Tabelbala
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Tabelbala تبلبالة |
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 Location of Tabelbala commune within Béchar Province |
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 Tabelbala
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| Coordinates: 29°24′N 3°15′W / 29.400°N 3.250°WCoordinates: 29°24′N 3°15′W / 29.400°N 3.250°W | |
| Country | Algeria |
| Province | Béchar |
| District | Tabelbala District |
| Area | |
| • Total | 60,650 km2 (23,420 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 518 m (1,699 ft) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 5,121 |
| • Density | 0.084/km2 (0.22/sq mi) |
| Time zone | West Africa Time (UTC+1) |
Tabelbala (Arabic: تبلبالة, Korandje: tsawərbəts) is an town and commune between Béchar and Tindouf in south-western Algeria, and is the capital, and only significant settlement, of the Daïra of the same name, encompassing most of the south-western half of Béchar Province. As of the 2008 census, its population was 5,121, up from 4,663 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 1.0%. The commune covers an area of 60,560 square kilometres (23,380 sq mi), making it by far the largest commune in the province, as well as the least densely populated.
Tabelbala is notable for being the only town in Algeria to speak a language neither Arabic nor Berber, namely Korandje, which is spoken by about 3,000 people. Most of the other population are descendants of twentieth century immigrants to the oasis.
From at least the 13th to the 19th century, Tabelbala was a stop on the caravan routes linking southern Morocco (notably Sijilmasa) to the Sahel, in particular Timbuktu.
The oasis occupies a band of land between a stone mountain to the south and a large sand dune field, the Erg Er Raoui, to the north. The water table of the latter is relatively high, making irrigation agriculture possible. The foggara system was traditionally used, but has been in decline since the early twentieth century.
Tabelbala has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with extremely hot summers and mild winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.
Tabelbala town is divided into four settlements. The administrative and commercial centre, "le Village" or "le Quartier", officially Haï El Wasat (Arabic: حي الوسط), also simply known as "Tabelbala" itself, is a relatively recent settlement which first grew up around the French fort in the colonial period. It is flanked by three older villages, or ksars: Cheraïa (Arabic: الشرايع, Ifrenyu in Korandje) to the west, Zaouia Sidi Zekri (Arabic: زاوية سيدي زكري, Kwara) and the tiny hamlet of Makhlouf (Arabic: مخلوف, Yami) to the east.
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