El Oued
title: "El Oued" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["communes-of-el-oued-province", "globally-important-agricultural-heritage-systems", "oases-of-algeria", "cities-in-algeria", "province-seats-of-algeria", "el-oued-province", "oasis-towns"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Oued" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| official_name | El Oued |
| native_name | اﻟﻮادي |
| settlement_type | City |
| image_skyline | Oued Souf وادي سوف (26425311300).jpg |
| image_map | DZ 39 El Oued.svg |
| mapsize | 250 px |
| map_caption | Location of El Oued Commune within El Oued Province |
| pushpin_map | Algeria |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location of El Oued within Algeria |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | Algeria |
| subdivision_type1 | Province |
| subdivision_name1 | El Oued Province |
| subdivision_type2 | District |
| subdivision_name2 | El Oued District |
| area_total_km2 | 77.0 |
| population_as_of | 2008 |
| population_footnotes | |
| population_total | 134,699 |
| population_density_km2 | auto |
| timezone | CET |
| utc_offset | +1 |
| coordinates | |
| elevation_m | 76 |
| :: |
| official_name = El Oued | nickname = | native_name = اﻟﻮادي | settlement_type = City | image_skyline = Oued Souf وادي سوف (26425311300).jpg | image_caption = | image_flag = | image_seal = | image_map = DZ 39 El Oued.svg | mapsize = 250 px | map_caption = Location of El Oued Commune within El Oued Province | pushpin_map = Algeria | pushpin_map_caption = Location of El Oued within Algeria | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Algeria | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = El Oued Province | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = El Oued District | leader_title = | leader_name = | area_note = | area_magnitude = | area_total_km2 = 77.0 | population_as_of = 2008 | population_footnotes = | population_total = 134,699 | population_density_km2 = auto | timezone = CET | utc_offset = +1 | coordinates = | elevation_m = 76 | website = | established_title = | established_date = | footnotes = El Oued (), Souf or Oued Souf is a city, and the capital of El Oued Province, in Algeria. The oasis town is watered by an underground river, hence its name is El Oued which enables date palm cultivation and the rare use (for the desert) of brick construction for housing. As most roofs are domed, it is known as the "City of a Thousand Domes".
El Oued is located 400 mi south east of Algiers (the capital city of Algeria), near the Tunisian border. The population of El Oued was 134,699 as of the 2008 census, up from 105,256 in 1998, with a population growth rate of 2.5%.
History
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/BASA-3K-7-350-24-El_Oued,_Algeria.jpg" caption="El Oued in January 1913"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/BASA-3K-7-350-25-El_Oued,_Algeria.jpg" caption="El Oued bazaar in January 1913"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/ETH-BIB-El_Oued,Moschee_im_Bau(Gypsteig_-Gipsteig-)-Dia_247-03823.tif" caption="Inabitants of El Oued at the start of the 20th Century"] ::
In the 11th century, the Fatimids sent Banu Hilal to the Tripolitania, Tunisia and Constantine areas to fight against the Zirids.
Culture
The inhabitants belong to Teroud tribe (Arabic: بنو طرود) living in and near Oued Souf area.
Climate
El Oued has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with very hot summers and mild winters. Rainfall is light and sporadic, and summers are particularly dry.
