Illizi Province

Illizi (Arabic: ولاية اليزي) is a large province (wilaya) in the south-eastern corner of Algeria named after its eponymous seat. It borders Ouargla Province to the north, Tunisia to the extreme northeast, Libya to the east, Djanet Province to the south and, to the west, In Salah Province and Tamanrasset Province. As of the 2008 census, the province had a population of 52,333 and an annual growth rate of 4.5%.^[2]

Illizi Province ولاية اليزي
Province
Map of Algeria highlighting Illizi
Coordinates: 26°29′N 8°28′E
Country	Algeria
Capital	Illizi
Government
• PPA president	Abdelkader Benhoued
• Wāli	Boualem Tiffour
Area [1]
• Total	285,000 km2 (110,000 sq mi)
Population  (2008)[2]
• Total	52,333
• Density	0.18/km2 (0.48/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01 (CET)
Area Code	+213 (0) 29
ISO 3166 code	DZ-33
Districts	3
Municipalities	6

History

The province was created from Ouargla Province in 1984. In January 2013, a hostage crisis occurred in a natural gas facility near In Amenas.^[3]

Administrative divisions

The province is divided into 2 districts,^[4] which are further divided into 4 communes or municipalities.

District	Commune	Map
Illizi District	Illizi	ﻳﻠﻴﺰى
In Amenas District	Bordj Omar Driss	برج عمار إدريس
	Debdeb	دبدب
	In Amenas	إن أمناس

Natural resources

The area is rich in natural gas. One of the most promising sites for natural gas production is the Ain Tsila gas field in the Isarene permit, some 57% of which is owned by the Irish company Petroceltic International,^[5] 18% by the Italian company Enel,^[5] and the rest by the Algerian government-owned Sonatrach.^[6] Reportedly, Petroceltic's 56.7% is worth between US$800 million and US$1 billion.^[5]

References

• Algeria portal

1. "Présentation de la wilaya d'Illizi" (in French). Ministère Algérien de l'Intérieur et des collectivités locales. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
2. "Population: Illizi Wilaya" (PDF) (in French). Office National des Statistiques Algérie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
3. Nossiter, Adam; Sayare, Scott (2013-01-16). "Militants Seize Americans and Other Hostages in Algeria". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
4. "33 - Wilaya D'Illizi" (PDF). Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne. 41. SGG Algeria: 1311. 1991. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
5. Elder, Bryce; Neil Hume (28 April 2011). "Petroceltic sells Algerian project stake". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
6. "Petroceltic's INW-2 becomes fourth well to demonstrate commercial flow rates on Isarene permit, Alge". Proactive Investors. 2 February 2010. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.