Tahert
| Tiaret | |
|---|---|
| city | |
 |
|
 Tiaret
|
|
| Coordinates: 35°22′N 1°19′E / 35.367°N 1.317°ECoordinates: 35°22′N 1°19′E / 35.367°N 1.317°E | |
| Country |
 Algeria
|
| Province | Tiaret Province |
| District | Tieret District |
| Founded | 778 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 111.45 km2 (43.03 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 978 m (3,209 ft) |
| Population (2008 census) | |
| • Total | 178,915 |
| • Density | 1,600/km2 (4,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| Postal code | 14000 |
| Climate | Csa |
Tiaret (Berber: Tahert or Tihert, ⵜⴰⵀⴻⵔⵜ, i.e. "Lioness"; Arabic: تاهرت / تيارت) is a major city in central Algeria that gives its name to the wider farming region of Tiaret Province. Both the town and region lie south-west of the capital of Algiers in the western region of the Hautes Plaines, in the Tell Atlas, and about 150 km (93 mi) from the Mediterranean coast. It is served by Abdelhafid Boussouf Bou Chekif Airport.
The name means "lioness" in the Berber language, a reference to the Barbary lions that lived in this region. Maghrebian place names like Oran (Uhran) and Souk Ahras have the same etymological source.
The town had a population of 178,915 in 2008. 100% of the population is Muslim. The town covered around 20.086.62 km² bouchentouf http://www.social-sante.gouv.fr/
A 1992 study by the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis reported significant areas contaminated by industrial pollution, and growing squatter settlements on the periphery.
The region is predominantly one of agriculture. There is a large airfield with a tower and terminal at Abdelhafid Boussouf.
The province suffered massacres (the largest being the Sid El-Antri massacre in 1997), killings, and bombings during the Algerian Civil War, though less so than areas closer to Algiers. The Africa Institute reported in a May, 2004 monograph that Tiaret's more "arid and mountainous landscape has facilitated terrorist activities". The MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base reports that Tiaret "is a frequent site of attacks by the Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC)" (now known as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb). The GSPC is "believed to have close ties to Osama bin Laden" (Paris AFX News Agency, Jul 13, 2005) and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (Asharq Alaswat Jul 3 2005), and is reported to be active in Italy (Deutsche Welle, Jul 15 2005).
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