Presentation of the wilaya

The wilaya of Batna (in Berber : Tanebḍit n Tbatent ; in tifinagh : ⵜⴰⵏⴻⴱⴹⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵜⴱⴰⵜⵏⵜ ; in Arabic : ولاية باتنة            ) Is a wilaya in north-eastern Algeria , in the region of Aures , whose capital is the eponymous town of Batna ..    

The wilaya of Batna has 21 daïras divided into 61 municipalities.

GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION (Relief - Climate, etc.) 

The wilaya of Batna is located in the northeast of Algeria, in the region of Aurès . It is delimited 

Weather 

The Climate of Batna is that of a semi-arid region. The average temperature is 4 ° C in January and 35 ° C in July. During the winter the temperature drops below zero at night with often frosts (presence of ice on the roadways). During the summer the temperature can reach 45 ° C in the shade. The average rainfall is 210 mm per year

NATURAL POTENTIALITIES

 The wilaya has mining resources such as dolomite and marble aggregate mines , as well as gypsum plaster production sites.    

ECONOMIC POTENTIALITIES

 Agricultural potentials

The wilaya is agro-pastoral, cereal growing is the main crop in the wilaya and whose area represents 38.08 % of the agricultural area of ​​the wilaya 21 . The beekeeping and poultry combined with sheep farming  .     

The apricot tree is mainly present in the region of N'Gaous  , and the olive and apple tree in the region of Arris . A center for inland fishing is planned near the Koudiet Lemdouar dam in Timgad over an area of 2,000 m 2  . Apricot production is estimated at 500,000 quintals for the 2011 harvest, while olive tree production at over 186,000 quintals for the same year.          

The cultivated agricultural area increased from 70,000 hectares in 1962 to 422,000 hectares in 2011 . During the same period, irrigated areas increased from 1,500 ha to 50,000 ha and orchards from 700 ha to 21,000 ha. The agriculture sector employs 12,000 people in the wilaya. It has the Koudiet Lamdaouar Dam with a capacity of 70 million cubic meters.    

Industry

The industrial zone (Gadaine) covers an area of 4,000 m 2 . Several factories are located in the region covering various industries : leather, construction, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, etc.   

ECONOMIC, ADMINISTRATIVE AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURES

Hydraulic 

Groundwater is the most widely used resources in the wilaya of Batna, especially for drinking water supply, agriculture and industry. The mobilization of these potentialities is ensured by a large number of boreholes, individual or collective wells and the captured or non-captured sources, distributed throughout the territory of the wilaya. According to the inventory presented by the Directorate of Hydraulics, the wilaya of Batna has 383 boreholes including 328 in operation and 25 permanently abandoned, of which about 30% are located in the plains of Barika, Ain Djasser and El Madher, there where groundwater resources are particularly important.

This wilaya includes the following dams :    

• Koudiet Lamdaouar dam .
• Maafa Dam .

Road network 

The road network of the wilaya of Batna has a total length of 3,506.07 km, distributed as follows : 

National roads: 804,300 km.
Wilaya roads: 650,400 km.
Communal paths: 1,334,620 km
Tracks: 719,750 km

Rail network

It is limited to two 148kms lanes. The first track crosses the Wilaya from North to South over a length of approximately 95 km, with 4 stations (Ain Yagout, Djerma, Batna and Ain Touta) This railway plays an important role in supplying the wilaya with goods equipment and goods imported from the ports of skikda and annaba. The second Ain Tta –M'sila track, the section of which is in the wilaya of Batna, has been completed with 5 stations (Cimenterie-Seggana-Barika-Ouled Abdellah and Ouled Ammar).

Airport network

Batna International Airport, 25 km from the city of Batna, is classified in 21st class; its attendance reaches 80,000 passengers / year with 4 flights per week to the capital, and 5 to abroad.

Education :  

Primary Education: The wilaya has 619 establishments with a total of 3,600 classrooms used for a total number of 117,324 students.

Average education: The wilaya has 160 establishments. All of these establishments have a total of 2,851 classes in use, and the enrollment is in the order of 109,189 students.

Secondary education: The wilaya has 59 secondary education establishments, the number of students is 46,641 and a total of 1,256 classes used.

Professional training

The wilaya of Batna has 19 vocational training centers with a capacity of 6,380 places, 01 specialized training center and 20 Private Establishments with a capacity of 1995 places.

Health

The wilaya has twelve 12 Hospitals with a total capacity of 2338 beds, ten 10 Local Public Health Establishments covering all the municipalities of the wilaya of Batna, 57 Polyclinics and 221 treatment rooms.

TOURIST ACTIVITIES

The existing tourism potentials in the wilaya of Batna, both in terms of archeology and history as well as in terms of cultural and landscape diversity are very important.
The ancestral artisanal activity is also important and diversified (pottery, weaving, jewelry,…) ; as well as the intangible heritage (music, songs, dances, folklore, habits and customs,…). In this sense, the real interest of the region of Batna lies in its soil, since it develops on different structural domains, the Atlas mountains and the high plains, two types of reliefs which generate very varied landscapes, combining the altitude, climate, and landscapes (remarkable faunistic and floral heritage, exceptional sites and panoramic views, thermal springs, etc.). The region is also well known for its immense archaeological heritage, civilizations, which have followed one another in its Aurès and which have left many witnesses with a high state of conservation. Whether Roman (Timgad, Lambèze, Zana,…), Numidian (Imedghassen,…), Islamic (Tobna) or others, this potential requires vigorous actions of protection, preservation and restoration (in certain cases). Also, multiple historical sites (Liberation War, Amazigh history,…), and cultural (balconies of Ghouffi, M'Doukel,…); are able to greatly enhance the tourist activity. Just as there are many sites, particularly historical ones (linked to Amazigh culture, to the national liberation war, or quite simply having a more or less old history or related to a cultural aspect); and they are able to further enhance the tourist activity.