Theme Week Algeria – Algiers

30 September 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  19 minutes

Bologhine district © flickr.com - Damien Boilley/cc-by-2.0

Bologhine district © flickr.com – Damien Boilley/cc-by-2.0

Algiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city’s population is at 3.5 million and the population of the larger metropolitan city to be around 6.3 million. Algiers is located on the Mediterranean Sea and in the north-central portion of Algeria. Sometimes nicknamed El-Behdja or alternatively Alger la Blanche (“Algiers the White”) for the glistening white of its buildings as seen rising up from the sea, Algiers is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea. The modern part of the city is built on the level ground by the seashore; the old part, the ancient city of the deys, climbs the steep hill behind the modern town and is crowned by the casbah or citadel, 122 metres (400 ft) above the sea. The Casbah and the two quays form a triangle. Some 20 km (12 mi) to the west of Algiers are such seaside resorts as Sidi Fredj (ex-Sidi Ferruch), Palm Beach, Douaouda, Zéralda, and the Club of the Pines (residence of State); there are tourist complexes, Algerian and other restaurants, souvenir shops, supervised beaches, and other amenities. The city is also equipped with important hotel complexes such as the hotel Hilton, El-Aurassi or El Djazair. Algiers also has the first water park in the country. The tourism of Algiers is growing but is not as developed as that of the larger cities in Morocco or Tunisia. The districts of Algiers are:   read more…

Theme Week Algeria – Tlemcen

29 September 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  14 minutes

© panoramio.com - habib Kaki/cc-by-3.0

© panoramio.com – habib Kaki/cc-by-3.0

Tlemcen is a city in north-western Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it ships to the port of Rashgun for export. It had a population of 140,000, while the province had 950,000 inhabitants. The town is the ancient capital of central Maghreb, and was founded by the local Berbers. Its centuries of rich history and culture have made the city a center of a unique blend of music and art. Its textiles and handcrafts, its elegant blend of Berber and Al-Andalusian cultures, and its cool climate in the mountains have made it an important center of tourism in Algeria. It is home to a beautiful tomb – that of Sidi Abu Madyan, whose tomb adjoins a mosque. The Great Mosque at Tlemcen was completed in 1136 and is said to be the most remarkable remaining example of Almoravid architecture.   read more…

Theme Week Algeria – Ghardaïa

28 September 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Taguelmoust/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Taguelmoust/cc-by-sa-3.0

Ghardaïa is the capital city of Ghardaïa Province. The commune of Ghardaïa has a population of 93,000, with an annual growth rate of 0.7%. It is located in northern-central Algeria in the Sahara Desert and lies along the left bank of the Wadi Mzab. The M’zab valley in the Ghardaïa Province (Wilaya) was inscribed under the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982. The unique layout of the Ghardaïa village is dictated by the rocky terrain of the region. Apart from the mosques and the housing pattern layout, with the mosque at the top of the hill, and the houses laid in labyrinthine alleyways, there is also a large market centre. The houses in particular are oriented in such a way that it admits sunlight into every as they strongly believe: “Inhabitants of the house where sun comes in will never see a doctor”. Chimneys are also set in such a way that they do not encroach their neighbours comfort.   read more…

Theme Week Algeria – Jijel

27 September 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - mycondor34/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – mycondor34/cc-by-2.0

Jijel is the capital of Jijel Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne, and has a 2008 census population of 130,000 inhabitants. Jijel is situated 30 km from Taza National Park; this national park, a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve, and other vicinity features support a variety of flora and fauna. In particular, the Taza National Park is habitat for the endangered Barbary macaque. Due to the rugged landscape, Jijel is slightly isolated. However, it is connected by road to large cities like Bejaïa (90 km west), Setif (135 km southwest) and Constantine (150 km southeast). The city also has its own airport Jijel Ferhat Abbas Airport.   read more…

Theme Week Algeria – Tamanrasset

26 September 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  7 minutes

© W. Robrecht - wilrob.org/cc-by-sa-3.0

© W. Robrecht – wilrob.org/cc-by-sa-3.0

Tamanrasset is an oasis city and capital of Tamanrasset Province in southern Algeria, in the Ahaggar Mountains. It is the chief city of the Algerian Tuareg. It is located an altitude of 1,320 metres (4,330 ft). As of the 2008 census, it has a population of 93,000. Tamanrasset was originally established as a military outpost to guard the trans-Saharan trade routes. Surrounded by the barren Sahara Desert, very high temperatures of over 47 °C (117 °F) have been recorded here. Tamanrasset is located at an oasis where, despite the difficult climate, citrus fruits, apricots, dates, almonds, cereals, corn, and figs are grown. The Tuareg people are the town’s main inhabitants. Tamanrasset is a tourist attraction during the cooler months. Visitors are also drawn to the Museum of the Hoggar, which offers many exhibits depicting Tuareg life and culture. The city is served by Tamanrasset Airport and the Trans-Sahara Highway.   read more…

