Mascara Province

Coordinates: 35°24′N 0°8′E / 35.400°N 0.133°E / 35.400; 0.133
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Mascara Province
ولاية معسكر
Map of Algeria highlighting Mascara
Map of Algeria highlighting Mascara
Coordinates: 35°24′N 0°8′E / 35.400°N 0.133°E / 35.400; 0.133
Country Algeria
CapitalMascara, Algeria
Area
 • Total5,941 km2 (2,294 sq mi)
Population
 (2008)[1]
 • Total780,959
 • Density130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01 (CET)
Area Code+213 (0) 45
ISO 3166 codeDZ-29
Districts16
Municipalities47

Mascara (Arabic: معسكر Muʿaskar, Berber languages: ⵎⵄⴻⵙⴽⴻⵔ Mɛesker) is a province (wilaya) in Algeria. It was named after its capital, whose name is Arabic for "military garrison". It is unsure whether the place is related to "mascara", the cosmetic. Another important locality is the town of Sig.

History[edit]

The province was created from parts of Mostaganem department and Oran (department) in 1974.

Administrative divisions[edit]

The province is divided into 16 districts (daïras), which are further divided into 47 communes or municipalities.

Districts[edit]

Communes[edit]

1994 earthquake[edit]

There was an earthquake in the capital of Mascara City on 18 August 1994. The 5.9 Mw oblique-slip shock left 159 dead, 289 injured, and 8,000–10,000 homeless.[2]

Notable people[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Office National des Statistiques, Recensement General de la Population et de l’Habitat 2008 Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine Preliminary results of the 2008 population census. Accessed on 2008-07-02.
  2. ^ USGS. "M5.9 - northern Algeria". United States Geological Survey.