Erg Ferradj () is a town and commune in

Abadla District Abadla is a districts of Algeria, district in Béchar Province, Béchar provinces of Algeria, Province, Algeria. It seat and the largest city is Abadla. According to the 2008 census, the total population of the district was 21,133 inhabitants. Mos ...

Béchar Province Béchar () is a Provinces of Algeria, province ''(Wilayah, wilaya)'' in Algeria, located on the border with Morocco in the Algerian Desert, Algerian Sahara. It is the second least-densely populated province in Algeria, with a population of 353591 ...

, in western

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 ...

. According to the 2008 census its population is 4,406, down from 4,670 in 1998, and an annual population growth rate of -0.6%, the second lowest in the province. The commune covers an area of .

Geography

Erg Ferradj lies at an elevation of to the west of an extensive palm plantation covering 3000 hectares lying along the western side of 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 the ...

. The rocky hills of the

hamada A hamada (, ) is a type of desert landscape consisting of high, largely barren, hard rocky (basalt) plateaus, where most of the sand has been removed by Aeolian processes#Wind erosion, deflation. The majority of the Sahara is hamada. Other e ...

are found on both sides of the river, but are more dramatic on the eastern side.

Climate

Erg Ferradj 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 ...

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

Economy

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

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

arable land Arable land (from the , "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 the purposes of a ...

found mainly to the east of the town, of which is

irrigated Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) 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 be ...

. There are a total of 116,040

date palms ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as the date palm, is a flowering-plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle East, ...

planted in the commune. As of 2009 there were 9,575

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal 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 d ...

, 6,050

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly 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 ...

s, 714

camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

s, and 23

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

. There were also 6,400

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

s in 6 buildings. There is no significant tourist industry in Erg Ferradj.

Infrastructure and housing

Basic services in the town are generally well provided for. 100% of Erg Ferradj's population is connected to drinking water, 99% is connected to the sewerage system, and 99% (including 756 buildings) have access to electricity. There is no fuel service station in the town. Erg Ferradj has a total of 1,300 houses, of which 712 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 6.2 inhabitants per occupied building.

Transportation

Erg Ferradj is reached by a local road from the N6 highway just west of

Abadla Abadla () is a town and commune in western Algeria, and capital of Abadla District, Béchar Province. It is located on the Oued Guir southwest of Béchar. According to the 2008 census its population is 13,636, up from 10,845 in 1998, and an an ...

. It is from

and from

Béchar Béchar () is the capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. It is also a commune, coextensive with Béchar District, of Béchar Province. In 2008 the city had a population of 165,627, up from 134,954 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 2.1% ...

. There is a total length of of roads in the commune.

Education

There are 3 elementary schools, with 39 classrooms including 27 in use. There are a total of 1,096 school students. 2.8% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 14.9% has competed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 71.3%, and is 77.2% among males and 65.3% among females.

Health

Erg Ferradj has 2 polyclinics and 2 room care facilities; residents must travel to Abadla or

Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne Méchraâ Houari Boumédienne () 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 growth rate of -0.1%. The commune cove ...

for further medical treatment.

Religion

Erg Ferradj has 3 operational

mosques A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

, with another 1 under construction.

Localities

The commune is composed of three localities: *Erg Ferradj *Guir Lotfi *Hassi Menounat

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Béchar Province Communes of Béchar Province Béchar Province