Presentation of the wilaya

The wilaya of Jijel in Berber : Tamnadt n Ighil Gili / in Tifinagh : ⵜⴰⵎⵏⴰⴷⵜ ⵏ ⵉⵖⵉⵍ ⴳⵉⵍⵉ  ; in Arabic : ولاية جيجل    , is a coastal wilaya located in the northeast of Algeria in the region of Petite Kabylie and whose capital is the eponymous town of Jijel .      

It is administratively organized into 11 daïras comprising 28 municipalities.

GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION (Relief-Climate…) 

The wilaya is located in the northeast of the country, on the Mediterranean coast. It is limited : - 
 To the North: The Mediterranean Sea
- To the East: the wilaya of SKIKDA
- To the west: the wilaya of BEJAIA
- In the South: the wilayas of Constantine and Mila

Relief:

• Plain areas : 

Located to the north, along the coastal strip from the small plains of Jijel , the plains of El-Aouana , the basin of Jijel, the valleys of Oued Kébir, Oued Boussiaba and the small plains of Oued Z'hor .        

• Mountain areas : 

They constitute the bulk of the territory of the wilaya (82 %) and are composed of two groups :  

• Group 1 : Medium mountain areas located in the coastal and central part of the wilaya, characterized by very abundant plant cover and an important hydrographic network. 
• Group 2 : Difficult mountain areas located at the southern limit of the wilaya, they include the highest peaks of the wilaya, the main ones being : Tamasghida, tababour, Bouazza and Seddat.  

Weather :

Like all regions of the Algerian coast, the Wilaya of Jijel enjoys a temperate climate with mild winters characteristic of Mediterranean areas and rainfall of around 1,200 mm /year. It is among the wettest regions of Algeria. We also note that at the Texenna pass, which is located at an altitude of 725 m , the snow cover lasts more than 11 days/year. The prevailing winds generally blow from the sea towards the mainland      

ECONOMIC POTENTIAL

The wilaya of Jijel is a wilaya of agricultural vocation but also tourist and fishing seen its maritime facade which extends on a front of 120 km. It conceals enormous natural and forest resources which support its economic development in general and the promotion of these industrial and craft activities in particular, particularly in the food industry, construction materials, mechanics, electricity, electronics, cork processing and tanning, textiles, glassware, stationery, etc.

Agricultural Potentials

The wilaya of Jijel is now considered, in Algeria, as the leader in the production of several fruits and vegetables including strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, etc. The ordinary "greenhouse" technique is suitable for growing tomatoes, courgettes and peppers,

The Peach

 With a coastline of 120 km of coastline, i.e. the 10th of the country's coastline, the fishing sector in the wilaya of Jijel offers promising prospects that are just waiting for a real "rolling up of sleeves" from fishing professionals. sea. The State has indeed invested, for its part, considerable sums and put in place significant means capable of putting this sector, which generates wealth and jobs, on the right track.

For the 2010-2014 deadline, the public authorities have planned, in terms of means of production, the injection of new units to exploit the pelagic resource, the exploitation of the potentialities of the wilaya in terms of aquaculture where eleven (11 ) sites have been identified, the construction of two fish markets in Ziama Mansouriah and El Aouana (west) and upstream and downstream production support units.

Industry

Jijel set to transform into a major North African and Arab industrial hub

It conceals enormous natural and forest resources which promote its economic development in general and the promotion of these industrial and artisanal activities in particular, particularly in the food industry, building materials, mechanics, electricity, electronics, cork processing and tanning, textiles, glassware, stationery, etc.
70% of the declared projects are in the transport sector, which is explained by the geographical configuration of the wilaya and the scattered populations as well as the very isolated mountainous areas.
However, there has been a good revival in the construction industry, the mining and quarrying industry and processing factories.
The North-East region of the wilaya of Jijel is distinguished by its heavy industrial equipment spread over three large industrial centers specializing in steel, mechanics and petrochemicals

ECONOMIC, ADMINISTRATIVE AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURES

Hydraulic 

This wilaya includes the following dams :     

• Kissir Dam .
• Boussiaba dam.
• Dam of El Agrem.
• Erraguene Dam.
• Tabellout dam.

Road network 

 Railway network:
❖ Length: 66.8 Km.
❖ Two (02) stations: Jijel station for passenger transport + Bazoul station for goods transport.
 

^ Port network:
❖ Length of the maritime facade: 120 KM

Airport infrastructure:
❖ Ferhat Abbas Airport which is located 12 km from the city of Jijel, currently providing the link: Jijel-Algiers.

TOURIST ACTIVITIES

Jijel is a tourist town known for the beauty of its beaches and landscapes. The Jijelian coastline extends over 120 km and has 50 beaches, 23 of which are supervised. The best known are : Kotama, La Crique, Grand Phare, Plage rouge (Sahel), Andreux, Rocher noir, Rocher aux mussels, Cavallo, Ziama Mansouria, Tassoust, Béni Belaid.     

Taza Animal Park contains a variety of rare and protected animals.  

Some caves, discovered during the opening of the RN 43 in 1917 , are of rare splendor : "The marvelous caves" located 35 km west of Jijel on the rocky cliffs, represent a real marvel by the forms of sculptures that they encompass and "Ghar El Baz" is a real prehistoric museum . Its name is related to the naturally shaped shape of the inner rock whose resemblance is strangely reminiscent of that of El Baz ( Eagle in Arabic).         

The 2009 summer tourist season attracted more than 5 million tourists, thus overtaking the city of Béjaia , which was very busy before, and an influx of more than 6.5 million tourists is expected for the 2010 season, according to the city's wali and the Algerian media.  

The city has many hotels, among which there are many luxury hotels overlooking the Mediterranean such as the Bohanche hotel, the Kotama hotel or the Nassim hotel which is located at the place "Beaumarchais" la baie la best known of Jijel gathering the chic districts of the city.

Mountain tourism or wild tourism is booming especially after the return of calm and security in mountain regions.

According to a survey carried out by the Ministry of the Interior and local authorities, the wilaya of Jijel was the preferred destination for summer visitors in 2018, indeed out of the 1,892 people questioned, 21.4% said they had set their sights on the region for the season. This classification is followed by Algiers with 9.63% and Bejaia with 9.41%.