Theme Week Algeria

25 September 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  13 minutes

Constantine © Szaten/cc-by-2.5

Constantine © Szaten/cc-by-2.5

Algeria is a state in North Africa on the Mediterranean coast. Its capital and most populous city is Algiers, located in the country’s far north. With an area of 2,381,741 km² (919,595 sq mi), Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world, and the largest in Africa. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia, to the east by Libya, to the west by Morocco, to the southwest by the Western Saharan territory, Mauritania, and Mali, to the southeast by Niger, and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea. The country is a semi-presidential republic consisting of 48 provinces and 1,541 communes (counties). Algeria is a regional and middle power. The North African country supplies large amounts of natural gas to Europe, and energy exports are the backbone of the economy. According to OPEC Algeria has the 16th largest oil reserves in the world and the second largest in Africa, while it has the 9th largest reserves of natural gas. Sonatrach, the national oil company, is the largest company in Africa. Algeria has one of the largest militaries in Africa and the largest defence budget on the continent. Algeria is a member of the African Union, the Arab League, OPEC, the United Nations and is the founding member of the Maghreb Union.   read more…

Theme Week Tunisia – Monastir

26 August 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  6 minutes

Al Qurayyah beach © Tabkram

Al Qurayyah beach © Tabkram

Monastir is a city on the central coast, in the Sahel area, It is 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Sousse and 162 kilometres (101 miles) south of Tunis. Traditionally a fishing port, Monastir is now a major tourist resort. Its population is about 93,000. It is the capital of Monastir Governorate. Monastir enjoys a dry Mediterranean climate with hot summers, extremely mild winters, lots of sunshine and low rainfall year-round. The city sits in the northeast of Tunisia, on its central coast.   read more…

Theme Week Tunisia – Bizerte

25 August 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  9 minutes

Old Port and Kashba of Bizerte © O.Mustafin

Old Port and Kashba of Bizerte © O.Mustafin

Bizerte, also known in English as Bizerta, is a town of Bizerte Governorate. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the capital Tunis. The city had 143,000 inhabitants in 2014. Bizerte is on a section of widened inlet and east-facing coast of the north coast of Tunisia, 15 kilometres from Ras ben Sakka (the northernmost point in Africa on the Mediterranean Sea), 20 kilometers northeast of the Ichkeul lake (a World Heritage Site), 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the archaeological site of Utica and 65 kilometers north of Tunis. Bizerte has to the west coastal hills forming an outcrop of the Tell Atlas with well-conserved woods and vantage points. Its associated beaches include Sidi Salem, La Grotte, Rasenjela, and Al Rimel. It is on a section of Mediterranean climate coastline, close to Sardinia and Sicily, as opposed to coasts in the south of the country which have a year-round dry desert climate.   read more…

Theme Week Tunisia – Tozeur

24 August 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  9 minutes

Star Wars film location © Rais67

Star Wars film location © Rais67

Tozeur is an oasis and a city in south west Tunisia. The city is located North West of Chott el-Djerid, in between this Chott and the smaller Chott el-Gharsa. It is the capital of the Tozeur Governorate. It was the site of Ancient city and former bishopric Tusuros, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. During the Romans and Byzantine empires and in the Vandal kingdom, Tozeur was the site of Tusuros, in the Roman province of Byzacena (originally part of Africa Proconsularis). Tozeur has a hot desert climate typical of the northern edge of the Sahara Desert. The annual average rainfall amount reaches 80.8 mm, and the annual mean temperature (day and night) reaches 22.2 °C, both making the city hot and dry year-round. The weather is usually good, settled and sunny throughout the course of the year. Summers are extremely hot with daily highs often exceeding 45 °C in the shade, and the sirocco is known to often make the thermometer rise above 50 °C still in the shade. During winters, it can sometimes freeze at night and just before the sunrise, as the temperature may drop below 0 °C.   read more…

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