Guelma Province ( ar, ولاية قالمة) is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

(''

wilaya A wilayah ( ar, وَلاية, wālāya or ''wilāya'', plural ; Urdu and fa, ولایت, ''velâyat''; tr, vilayet) is an administrative division, usually translated as "state", "province" or occasionally as "governorate". The word comes fr ...

'') in eastern

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

. Its

namesake A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another. History The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake", which originates in English Bible translations ...

is its seat and most populous municipality:

Guelma Guelma ( ar, قالمة ''Qālima''; arq, ڨالمة; Algerian pronunciation: ) is the capital of Guelma Province and Guelma District, located in north-eastern Algeria, about 65 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast. Its location correspo ...

History

Its civilians suffered heavy casualties during the 1945

Sétif massacre Sétif ( ar, سطيف, ber, Sṭif) is the capital of the Sétif Province in Algeria. It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is considered the trade capital of the country. It is an inner ci ...

by the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

. The province itself was established in 1974. Before that, it was part of

Annaba Province Annaba ( ar, ولاية عنابة) is a province (''wilaya'') in the north-eastern corner of Algeria. Its capital, Annaba, is Algeria's main port for mineral exports. History In 1984 El Taref Province was carved out its territory. Administr ...

. In 1984

El Taref Province El Taref ( ar, ولاية الطارف) is a province (''wilaya'') of Algeria. El Kala is a port town in this province. El Taref is the capital city. El Kala, a port town in this province, is home to ''El Kala National Park''. History The provi ...

and

Souk Ahras Province Souk Ahras ( ar, ولاية سوق أهراس) is a province (''wilaya'') in the Aures region in Algeria, named after its capital, Souk Ahras. It stands on the border between Algeria and Tunisia. Geography Souk Ahras is situated in the ext ...

were carved out of its territory.

Demographics

It has 429,998 inhabitants as of the 1998 census, one of the lower populations in the country, which gives it 39 seats in the APW, the province's assembly. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

is . Of these, 54.4% live in

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

s and 87% have access to safe

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...

, lower than the national average of 89%

. Of the active population of the province, 23.3% work in

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 ...

, 17.9% in

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...

s, 9.9% in

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

, and 48.9% in the

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...

sector. 21.1% of the population is unemployedbr>

Geography

The territory of the province () is mainly composed 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 ...

(about 49%) or , of which about 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 ...

, and the rest is rainfed. In the area surrounding

, around is irrigable, in the area between Oued Zenati and

Tamlouka Tamlouka ( ar, تاملوكة) is a small city of about 22.000 inhabitants in the District of Aïn Makhlouf of the Guelma Province in the northeast of Algeria. It is located at the intersection of W10 and W133, between the cities of Oued Zenati ...

, and around Bouchegouf.

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s cover about 31% of the total area, which equals , composed mainly of

Aleppo Pine ''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. Description ''Pinus halepensis'' is a small to medium-sized tree, tall, with a trunk diameter up to , ex ...

Algerian Oak ''Quercus canariensis'', the Algerian oak, Mirbeck's oak or zean oak, is an oak in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Mesobalanus'', native to southern Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Despite the scientific name, it does not occur na ...

and

Cork Oak ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the core ...

. Areas dedicated for future industrial development, called ''activity zones'' in

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

cover

Administrative divisions

The province is divided into 10

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

s (''daïras''), which are further divided into 34 ''communes'' or municipalities.Journal Officiel de la Republique Algerienne, No. 41, Page 1307
4 September 1991.

Districts

# Aïn Makhlouf # Bouchegouf # Guelaât Bou Sbaâ #

# Hammam Debagh # Hammam N'Bails # Héliopolis #

Houari Boumédienne Houari is a given name and surname. It may refer to: Persons Given name *Houari Boumédiène, also transcribed Boumediene, Boumedienne etc. (1932–1978), served as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Algeria from 19 June 1965 until 12 Decembe ...

# Khezaras # Oued Zenati

Communes

# Aïn Ben Beida #

Houari Boumediene Houari is a given name and surname. It may refer to: Persons Given name *Houari Boumédiène, also transcribed Boumediene, Boumedienne etc. (1932–1978), served as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Algeria from 19 June 1965 until 12 Decembe ...

# Aïn Larbi # Aïn Makhlouf # Aïn Reggada # Aïn Sandel # Belkheir # Ben Djarah # Beni Mezline # Bordj Sabat # Bou Hachana # Bou Hamdane # Bouati Mahmoud # Boughouf # Boumahra Ahmed # Dahouara # Djeballah Khemissi # El Fedjoudj # Guellat Bou Dbaa #

# Hammam Debagh # Hammam Nbail # Héliopolis # Kheraza # Medjez Amar # Medjez Sfa # Nechmaya # Oued Cheham # Oued Fragha # Oued Zenati # Ras El Agba #

Roknia Roknia is a necropolis in the Guelma region of north-east Algeria consisting of more than 7000 dolmens spread over an area of 2 km. See also * Megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric st ...

# Salaoua Announa #

Notable residents

President of Algeria The president of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Algerian People's National Armed Forces. History of the office The Tripoli Program, whi ...

* Saint Possidius,

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of Calama (Guelma) (5th century)

References

External links

Official Tourism Office of Guelma Province website
— ; ; ; {{Authority control Provinces of Algeria States and territories established in 1974