Reghaïa بلدية الرغاية |
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Municipality | |
Commune of Reghaïa | |
Location of Reghaïa within Algiers Province |
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Location of Reghaïa within Algeria | |
Coordinates: 36°45′47″N 3°20′33″E / 36.7631°N 3.3426°ECoordinates: 36°45′47″N 3°20′33″E / 36.7631°N 3.3426°E | |
Country | Algeria |
Province | Algiers |
District | Rouïba |
Government | |
• PMA Seats | 11 |
Area | |
• Total | 26.3 km2 (10.2 sq mi) |
Elevation | 20 m (70 ft) |
Population (1998) | |
• Total | 66,215 |
• Density | 2,500/km2 (6,500/sq mi) |
Time zone | CET (UTC+01) |
Postal code | 16112 |
ONS code | 1643 |
Reghaïa is a municipality in Algiers province, Algeria. It is located in Rouïba district and is the most populated municipality of the district.
It is located in the northern part of the plain of Mitidja, with sandy beaches along the coast. It is home to a Ramsar-recognized humid marsh and a lake having an area of 185 acres (75 hectares) and a length of 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi). A natural reserve is being built there. There is also a 600-metre-long (2,000-foot) island there: Hadjrat Bounattah/Ile Agueli, one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the beach of Reghaïa.
Reghaïa original name are " re agha " , "region agha ", the urbanization of the area started with the arriving of the Ouled Hadjadj tribe, with origins from today's Morocco. During the start of the French rule in Algeria, Reghaïa came into existence as a district by an act signed by Napoleon III in 1858, and it became a purely agricultural colony of 3000 hectares (7413 acres) which were given to two French settler families Mercier and Saussine (the latter was Franco-American). The modern day municipality was created in 1974, 12 years after the Algerian independency, as it was cut out from the municipality of Rouïba to form its own defined territory, but still within the province of Algiers. In 1985, Reghaia, alongside Rouiba, Ain taya, Dergena and El Marsa were included to the newly created province of Boumerdes. This administrative reorganization was quite costly for the municipality of Reghaia, as huge part of its territory was used to form the newly created municipalities . In the late 1990s, a considerable part of its area was then again cut out in order to, alongside the newly created municipalities of Boudouaou, El Bahri, Ouled Hadadj and Heraoua, be included back to the province of Algiers.
The southern part of the municipality is more of an important commercial center, with the northern part still being agricultural. There is also the industrial park of Rouïba-Reghaïa which covers 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) and employs a quarter of the active population. Among some notable factories belong to Citroën and Danone.