Philippeville, Algeria
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Skikda سكيكدة |
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|---|---|
| City | |
downtown Skikda
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 Location of Skikda in the Skikda Province |
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 Skikda
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| Coordinates: 36°52′N 6°54′E / 36.867°N 6.900°ECoordinates: 36°52′N 6°54′E / 36.867°N 6.900°E | |
| Country |
 Algeria
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| Province | Skikda |
| District | Skikda District |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 52 km2 (20 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Population (2008 census) | |
| • Total | 182,903 |
| • Density | 3,500/km2 (9,100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01) |
| Postal code | 21000 |
| Climate | Csa |
Skikda (Arabic: سكيكدة ) is a city in north eastern Algeria and a port on the Gulf of Stora, the ancient Sinus Numidicus. It is the capital of Skikda Province and Skikda District.
The modern city of Skikda was founded in 1838 by the French under the name Philippeville on the ruins of an ancient Phoenician city which later flourished as a large Roman city called Rusicade, a Punic word which means "Promontory of fire". In the 5th century, the Roman port was destroyed by the Vandals. The current city was founded by Sylvain Charles Valée, for the French to use as a port for Constantine, the third largest city in Algeria. The Constantine-Skikda railway line was developed. During this time, Valee would also build the largest Roman theatre in Algeria. It was built on top of ruins.
On October 10, 1883, there was an earthquake in Skikda.
Towards the end of World War II, there was a UNRRA refugee camp at Skikda which was known as Camp Jeanne d'Arc. On January 25, 1945, 200 Jews holding citizenship from countries in North and South America were sent from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp to Switzerland as part of a prisoner exchange group. They were later sent to the UNRRA camp in Skikda.
An attack by the FLN in 1955 during the war of Independence left around 123 civilians dead, mainly French and those suspected of collaboration. Angered over the massacre of civilians, including women, seniors, and babies, the French escalated their offensive against the FLN. Reprisals by French forces may have killed between 1,200 (according to French sources,) and 12,000 (according to the FLN.)
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Wikipedia