Boumerdès Province

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*Boumerdès Province*
ولاية بومرداس
Map of Algeria highlighting the Province of Boumerdès
Province Code	35
Area Code	+213 (0) 24
Administration
Capital	Boumerdès
Districts	9
Municipalities	32
Basic statistics
Area	1.591 km² (614,3 sq mi)
Population	647,389 (1998)
Density	406,9/km² (1054/sq mi)

Boumerdès (Arabic: ولاية بومرداس , Berber : Bumerdas) is a province of northern Algeria, between Algiers and Tizi-Ouzou, with its capital at the coastal city of Boumerdès (formerly Rocher-Noir) just east of Algiers.

[edit] Administrative divisions

It is made up of 9 districts and 32 municipalities. The districts are (in no particular order):

[edit] Geography

The province is largely mountainous, with a long coastline and a number of rivers, notably the Isser and Sebaou. Its western edges have in effect become suburbs of Algiers as the capital has expanded.

[edit] History

The three towns of Zemmouri El Bahri (Rusubbicari), Djinet (Cissi), and Dellys (Rusucurium), all of Phoenician foundation, were the province's principal ancient sites, although smaller Roman towns existed inland, as at Taourga; at none do any significant classical ruins remain. Zemmouri El Bahri (under the name of Marsa-d-Dajaj) and Dellys both attained some significance in the Islamic period, beginning with Hammadid times; the largely Ottoman-era casbah of Dellys remains an attraction. Boumerdes itself, called Rocher-Noir in the colonial period, was expanded substantially following the establishment of the new wilaya in 1983. The province was very hard hit by the Algerian earthquake of 2003, whose epicentre was near Zemmouri.