User:Riad Salih/sandbox/Oran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oran (in Arabic: وهران, Wahrān; in Berber: ⵡⴰⵀⵔⴰⵏ, locally pronounced /wɑhren/), nicknamed "the Radiant" (in Arabic: الباهية, el-Bāhia) and "the Joyful", is the second-largest city in Algeria in terms of population and one of the most important cities in the Maghreb. It is a port city located on the Mediterranean Sea in the northwest of Algeria, 432 km from the capital city of Algiers. Oran is the capital of the province (wilaya) of the same name and is situated along the Oran Gulf.
Oran
Wahran وهران | |
---|---|
Nickname: al-Bāhia الباهية | |
Coordinates: 35°41′49″N 0°37′59″W | |
Country | Algeria |
Province | Oran Province |
District | Oran District |
Re-founded | AD 944 |
Government | |
• Wali (Governor) | Massoud Djari |
Area | |
• City | 2,121 km2 (819 sq mi) |
Elevation | 0.9 m (3 ft) |
Population (2008 for city proper, 2019 for metro area)[1] | |
• City | 803,329 |
• Metro | 1,570,000 |
Demonym | Wahrani |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
Postal codes | 31000 - 31037 |
Website | www |
The city is located at the bottom of a bay that opens to the north and is directly dominated by the Aïdour Mountain (or Murdjajo) to the west, which reaches a height of 580 meters, as well as the Moulay Abdul Qadir Gilani Plateau. The urban area extends on both sides of the Oued Rhi ravine, which is now covered.
Founded in 902 by the Andalusians, Oran has witnessed a succession of Arab-Berber dynasties. It was occupied by the Spanish in 1509 but was re-conquered in 1792 by Bey Mohamed el-Kebir, after an earlier period of occupation between 1708 and 1730. Oran then became the seat of the Western Beylik. During French colonization, the city experienced rapid development and became the second-largest city in Algeria. After independence, it remained the economic capital of the western region of the country and the main financial, commercial, and industrial center.
In 2008, the municipality had a population of 609,940 inhabitants, while the population of the Oran metropolitan area was approximately 1,000,000. By 2020, official estimates of the urban area indicated a population of 1,760,685 inhabitants. Therefore, Oran is both the second-largest city and the second-largest urban area in Algeria.