Béchar District
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Béchar بشار ⴱⴻⵛⵛⴰⵔ |
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|---|---|
| city | |
| City Béchar | |
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|
 Location of Béchar commune within Béchar Province |
|
 Béchar
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| Coordinates: 31°37′N 2°13′W / 31.617°N 2.217°WCoordinates: 31°37′N 2°13′W / 31.617°N 2.217°W | |
| Country |
 Algeria
|
| Province | Béchar |
| District | Béchar District |
| Government | |
| • PMA Seats | 23 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,050 km2 (1,950 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 747 m (2,451 ft) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 165,627 |
| • Density | 33/km2 (85/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01) |
| Postal code | 08000 |
| ONS code | 0801 |
| Climate | BWh |
Béchar (Arabic: بشار) 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%. The commune covers an area of 5,050 square kilometres (1,950 sq mi).
Before coal was found here in 1907, Béchar was a small populated town like many others in the region. It thrived on the activity of the coal mines until petroleum production seized the market.
Leatherwork and jewellery are notable products of Béchar. Dates, vegetables, figs, cereals and almonds are produced near Béchar. There are bituminous coal reserves near Béchar, but they are not exploited to their greatest potential because of transportation costs are too high relative to that from the oil and gas fields of eastern Algeria. The city was once the site of a French Foreign Legion post.
The Kenadsa longwave transmitter, whose masts are the tallest structures in Algeria at 357 metres (1,171 ft), is found near Béchar.
Béchar is located in the northwestern region of Algeria roughly 58 kilometres (36 mi) south of the Moroccan border.
Béchar lies at an elevation of 747 metres (2,451 ft) on the banks of Oued Béchar, which runs through the city from northeast to southwest. The rocky highlands of the Djebel Béchar overlook the city from the southeast, reaching 1,206 metres (3,957 ft) to the east of the city. Further to the northeast the Djebel Antar range rises even higher, to 1,953 metres (6,407 ft). The northwest, by contrast, is a flat rocky reg.
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Wikipedia