El Menia

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title: "El Menia" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["el-ménia-district", "oases-of-algeria", "communes-of-ghardaïa-province", "ghardaïa-province", "oasis-towns"] topic_path: "general/el-menia-district" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Menia" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	El Menia
native_name	المنيعة
settlement_type	Commune and town
image_skyline	El Menia 02.jpg
image_caption	View of El Menia from the ksar
image_map	DZ-47 El Menia (El Golea).svg
mapsize	200px
map_caption	Location of El Menia commune within Ghardaïa Province
pushpin_map	Algeria
pushpin_label_position	bottom
pushpin_map_caption	Location of El Menia within Algeria
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Algeria
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	El Menia Province
subdivision_type2	District
subdivision_name2	El Ménia District
unit_pref	Metric
population_as_of	2008
population_footnotes
population_total	40,195
timezone	CET
utc_offset	+1
coordinates
elevation_m	380
::

El Menia () is an oasis town and commune, and capital of El Ménia District, in the homonymous El Menia Province, Algeria. The former name is El Goléa (); together in Arabic, the two names mean Impregnable Castle. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 40,195, up from 28,848 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 3.4%. The area is inhabited by the Zenete Berbers. El Menia oasis grows many agricultural products. The grave of the French priest Charles de Foucauld is located in the town.

Geography

El Menia is located almost at the center of Algeria, lying at the eastern border of the Grand Erg Occidental at an elevation of 380 m. The town is a gateway to the Sahara in the south, and has an estimated 180,000 palm trees within the oasis area. The oasis itself lies beneath an escarpment rising up to 200 m above. Some of the largest continuous areas of Saharan sand dunes begin just a few kilometres to the west of the oasis.

Climate

El Menia has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with long, extremely hot summers and short, warm winters. There is very little rain throughout the year, and summers are especially dry. Summer daytime temperatures are known to consistently approach 45 C. The sky is clear throughout the year and sunny, bright days are guaranteed. On July 7, 2021, the record high temperature of 49.1 C was registered.

| location = El Menia (El Golea Airport) 1991–2020 | metric first = yes | single line = yes | Jan record high C = 27.5 | Feb record high C = 36.5 | Mar record high C = 38.2 | Apr record high C = 43.0 | May record high C = 44.2 | Jun record high C = 46.6 | Jul record high C = 49.1 | Aug record high C = 48.0 | Sep record high C = 46.4 | Oct record high C = 42.1 | Nov record high C = 33.8 | Dec record high C = 29.5 | year record high C = | Jan high C = 17.5 | Feb high C = 20.1 | Mar high C = | Apr high C = 29.5 | May high C = 34.6 | Jun high C = 39.6 | Jul high C = 42.8 | Aug high C = 41.8 | Sep high C = 37.4 | Oct high C = 30.8 | Nov high C = 23.1 | Dec high C = 18.3 | year high C = | Jan mean C = 10.1 | Feb mean C = 12.4 | Mar mean C = 16.9 | Apr mean C = 21.5 | May mean C = 26.6 | Jun mean C = 31.5 | Jul mean C = 34.6 | Aug mean C = 33.8 | Sep mean C = 29.9 | Oct mean C = 23.4 | Nov mean C = 15.8 | Dec mean C = 11.2 | year mean C = 22.3 | Jan low C = 2.6 | Feb low C = 4.7 | Mar low C = 8.9 | Apr low C = 13.6 | May low C = 18.6 | Jun low C = 23.3 | Jul low C = 26.3 | Aug low C = 25.9 | Sep low C = 22.4 | Oct low C = 16.1 | Nov low C = 8.4 | Dec low C = 4.1 | year low C = 14.6 | Jan record low C = -5.5 | Feb record low C = -4.6 | Mar record low C = -2.2 | Apr record low C = 4.0 | May record low C = 8.5 | Jun record low C = 12.2 | Jul record low C = 20.0 | Aug record low C = 18.2 | Sep record low C = 11.8 | Oct record low C = 4.9 | Nov record low C = -1.8 | Dec record low C = -4.5 | year record low C = -9.4 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 6.6 | Feb precipitation mm = 1.8 | Mar precipitation mm = 7.2 | Apr precipitation mm = 2.9 | May precipitation mm = 2.4 | Jun precipitation mm = 0.4 | Jul precipitation mm = 0.0 | Aug precipitation mm = 0.7 | Sep precipitation mm = 5.5 | Oct precipitation mm = 4.7 | Nov precipitation mm = 4.6 | Dec precipitation mm = 4.1 | year precipitation mm = 40.9 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 0.9 | Feb precipitation days = 0.4 | Mar precipitation days = 0.9 | Apr precipitation days = 0.4 | May precipitation days = 0.5 | Jun precipitation days = 0.2 | Jul precipitation days = 0.0 | Aug precipitation days = 0.2 | Sep precipitation days = 0.8 | Oct precipitation days = 0.8 | Nov precipitation days = 0.9 | Dec precipitation days = 0.7 | year precipitation days = 6.7 | source 1 = NOAA{{cite web | url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Algeria/CSV/ElGolea_60590.csv | title = El Golea Climate Normals 1991–2020 | work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020) | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = 26 September 2023}}

Transportation

El Menia has good road connections along the N1 highway to Ghardaïa to the north and In Salah to the south. El Golea Airport is located 3 km west of the town's center.

Education

6.9% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 17.3% has completed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 81.4%, and is 85.4% among males and 77.2% among females.

File:El Golea المنيعة - panoramio (1).jpg|The old ksar. File:Public National Museum of El Menia.jpg|Public National Museum of El Menia. File:St. Joseph Church (El Menia) 01.jpg|St. Joseph Church File:Grave of Charles de Foucauld 01.jpg|Grave of Charles de Foucauld.

Localities

The commune of El Menia is composed of 12 localities:

Centre-ville
Taghit
Belbachir
Hoffrat El Abbas
Vieux Ksar
Badriane
Belaïd
Zouitel
Ouled Zid
Tin Bouzid
Ksar Belkacem
Ouled Feradj

References

References

{{cite EB9
"Population: Ghardaïa Wilaya". Office National des Statistiques Algérie.
"Algeria Communes". Statoids.
. (7 July 2021). ["60590: El Golea (Algeria)"](https://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=60590&ano=2021&mes=7&day=7&hora=0&min=0&ndays=30). *[[OGIMET]]*.
"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.". Office National des Statistiques Algérie.
"Taux d'analphabétisme et taux d'alphabétisation de la population âgée de 15 ans et plus, selon le sexe et la commune de résidence .". Office National des Statistiques Algérie.
(19 December 1984). "Décret n° 84-365, fixant la composition, la consistance et les limites territoriale des communes. Wilaya d'El Oued". Journal officiel de la République Algérienne.

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