Jijel ( ar, جيجل), 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 ( xpu, 𐤀𐤉𐤂𐤋𐤂𐤋 , , or , ). Thi ...

, is the capital of

Jijel Province Jijel ( ar, ولاية جيجل) is a 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 create ...

in north-eastern

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of

Corniche Jijelienne Corniche Jjilienne ( ar, كورنيش جيجل) 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 h ...

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 ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

processing, leather tanning and

steelmaking Steelmaking is the process of producing steel from iron ore and carbon/or scrap. In steelmaking, impurities such as nitrogen, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur and excess carbon (the most important impurity) are removed from the sourced iron, and allo ...

. Local

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponi ...

s include

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

and grain. 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, often called a 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 ...

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

Geography and ecology

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 region of the Tell Atlas, and is named after the nearby city of Taza. Its total area ...

; this national park and other vicinity features support a variety of flora and fauna. It is an important habitat 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, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar. It is the type species of the ...

, ''Macaca sylvanus''.C. Michael Hogan. 2008

History

originally Phoenician, the city passed to the Carthaginians, the Roman Republic and

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, the Vandals, 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 art ...

, and the Ottomans. It was conquered for the last in the 16th century by

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa ( ar, خير الدين بربروس, Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; tr, Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an Ot ...

. In July 1664, the French took the city. Resistance was organised under the direction of Shaban Aga 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 (150 km southeast). The city also has its own airport Jijel Ferhat Abbas Airport.

Infrastructure

Jijel is built along modern patterns with wide streets framed by trees. The surroundings consist largely of dense cork-oak forest. A peninsula lies right out from the coast and there is a

citadel A citadel is the core 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. In ...

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

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

{{Lighthouse identifiers , qid2=Q106097461 Communes of Jijel Province Mediterranean port cities and towns in Algeria Cities in Algeria Province seats of Algeria Lighthouses in Algeria