Bou Saâda
Bou Saâda
بو سعادة | |
---|---|
Commune and town | |
Coordinates: 35°13′09″N 4°10′54″E / 35.21917°N 4.18167°E | |
Country | Algeria |
Province | M'Sila Province |
Area | |
• Total | 249.34 km2 (96.27 sq mi) |
Elevation | 553 m (1,814 ft) |
Population (2008 census) | |
• Total | 111,787 |
• Density | 450/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
Postal code | 28001 |
Website | bousaada |
Bou Saada (Arabic: بو سعادة, bu s‘adah, meaning "place of happiness[1]") is a town and municipality in M'Sila Province, Algeria, situated 245 km south of Algiers. As Arena it was the site of a city and bishopric in Roman Africa, now a Catholic titular see. The municipal population was estimated at 134,000 in 2008.
Geography
[edit]Bou-Saada is located in the southwest of the Hodna region in the Hauts Plateaux, at the feet of the Ouled Naïl Range of the Saharan Atlas.
Bou-Saada has traditionally been an important market place producing and selling jewelry, metalwork, carpets and bousaadi knives. There is also a textile mill in town. Even in modern times, Bou-Saada is an important trading post for nomads. There is also some national tourism during winter. Bou-Saada is well-connected with other urban centres by road. M'Sila is 70 km northeast, Biskra is 175 km east, Bordj Bou Arreridj 130 km northeast and Djelfa 120 km southwest. Bou-Saada has two quarters, the old medina (ksar) within the city walls with arched alleyways, and the French town to the south. Surrounding the town are extensive date groves.
Year | Population |
---|---|
1954 | 66,800 |
1966 | 26,300 |
1977 | 46,800 (town) 50,100 (municipality) |
1987 | 68,700 |
1998 | 99,800 |
2000 | 104,800 |
2008 | 134,000 |
Climate
[edit]Bou Saada has a cold desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWk). Rainfall is higher in winter than in summer. The average annual temperature in Bou Saada is 15.5 °C (59.9 °F). About 212 mm (8.35 in) of precipitation falls annually.
Climate data for Bou Saada | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 12.7 (54.9) |
14.1 (57.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
20.3 (68.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
27.5 (81.5) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.0 (87.8) |
27.0 (80.6) |
22.0 (71.6) |
17.3 (63.1) |
14.1 (57.4) |
21.5 (70.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) |
3.8 (38.8) |
5.5 (41.9) |
7.8 (46.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
14.0 (57.2) |
16.3 (61.3) |
16.3 (61.3) |
14.7 (58.5) |
10.9 (51.6) |
7.9 (46.2) |
4.5 (40.1) |
9.6 (49.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 22 (0.9) |
14 (0.6) |
21 (0.8) |
16 (0.6) |
26 (1.0) |
16 (0.6) |
6 (0.2) |
8 (0.3) |
20 (0.8) |
22 (0.9) |
24 (0.9) |
17 (0.7) |
212 (8.3) |
Source: Climate data |
Ecclesiastical history
[edit]Arena was important enough in the Late Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis to be one of the many suffragans of its capital Caesarea Mauretaniae's Metropolitan Archbishopric; discontinued as a consequence of the Arab conquest of North Africa.
Titular see
[edit]The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin Catholic titular bishopric.
It has had the following incumbents, of the fitting episcopal (lowest) rank :
- Luís António de Almeida (1935.10.04 – 1941.04.19)
- Joseph-Conrad Chaumont (1941.06.28 – 1966.10.08)
- György Zemplén (1969.01.10 – 1973.03.29)
- Roger-Émile Aubry, Redemptorists (C.SS.R.) (1973.06.14 – 2010.02.17)
- Mário Antônio da Silva (2010.06.09 – ...), Auxiliary Bishop of Manaus (Brazil)
Rock art
[edit]In the municipality, located not far from the village of Ben Srour, are several petroglyph sites of archaeological interest.[2][3]
See also
[edit]- A Bou Saâda local football (soccer) club Amel
References
[edit]- ^ a b "ALGERIA: urban population". populstat.info. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ Tixier, J. (1958-1960) Gravures rupestres de Bou Saâda (Algérie)" Bulletin de la Société Royale Belge d'Études Géologiques et Archéologiques 17: pp. 21-27, in French
- ^ Poyto, R. (1976) "Les rupestres de Ben-S'rour, Daïra de Bou-Saâda" Libyca Alger 24: pp. 195-202, in French