Abadla ( ar, العبادلة) is a town and commune in western

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

, and capital of Abadla District,

Béchar Province Béchar ( ar, ولاية بشار) is the second least-densely populated province (''wilaya'') in Algeria, named after its capital Béchar. History The greater part of the province is dry plains (hamadas) suitable for grazing but with insuffi ...

. It is located on the

Oued Guir Oued Guir is an intermittent river or wadi that flows through the Drâa-Tafilalet and Oriental regions in southeastern Morocco and Béchar Province in western Algeria. Course The Oued Guir originates high in the Atlas Mountains northeast of ...

southwest of Béchar. According to the 2008 census its population is 13,636, up from 10,845 in 1998, and an annual growth rate of 2.4%, making it the most populated commune in Béchar Province apart from the capital. The commune covers an area of . It is a major centre for the Arab Doui-Menia tribe.

Geography

Abadla's location on the

allows the growing of grain, facilitated in recent decades by the Djorf Torba dam located upstream. The area south of the town is mostly a flat plain, but there are several rocky hills found to the north of the town.

Climate

Abadla has a hot

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''BWh''), with extremely hot summers and cool winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.

Economy

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

is the main industry in Abadla. The commune has a total of of

arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for th ...

, of which is

irrigated Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been develo ...

. There are a total of 23,350 date palms planted in the commune. As of 2009 there were 9,814

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticate ...

, 2,777

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

s, 1,939

camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. ...

s, and 80

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

. There were also 4000

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...

s in 3 buildings.

Infrastructure and housing

100% of Abadla's population is connected to drinking water, 99% is connected to the sewerage system, and 83% (including 2,527 buildings) have access to electricity. There is one fuel service station in the town. Abadla has a total of 2,594 houses, of which 1,982 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 6.9 inhabitants per occupied building.

Transportation

Abadla is on the N6 national highway between Béchar to the northeast and Adrar to the southeast. The town of

Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne ( ar, مشرع ھوارى بومدين) is a town and commune in Abadla District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 3,091, down from 3,133 in 1998, with an annual gr ...

is on the highway just to the south, while further to the south the towns of Igli,

Béni Abbès Béni Abbès ( ar, بني عباس), also known as the ''Pearl of the Saoura'', and also as the ''White Oasis'', is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune located in western Algeria in Béchar Province, far from the provincial capital Béchar, ...

and others can be accessed. The N50 highway leaves the N6 to the west just to the southwest of Abadla; it eventually leads to Tindouf, passing

Hammaguir Hammaguir (also written Hamaguir and Hammaguira) ( ar, حماقير) is a village in Abadla District, Béchar Province, Algeria, south-west of Béchar. It lies on the N50 national highway between Béchar and Tindouf. The location is notable ...

and

Tinfouchy Tinfouchy (sometimes known as Fort Fouchet) is a locality and military base in the commune of Oum El Assel in Tindouf Province, Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = ...

on the way. The two other towns in Abadla District are Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne, which is from Abadla, and Erg Ferradj, which is from Abadla and is accessible by a local road on the northern side of the N6. Abadla is from the provincial capital, Béchar. There is a total length of of roads in the commune. Abadla was the terminus station of the Mediterranean-Niger-Railway.

Education

There are 7 elementary schools, with 88 classrooms including 61 in use. There are a total of 3,190 school students. 5.9% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 21.3% has competed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 83.4%, and is 90.0% among males and 76.5% among females.

Health

Abadla has one polyclinic, 5 room care facilities, a maternity ward, 4 private pharmacies, and a medical operating theatre.

Culture

Abadla has a cinema with 200 seats.

Religion

Abadla has 4 operational

mosques A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...

, with another 1 under construction.

Localities

The commune is composed of two localities: *Abadla *Ksi Ksou

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Béchar Province Communes of Béchar Province Béchar Province