

Laghouat is a province in central Algeria. The name means "the oases". The capital is Laghouat. Other localities include Aflou, Ain Madhi, Kourdane and Makhareg.-Administrative division:...

4 Oum el-Bouaghi

5 Batna

Batna Province

Batna is a wilaya of Algeria. Capital is Batna. Localities in this province include Barika, Merouana and Timgad. Belezma National Park is there.- Administrative divisions :It is made up of 22 districts and 61 municipalities.The districts are:...

6 Béjaïa

Béjaïa Province

Béjaïa is a province of Algeria. The capital city is Béjaïa. Gouraya National Park is there. A population of the endangered primate, Barbary Macaque is found within this the province's Gouraya National Park; this canid has a severely restricted and disjunctive range.-Administrative divisions:The...

7 Biskra

Biskra Province

Biskra is a province of Algeria. The capital city is Biskra. Tolga is one of the famous daïras of this wilaya. Other localities include Lichoua, Sidi Okba, Sidi Khaled, El-Kantara and Ouled Djellal.- Administrative division :...

8 Béchar

Béchar Province

Béchar is a province in Algeria, named after its capital Béchar.The greater part of the province is uninhabitable sand dune fields , in particular the Great Western Erg and the Erg Er Raoui, or dry plains suitable for grazing but with insufficient surface water to support agriculture...

9 Blida

Blida Province

Blida is a province in Algeria. Its capital is Blida. The Chréa National Park is situated here.-Administrative divisions:It is made up of 10 districts and 25 municipalities.The districts are:# Blida# Boufarik# Bougara# Bouïnian...

10 Bouira

Bouira Province

-Administrative divisions:It is made up of 12 districts and 45 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn Bessem# Bechloul# Bir Ghbalou# Bordj Okhriss# Bouïra# El Hachimia# Haïzer# Kadiria# Lakhdaria# M'Chedellah# Souk El Khemis...

11 Tamanghasset

Tamanghasset Province

Tamanrasset or Tamanghasset is the largest province in Algeria. It was named after its province seat: Tamanrasset. The Province has two national parks, more than any other in Algeria. They are: Tassili n'Ajjer National Park and Ahaggar National Park...

12 Tébessa

Tébessa Province

Tébessa is a province of Algeria. Tébessa is also the name of the capital, which in ancient times it was known as Theveste. Another important city is El Ouenza.Tebessa is located only 20 kilometers west from Tunisia border....

13 Tlemcen

Tlemcen Province

Tlemcen is a province in northwestern Algeria. The Tlemcen National Park is located there.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 20 districts , which are further divided into 53 communes or municipalities....

14 Tiaret

Tiaret Province

Tiaret is a province of Algeria. The capital is Tiaret.-Administrative division:The province is divided into 14 districts , which are further divided into 42 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn Deheb# Aïn Kermes...

15 Tizi Ouzou

Tizi Ouzou Province

Tizi Ouzou is a province in Algeria, named after its capital.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 21 districts , which are further divided into 67 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn El Hammam...

16 Algiers

17 Djelfa

Djelfa Province

Djelfa is a province of Algeria. Its capital is Djelfa.It was first established by the administrative reorganization of 1974, and is home to over 1.2 million inhabitants...

18 Jijel

Jijel Province

Jijel is a province in Algeria in the eastern Mediterranean cost. The capital is Jijel . Taza National Park is there.-Administrative divisions:...

19 Sétif

Sétif Province

Sétif Province is a province 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.-Administrative divisions:...

20 Saïda

Saïda Province

Saïda is a province of Algeria, named after its capital.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 6 districts , which are further divided into 16 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn El Hadjar...

21 Skikda

Skikda Province

Skikda is a province of Algeria, on its eastern Mediterranean coastline.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 13 districts , which are further divided into 38 communes or municipalities.-Districts:...

22 Sidi Bel Abbes

Sidi Bel Abbes Province

Sidi Bel Abbès is one of the provinces 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.-Administrative divisions:...

23 Annaba

Annaba Province

Annaba is a small province in the north-eastern corner of Algeria. Its capital, Annaba is Algeria's main port for mineral exports.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 6 districts and 12 municipalities.The districts are:...

24 Guelma

Guelma Province

Guelma Province is a province in eastern Algeria. Its namesake is its seat and most populous municipality: Guelma.-History:Its civilians suffered heavy casualties during the 1945 Sétif massacre by the French Army. The province itself was established on 1974. Before that, it was part of Annaba...

25 Constantine

Constantine Province

Constantine is one of the 48 provinces of Algeria, whose capital is the city of the same name.- Adminsitrative divisions :The province is divided into 6 districts, which are subdivided into 12 communes or municipalities.-Districts:...

26 Médéa

Médéa Province

Médéa is a province of Algeria. The capital is Médéa.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 19 districts , which are further divided into 64 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Aïn Boucif# Aziz...

27 Mostaganem

Mostaganem Province

Mostaganem is a province of Algeria. The capital is Mostaganem. Other localities include Ain Nouissi, Ain Tadles, Tazgait and Stidia.-Administrative divisions:...

28 M'Sila

M'Sila Province

M'Sila is a province of northern Algeria. It has a population of 1 million people and an area of 18,718 km², while its capital, also called M'sila, home to M'Sila University, has a population of about 100,000. Some localities in this wilaya are Bou Saada and Maadid. Chott El Hodna, a salt...

29 Mascara

Mascara Province

Mascara is a province in Algeria. There was an earthquake in Mascara City on 18 August 1994 - 5.6 on the Richter scale - which killed 171 people. It was named after its capital, whose name means "military garrison" in Arabic, and which is unrelated to "Mascara", the cosmetic...

30 Ouargla

Ouargla Province

Ouargla or Warqla is a province in eastern Algeria. Its capital is Ouargla. Other localities include Temacine, Touggourt, and Hassi Messaoud. It contains the Issaouane Erg desert.-History:...

31 Oran

Oran Province

Oran is a province in Algeria whose seat is the city of the same name.-Geography:It is located in the northwestern part of the country. Its population is 1,584,607 and it covers a total area of 2,114 km²...

1957-1974

Immediately after independence, Algeria retained its 15 former French départements, which were renamed wilayas (provinces) in 1968, for the most part, with some name changes:

• 9A-Alger (Algiers)
• 9C-Annaba (Formerly Bône, English
  English language
  English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
  
  : Bona)
• 9B-Batna
• 9D-Constantine
• 9H-Orléansville (Then El Asnam, now Chlef)
• 8A-El Wahat (Currently Ouargla, formerly Oasis)
• 9E-Médéa
• 9F-Mostaganem
• 9G-Oran
• 9R-Saïda
• 8B-Saoura (Currently Béchar)
• 9J-Sétif
• 9K-Tiaret
• 9L-Tizi-Ouzou
• 9M-Tlemcen

1954-1962

During the Algerian War of Independence

Algerian War of Independence

The Algerian War was a conflict between France and Algerian independence movements from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria's gaining its independence from France...

, the FLN

National Liberation Front (Algeria)

The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...

 adopted an organizational system divided by 6 numbered wilayas:

1. Aurès
2. Constantine
3. Kabylie
4. Algiers
5. Oran
6. Sahara
7. France

See also

• Municipalities of Algeria
• List of Algerian Provinces by population
• List of Algerian Provinces by area
• ISO 3166-2:DZ
  ISO 3166-2:DZ
  ISO 3166-2:DZ is the entry for Algeria in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Algeria, ISO 3166-2 codes are...