Jijel (), the classical

Igilgili Igilgili was a Berber town and a Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman colony in located in present-day Jijel, Algeria. History Igilgili was initially a small Carthaginian colony and trading port (, , or , ). This name seems to combine (, " ...

, is the capital of

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 ...

in north-eastern

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 ...

. It is flanked by the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

in the region of

Corniche Jijelienne Corniche Jjilienne () is a natural region of northern Algeria characterised by rocky forested massifs rising above the coastal plain.Berardo Cori and Enrica Lemmi. 2002 The forested areas provide some of the last extant habitat for the endangered ...

and had a population of 131,513 in 2008. Jijel is the administrative and trade center for a region specialising in

cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

processing,

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

tanning and

steelmaking Steelmaking is the process of producing steel from iron ore and/or scrap. Steel has been made for millennia, and was commercialized on a massive scale in the 1850s and 1860s, using the Bessemer process, Bessemer and open hearth furnace, Siemens-M ...

. Local

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, Fiber, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same spe ...

s include

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

and

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

. Fishing is also of great importance. Tourists (mainly Algerians) are attracted to Jijel for its landscapes and fine sand beaches. Being a

resort town A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...

, there are many hotels and restaurants. There are Phoenician tombs nearby.

Geography

Jijel is situated 30 km from

Taza National Park The Taza National Park (Arabic:الحظيرة الوطنية تازة) is one of the smaller national parks of Algeria. It is located in Jijel Province in the mountainous region of the Tell Atlas, and is named after the nearby city of Taza. Its ...

; this

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

and other vicinity features support a variety of flora and fauna. It is an important

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

for the endangered

Barbary macaque The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar. It is the type species of the genus ' ...

, ''Macaca sylvanus''.

Climate

Jijel has a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(''Csa'' in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

History

Originally Phoenician,

passed to the

Carthaginians The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...

, the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

and

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

, the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

, the Byzantines, the Umayyads, the

Genovese Genovese is an Italian surname meaning, properly, someone from Genoa. Its Italian plural form '' Genovesi'' has also developed into a surname. People * Alfred Genovese (1931–2011), American oboist * Alfredo Genovese (born 1964), Argentine arti ...

, and the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

. It was conquered for the last time in the 16th century by

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa (, original name: Khiḍr; ), also known as Hayreddin Pasha, Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1483 – 4 July 1546), was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Barbarossa's ...

. In the book Al Istibsar fi 'agaib al-Amsar, written in the late 12th century, the author describes the city as:كتاب الاستبصار في عجائب الأمصار، لكاتب مراكشي من كتاب القرن السادس الهجري، نشر وتعليق: سعد زغلول عبد الحميد. الدار البيضاء، دار النشر المغربية 1985

"It is an ancient city on the sea, with an old wall that extends into the sea, and it has great strategic significance. The city is abundant in grapes, apples, and fruits. From it, fruits, grapes, and
debes Debes is a surname which may refer to: * Hans Jákupsson Debes (1723–1769), Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands from 1752 to 1769 * Inge Debes (1882–1945), Norwegian jurist, editor and politician * Jens Peter Debes (1776–1832), Norwegian ...
are carried to the city of
Béjaïa Béjaïa ( ; , , ), formerly known as Bougie and Bugia, is a Mediterranean seaport, port city and communes of Algeria, commune on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province. Geography Location Béjaïa owes its ...
. On this city stands Mount Ketama, known as Mount Zaldwa, a very fertile area with many Berber tribes. It was here that the call of Abdullah al-Da‘i took place. Between Jijel and Béjaïa, on the coast, there is a place called Al-Mansuriyya, with a great mountain above it."

In July 1664, the French took the city. Resistance was organised under the direction of

Shaban Aga Shaʽban ( ') is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called the month of 'separation', as the word means 'to disperse' or 'to separate' because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water. The fifteenth night of this month ...

and the French were driven out in October of the same year. Jijel remained a corsair stronghold until recaptured by the French in 1839. Strong local resistance, finally subdued in 1851, resulted in the construction of three forts along its southern fringe as well as minimal colonisation. The original town was devastated by an earthquake in 1856.

Communications

Due to the rugged landscape, Jijel is slightly isolated. However, it is connected by road to large cities like Bejaïa (90 km west), Setif (135 km southwest) 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 ...

(150 km southeast). The city also has its own airport

Jijel Ferhat Abbas Airport Jijel Ferhat Abbas Airport , also known as Ferhat Abbas Airport, is an airport near Jijel, Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Al ...

Infrastructure

Jijel is built along modern patterns with wide streets framed by trees. The surroundings consist largely of dense cork-oak forest. A

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

lies right out from the coast and there is a

citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...

to the north. There is a hospital, previously a Catholic church (which was demolished), mosques and

University of Jijel The University of Jijel is a university in Jijel, Algeria. See also * List of universities in Algeria References External links * http://www.univ-jijel.dz Jijel Jijel (), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Province in ...

Port

A relatively new port has been built at Djen Djen,Enterprise Portuaire de Djen Djen. 2009 approximately 7 miles east of Jijel, which can handle large bulk carriers having a draft up to 18.2m. Presently, the port is mainly used by car carriers and break bulk vessels.

Sources

* C. Michael Hogan. 2008
''Barbary Macaque: Macaca sylvanus'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
* Encyclopædia Britannica. 2002. Edition 15, v. 6 , * Enterprise Portuaire de Djen Djen. 2009

References

{{Authority control , additional=Q106097461 Communes of Jijel Province Mediterranean port cities and towns in Algeria Cities in Algeria Province seats of Algeria Lighthouses in Algeria