Debdeb is a

border town A border town is a town or city close to the boundary between two countries, states, or regions. Usually the term implies that the nearness to the border is one of the things the place is most famous for. With close proximities to a different coun ...

and commune of In Amenas District,

Illizi Province Illizi () is a large province (''wilaya'') in the south-eastern corner of Algeria named after its eponymous seat. It borders Ouargla Province to the north, Tunisia to the extreme northeast, Libya to the east, Djanet Province to the south and, ...

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 ...

, situated on the country's border with Libya. It had a population of 4,341 as of the 2008 census. Located in the middle of the

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

, Debdeb 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 desert ...

and is connected with the rest of Algeria by the N53 national highway. It was previously a frequent transit point for West African immigrants to Europe.

Geography and administration

The commune consists of seven localities: Debdeb, Aïn Sabri, Fort Saint, Stah, Merixen, Alrar Erg, and Yagous. Its postal code is 33220 and its ONS code is 3303. Debdeb lies at an altitude of near the northern edge of the Hamada de Tinrhert, a large rocky area of the

along the Algeria–Libya border. The

Grand Erg Oriental The Grand Erg Oriental (English: 'Great Eastern Sand Sea') is a large ''Erg (landform), erg'' or "field of sand dunes" in the Sahara Desert. Situated for the most part in Sahara Desert, Saharan lowlands of northeast Geography of Algeria, Algeria, t ...

, a vast area of sand dunes, lies to the north. Debdeb borders

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

to the east; it was a frequent transit point for West African immigrants who travelled to Libya in hopes of reaching Europe by crossing 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 ...

. The influx of immigrants, along with the start of the

Second Libyan Civil War The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

, prompted the Algerian government to close the Ghadames–Debdeb border crossing with Libya in 2014. The border crossing was renovated and reopened on 12 December 2023, following the war's end three years prior.

Climate

Debdeb has a hot

(

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 ...

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

Demographics

The 2008 census recorded a population of 4,341 in Debdeb, up from 3,212 in 1998, and an annual population growth rate of 3.1%--the lowest in the province.

Education

In 2011, 4.0% of the population had a

tertiary education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

, while another 13.2% had completed

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

. The overall literacy rate was 71.8%: 79.9% among males and 63.0% among females.

Transportation

Debdeb is on the N53 national highway, which leads north to the

Libyan Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. All figures are from the United Nations Demographic Yearbooks ...

town of

Ghadames Ghadames or Ghadamis ( Ghadamsi: ⵄⴰⴷⴻⵎⴻⵙ / ''Ɛadēməs'' �adeːməs , ) is an oasis town in the Nalut District of the Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya. Ghadamès, known as 'the pearl of the desert', stands in an oa ...

and south to In Amenas.

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Illizi Province In Amenas District Tuareg Communes of Illizi Province Illizi Province