Saturday 4 August 2012

The Wilaya of Constantine




Constantine
قسنطينة, Qusanṭīnah also known as Kasantina
—  Commune and city  —
A bridge in Constantine

Coat of arms
Nickname(s): city of bridges
Constantine is located in Algeria
Constantine
Coordinates: 36°21′N 6°36′ECoordinates: 36°21′N 6°36′E
Country Algeria
ProvinceConstantine Province
DistrictConstantine District
Government
 • PresidentA. Chibane (2007-2012)
Area
 • Total2,288 km2 (883 sq mi)
Population (2008)2008 census [1]
 • Total448,374
 • Density200/km2 (510/sq mi)
Time zoneCET (UTC+1)
Constantine (Arabic: قسنطينة‎,Qusanṭīnah, also spelledQasentina also spelled as Kasantina) is the capital ofConstantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-namedFrench département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river. Regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the centre of its region, Constantine has a population of 448,374 (1,000,000 with the agglomeration), making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran. There are museums and important historical sites around the city (one of the most beautiful one is the Palais du Bey, in the casbah). It is often referred to as the "City of Bridges" due to the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the mountains the city is built on.

History

Main article: Cirta
The city was originally created by the Phoenicians, who called it Sarim Batim (royal city). Later it was renamed Cirta, by the Numidian king Syphax, who turned it into his capital. The city was taken over byNumidia, the country of the Berber people, after the Phoenicians were defeated by Rome in the Third Punic War. In 112 BC the city was occupied by Jugurtha who defeated his half-brother Adherbal. The city later served as the base for Roman generals Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus and Gaius Marius in their war against Jugurtha. Later, with the removal of King Juba I and the remaining supporters of Pompey in Africa (c. 46), Julius Caesargave special rights to the citizens of Cirta, now known as Colonia Sittlanorum.
In 311, during the civil war between emperor Maxentius and usurper Domitius Alexander (a former governor of Africa), the city was destroyed. Rebuilt in 313, it was subsequently named after emperor Constantine the Great, who had defeated Maxentius. Captured by theVandals in 432, Constantine returned to the Byzantine Exarchate of Africa (i.e. North Africa) from 534 to 697. It was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century, receiving the name of Qusantina.
The city recovered and in 12th century was again a prosperous market, with connection toPisa, Genoa and Venice. Since 1529 it was intermittently part of Ottoman Empire, ruled by a Turkish bey (governor) subordinate to the dey of Algiers. Salah Bey, who ruled the city in 1770–1792, greatly embellished it and built much of the Muslim architecture still visible today.
In 1826 the last Bey, Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif, became the new head of state. He led a fierce resistance against French forces, which invaded Algeria four years later. By 13 October 1837, the territory was captured by France, and from 1848 on until 1962 it was an integral part of the French motherland and centre of the Constantine Département.
In World War II, during the campaign in North Africa (1942–43), Constantine and the nearby city of Sétif were used by the Allied forces as operational bases.
In 1880, while working in the military hospital in Constantine, Algeria, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran discovered that the cause of malaria is a protozoan, after observing the parasites in a blood smear taken from a soldier who had just died of malaria.[1] For this, he received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.[1] This was the first time that protozoa were shown to be a cause of disease. His work helped inspire researchers and veterinarians today to try and find a cure for malaria in animals

Geography

Constantine is situated on a plateau at 640 metres (2,100 ft) above sea level. The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. The city is very picturesque with a number of bridges over Rhumel river and a viaduct crossing the ravine. The ravine is crossed by four bridges, including Pont Sidi M'Cid. Constantine is the railhead of a prosperous and diverse agricultural area. It also a centre of the grain trade and has flour mills, a tractor factory, and industries producing textiles, wool, linen and leather goods.[citation needed] Algeria and Tunisia serve as its markets.

People

Main page: People from Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the native city of the Islamic reformer Ben Badis. It is also the hometown of many noteworthy people in Algeria and France.

Capture of Constantine by French troops, 13 October 1837. Horace Vernet.




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