Presentation of the wilaya

The wilaya of Tlemcen (in Berber : ⵜⴰⵡⵉⵍⴰⵢⵜ ⵏ ⵜⵍⵎⵙⴰⵏ ; in Arabic : ولاية تلمسان   )) is an Algerian wilaya located in the extreme northwest of Algeria .   

The Wilaya of Tlemcen is located on the northwest coast of the country and has a coastline of 120 km . It is a border wilaya with Morocco, with an area of 9,017.69 km ² . The capital of the wilaya is located 432 km west of the capital, Algiers.     

The wilaya of Tlemcen currently includes 20 Daïras and 53 Communes.

GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION (Relief-Climate…) 

The wilaya is located at the northwestern end of the country and occupies western Orania , it extends from the coast in the north to the steppe in the south. It is delimited :  

·         to the north, by the Mediterranean ;  

·         to the west, by Morocco ; 

·         to the south, by the wilaya of Naâma ;  

·         to the east, by the wilayas of Sidi-Bel-Abbes and Aïn Témouchent ;   

Relief:

The wilaya constitutes a diversified landscape where we meet four distinct physical units from north to south:

·         The northern zone is made up of the Monts des Trara and Sebâa Chioukh appears as a massif characterized by quite remarkable erosion and low rainfall.  

·         A set of agricultural plains, with the plain of Maghnia to the west and in the center and east a set of plains and interior plateaus called the Tlemcen basin : the lower valleys of Tafna, Isser and the plateau of Ouled Riah. To the south of this set, the capital of the Wilaya is established. This set is characterized by strong agricultural potential, a dense urban fabric, a good road network and significant industrial activity.   

·         The mountains of Tlemcen which are part of the great chain of the Tell Atlas which crosses Algeria from East to West, and are erected as a real natural barrier between the high steppe plains and the Tell.    

·         The southern zone made up of the high steppe plains . The plant cover being the replica of the climatic conditions (300 mm), the shallow soils poor in humus are sensitive to erosion, the esparto aquifer constitutes an economic potential in cellulose for the manufacture of paper pulp covering an area of 154 000 ha      

Weather :

The wilaya of Tlemcen is characterized by a Mediterranean climate, it is based on the opposition between a cold oceanic winter where the wilaya is open to maritime depressions and a hot and dry desert summer which causes the rise and stagnation of persistent heat during throughout the season, the rainfall remains very irregular and varies between 200 to 500 mm/year.

ECONOMIC POTENTIAL

After independence, the relations of Tlemcen with Oran were strengthened in the field of the exchange of goods. But the city was not favored by the Algerian economic policy, even if the integration into the national economy was reinforced. Tlemcen knew how to organize around its wilaya a network which is based on a set of towns : Sebdou , Remchi , Nedroma and Maghnia ; it allowed the development of the industrial and commercial activities of the city and the drainage of agricultural income for its benefit.            

Since the 2000s , the city has experienced a real estate boom and carried out major works. 

Agricultural Potentials

Tlemcen is, par excellence, an agricultural wilaya both by its potential in terms of land fertility and by the speculations practiced, but which require, with the resorption of water deficits, an intensive cultivation and tends towards agricultural surpluses at the level of the region. . The plan for the development and modernization of Agriculture should hoist it to a higher rank through induced jobs in favor of dedicated budgetary allocations, to enable it to turn to modern and competitive agriculture.

Agriculture is an important sector in the economy of the wilaya of Tlemcen, the plains of Maghnia , Remchi , Hennaya , the basins of Beni Ouarsous are the main producers of agricultural products : potatoes, citrus fruits, cereals, vegetables.. .etc.      

With a coastline of 74 km and which extends from Marsa Ben M'hidi in the west to Ouardania in the east, the wilaya of Tlemcen has a fish biomass of around (52,568) Tonne.

Industry

Region known for the manufacture of cement, but also fuel,

ECONOMIC, ADMINISTRATIVE AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURES

Hydraulic 

The wilaya of Tlemcen includes the following dams : the El Meffrouch dam, the Sikkak dam, the Béni Bahdel dam, the Hammam Boughrara dam and the Sidi Abdelli dam   

Road network 

The wilaya of Tlemcen is accessible by a very dense network of communication routes totaling 4188 km, between highways (100km), national roads (764km), wilaya paths (1190km) and municipal paths (2134km).

Port network

Mixed port (goods, passengers and fishing): Ghazaouet 

Fishing shelter : Honaine , Marsa Ben Mhidi , Sidna Youchaa.   

Airport network

The wilaya has a class A airport (international and national networks) including a main runway : 2600 ml, a ramp of 1075 ml and a parking lot with 490 spaces. 

Education 

The wilaya of Tlemcen has 466 primary schools with a number of students of 107,943, 113 CEM with a number of students of 59,983 and 47 high schools with 25,110 students.   

Health

The health sector has five hospitals, 17 polyclinics and 262 treatment rooms. The hospitals equip the following towns : Tlemcen, Ghazaouet, Sebdou, Maghnia and Nedroma. 

TOURIST ACTIVITIES

In 2012, the wilaya of Tlemcen has fifty-eight (58) hotels with ¹⁷ and 1896 rooms, all categories combined, thirty (30) bungalows, four (4) hotel annexes. Add to all these infrastructures, the (33) thirty-three out-of-category hotels. 

The wilaya of Tlemcen has three spas : Hammam Boughrara, Chiger and Sidi El Abdelli. They are all equipped with the necessary means allowing visitors to spend pleasant and excellent stays there.   

The wilaya of Tlemcen has a 73 km long coastline and has twenty-seven beaches of golden sand and pebbles, namely the beaches of Marsa ben M'hidi, Muscarda I, Muscarda II, Bidar, Honaine, Tafsout, Agla I , Agla II, El M'khled, Beni Khaled, Sidna Youcha, Barbadjani…etc. A dozen of these beaches are authorized for swimming. The wilaya has several tourist complexes and hotels.    

An essential destination when visiting Tlemcen, the Lalla Setti highland dominates the city of Tlemcen at an altitude of 1000 meters offering a sublime panoramic view of the entire city of Tlemcen .