Lahmar () is a town and commune, and capital of Lahmar District, in

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 ...

, 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 1,969, up from 1,404 in 1998, and its population growth rate is 3.5%, the highest in the province. The commune covers an area of .

Geography

Lahmar lies at an altitude of on a rocky plain with scattered higher mountains to the east. One prominent range of hills is just to the east, and separates Lahmar from the nearby locality of

Sfissifa Sfissifa (Arabic: صفيصيفة) is a municipality in Naâma Province, Algeria. It is coextensive with the district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the worl ...

Climate

Lahmar 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 very hot summers and cool winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year. Winter nights can be quite chilly due to Lahmar's altitude.

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 Lahmar. 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 ...

, 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 57,000

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 8,430

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 ...

, 2,003

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of 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 famil ...

, and 80

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 ...

, the highest number of cattle for any commune in the province. There were also 106,800

chickens 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 ...

in 3 buildings, and 165 bee hives.

Infrastructure and housing

100% of Lahmar's population is connected to drinking water, 100% are connected to the sewerage system, and 99% (including 562 buildings) have access to electricity. There are no fuel service stations in the town; the nearest is in Béchar. Lahmar has a total of 607 houses, of which 361 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 5.5 inhabitants per occupied building. This is the lowest such rate in Béchar Province.

Transportation

A local road leads to the provincial capital of

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% ...

, to the south. Other tracks lead north to the town of

Mogheul Mogheul () is a town and commune in Lahmar District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria near the border with Morocco. According to the 2008 census its population is 635, down from 682 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of -0.7%, the lowest in ...

, and west to the town of Boukaïs. There is a total length of of roads in the commune.

Education

There are 2 elementary schools, with 11 classrooms including 9 in use. There are a total of 539 school students. 3.3% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 16.3% has competed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 88.1%, and is 92.7% among males and 83.2% among females - all the highest in the province.

Health

Lahmar has a polyclinic, a room care facility and a maternity ward. The nearest hospital is in Béchar.

Religion

Lahmar 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

Lahmar consists of two localities: *Lahmar *

Sfissifa is east of Lahmar.

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Béchar Province Communes of Béchar Province