Adrar, Algeria

Adrar
City
Buildings in Adrar
Location of Adrar commune within Adrar Province
Adrar Location of Adrar within Algeria
Coordinates: 27°52′N 0°17′W / 27.867°N 0.283°WCoordinates: 27°52′N 0°17′W / 27.867°N 0.283°W
Country	Algeria
Province	Adrar Province
District	Adrar District
Area
• Total	633 km^2 (244 sq mi)
Elevation	258 m (846 ft)
Population (2008)[1]
• Total	64,781
• Density	100/km^2 (270/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
Area code(s)	0101

Adrar (Berber: Adrar, ⴰⴷⵔⴰⵔ; Arabic: أدرار‎) is the administrative capital of Adrar Province, the second largest province in Algeria. The commune is sited around an oasis in the Tuat region of the Sahara Desert. According to a 2008 census it has a population of 64,781,^[1] up from 43,903 in 1998,^[2] with an annual growth rate of 4.0%.^[1]

Adrar is mainly an agricultural town, characterized by its traditional irrigation system, the Foggara.

Geography

Adrar lies at an elevation of 258 metres (846 ft) above sea level. A large oasis lies to the southwest of the town; this oasis lies in the Tuat region, a string of oases running from Bouda in the north to Reggane in the south. A vast area of sand dunes, the Erg Chech, lies to the west, while a large rocky plateau, the Tademaït, lies to the east.

Climate

Adrar has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with long, extremely hot summers and short, very warm winters, and averages just 15 millimetres (0.59 in) of rainfall per year. Summer temperatures are consistently extremely high as they commonly approach 50 °C (122 °F) - with heat indices reaching extreme levels for four months of the year even with the excessively dry air - but temperatures at night fall low enough to be quite tolerable, around 30 °C (86 °F). Even in early May or in late September, daytime temperatures can easily soar to 45 °C (113 °F). Adrar experiences the same kind of desert heat as Death Valley, California during summertime. Winter nights can be chilly and frost is by no means unknown but the days are pleasantly warm, sunny and dry.^[3] During the summer, the Sahara region of Algeria is the source of a scorching, desiccating, sometimes dusty and southerly wind called the Sirocco. These winds parch the plateaus of northern Algeria up to 40 days and reach the Tell coastal region for as many as 20 days.^[4] The sky is absolutely clear all year and cloudy days remain extremely rare. Thereby, the solar irradiation is among the highest found on the planet and the annual sunshine duration is estimated between 3,700 h and 4,000 h. Adrar is often quoted as one of the hottest spots worldwide.

Climate data for Adrar
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	20.6 (69.1)	25.4 (77.7)	28.9 (84)	34.5 (94.1)	38.7 (101.7)	43.9 (111)	46.3 (115.3)	45.4 (113.7)	41.8 (107.2)	35.7 (96.3)	26.9 (80.4)	20.9 (69.6)	34.08 (93.34)
Daily mean °C (°F)	13.8 (56.8)	17.7 (63.9)	21 (70)	25.7 (78.3)	30.5 (86.9)	35.6 (96.1)	37.4 (99.3)	36.8 (98.2)	33.6 (92.5)	27.6 (81.7)	19.9 (67.8)	14.1 (57.4)	26.14 (79.08)
Average low °C (°F)	6.8 (44.2)	9.9 (49.8)	13.1 (55.6)	16.9 (62.4)	22.2 (72)	27.3 (81.1)	28.8 (83.8)	28.2 (82.8)	25.4 (77.7)	19.2 (66.6)	12.8 (55)	7.3 (45.1)	18.16 (64.68)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	2.3 (0.091)	1.3 (0.051)	2.6 (0.102)	4.1 (0.161)	0.3 (0.012)	0.1 (0.004)	0.0 (0)	0.2 (0.008)	0.2 (0.008)	1.5 (0.059)	0.6 (0.024)	1.4 (0.055)	14.6 (0.575)
Average relative humidity (%)	38.0	33.7	26.6	22.5	18.1	13.6	12.1	12.7	16.8	23.9	31.7	39.6	24.11
Percent possible sunshine	83	84	86	88	89	90	91	90	89	86	88	82	87.2
Source #1: Hong Kong Observatory (temperature 1964-1990, rainfall 1965-1990)[5]
Source #2: climatebase.ru (extremes, humidity)[6]

Culture

The settlement in the region (formerly known as Tuat) is quite ancient and the area provides for several different cultures and includes several historic monuments. This intermingling gave birth to a body of traditions and of cultural and hand-crafted practices that are still present today in the life of its inhabitants translating into a wealth of the folklore and cultural heritage.

Transportation

Touat Cheikh Sidi Mohamed Belkebir Airport (or simply Adrar Airport)^[7] is located 10 kilometers away from center of the city. Airlines include Air Algérie flight to Algiers, Bordj Badji Mokhtar, Oran and Ouargla in addition to Tassili Airlines flights to In Aménas.

Adrar is on the N6 national highway, which leads north to Béchar and south to Reggane and Timiaouine.

Demographics

Year	Population[1][2][8]
1936	800
1966	13,300
1987	28,600
1998	43,903
2008	64,781

Education

9.2% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 19.8% has completed secondary education.^[9] The overall literacy rate is 84.1%, and is 89.9% among males and 78.1% among females (the second highest among all the communes in the province).^[10]

Localities

As of 1984, the commune was composed of the following eight localities:^[11]

• Adrar
• Adgha
• Ouguedim
• Barbaa
• Ouled Oungal
• Ouled Ouchen
• Ouled Ali
• Tililane
• Meraguen

References

1. "Population: Wilaya d'Adrar" (PDF) (in French). Office National des Statistiques Algérie. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
2. "Algeria Communes". Statoids. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
3. The Times Books World Weather Guide, E.A Pearce and C.G. Smith, TIMES BOOKS, The New York Times Book Co., Inc.
4. The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: Scott Fetzer Co., 2007.
5. "Climatological Information for Adrar, Algeria". Hong Kong Observatory. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
6. "Adrar, Algeria". Climatebase.ru. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
7. "Touat Cheikh Sidi Mohamed Belkebir Airport". OurAirports. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
8. populstat.info
9. "Structure relative de la population résidente des ménages ordinaires et collectifs âgée de 6 ans et plus selon le niveau d'instruction et la commune de résidence." (PDF) (in French). Office National des Statistiques Algérie. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
10. "Taux d'analphabétisme et taux d'alphabétisation de la population âgée de 15 ans et plus, selon le sexe et la commune de résidence ." (PDF) (in French). Office National des Statistiques Algérie. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
11. "Décret n° 84-365, fixant la composition, la consistance et les limites territoriale des communes. Wilaya d'Adrar" (PDF) (in French). Journal officiel de la République Algérienne. 19 December 1984. p. 1472. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.

External links

• (English) Adrar Province