|location = El Oued (1991-2020) |metric first = yes |single line = yes |width = auto |Jan record high C = 29.4 |Feb record high C = 35.5 |Mar record high C = 40.0 |Apr record high C = 42.8 |May record high C = 45.6 |Jun record high C = 48.7 |Jul record high C = 49.7 |Aug record high C = 48.8 |Sep record high C = 46.0 |Oct record high C = 40.6 |Nov record high C = 34.8 |Dec record high C = 28.2 | Jan avg record high C = 22.1 | Feb avg record high C = 25.7 | Mar avg record high C = 31.1 | Apr avg record high C = 36.2 | May avg record high C = 40.9 | Jun avg record high C = 45.2 | Jul avg record high C = 46.8 | Aug avg record high C = 46.2 | Sep avg record high C = 42.2 | Oct avg record high C = 36.3 | Nov avg record high C = 28.7 | Dec avg record high C = 22.9 | year avg record high C = 47.47 |Jan high C = 16.9 |Feb high C = 19.6 |Mar high C = 23.5 |Apr high C = 27.6 |May high C = 32.9 |Jun high C = 37.9 |Jul high C = 40.9 |Aug high C = 40.6 |Sep high C = 35.3 |Oct high C = 29.6 |Nov high C = 22.5 |Dec high C = 17.7 |Jan mean C = 11.2 |Feb mean C = 13.4 |Mar mean C = 17.0 |Apr mean C = 20.9 |May mean C = 25.8 |Jun mean C = 30.7 |Jul mean C = 33.5 |Aug mean C = 33.4 |Sep mean C = 28.9 |Oct mean C = 23.4 |Nov mean C = 16.7 |Dec mean C = 12.2 |Jan low C = 5.5 |Feb low C = 7.2 |Mar low C = 10.2 |Apr low C = 14.3 |May low C = 18.9 |Jun low C = 23.5 |Jul low C = 26.2 |Aug low C = 26.4 |Sep low C = 22.7 |Oct low C = 17.2 |Nov low C = 10.8 |Dec low C = 6.6 | Jan avg record low C = 1.2 | Feb avg record low C = 2.5 | Mar avg record low C = 4.7 | Apr avg record low C = 8.9 | May avg record low C = 13.2 | Jun avg record low C = 18.5 | Jul avg record low C = 22.6 | Aug avg record low C = 22.8 | Sep avg record low C = 17.8 | Oct avg record low C = 11.3 | Nov avg record low C = 5.2 | Dec avg record low C = 2.2 | year avg record low C = 0.16 |Jan record low C = -6.0 |Feb record low C = -2.0 |Mar record low C = -0.1 |Apr record low C = 1.5 |May record low C = 5.0 |Jun record low C = 9.0 |Jul record low C = 14.9 |Aug record low C = 14.5 |Sep record low C = 12.0 |Oct record low C = 2.1 |Nov record low C = 0.0 |Dec record low C = -2.2 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 19.0 |Feb precipitation mm = 9.9 |Mar precipitation mm = 11.1 |Apr precipitation mm = 20.3 |May precipitation mm = 6.7 |Jun precipitation mm = 13.9 |Jul precipitation mm = 0.5 |Aug precipitation mm = 3.6 |Sep precipitation mm = 16.7 |Oct precipitation mm = 10.1 |Nov precipitation mm = 13.8 |Dec precipitation mm = 8.6 |Jan precipitation days = 3.7 |Feb precipitation days = 2.6 |Mar precipitation days = 3.4 |Apr precipitation days = 3.1 |May precipitation days = 2.5 |Jun precipitation days = 2.6 |Jul precipitation days = 1.8 |Aug precipitation days = 1.9 |Sep precipitation days = 3.9 |Oct precipitation days = 2.9 |Nov precipitation days = 2.7 |Dec precipitation days = 3.3 |year precipitation days = |unit precipitation days = 1 mm | Jan sun = 232.5 | Feb sun = 238 | Mar sun = 275.9 | Apr sun = 300 | May sun = 344.1 | Jun sun = 357 | Jul sun = 387.5 | Aug sun = 365.8 | Sep sun = 306.0 | Oct sun = 282.1 | Nov sun = 243 | Dec sun = 235.6 | year sun = 3567.5 | Jan percentsun = 73.63 | Feb percentsun = 77.8 | Mar percentsun = 74.78 | Apr percentsun = 77.21 | May percentsun = 80.18 | Jun percentsun = 83.08 | Jul percentsun = 88.30 | Aug percentsun = 87.87 | Sep percentsun = 81.96 | Oct percentsun = 79.70 | Nov percentsun = 77.19 | Dec percentsun = 76.10 | year percentsun = 80.23 | Jan dew point C = 2.26 | Feb dew point C = 1.40 | Mar dew point C = 2.16 | Apr dew point C = 3.50 | May dew point C = 5.64 | Jun dew point C = 8.09 | Jul dew point C = 8.97 | Aug dew point C = 10.62 | Sep dew point C = 11.75 | Oct dew point C = 9.43 | Nov dew point C = 5.86 | Dec dew point C = 3.65 | year dew point C = 6.11 |Jan humidity = 61 |Feb humidity = 47 |Mar humidity = 39 |Apr humidity = 32 |May humidity = 28 |Jun humidity = 25 |Jul humidity = 23 |Aug humidity = 26 |Sep humidity = 36 |Oct humidity = 43 |Nov humidity = 53 |Dec humidity = 63 | Jan uv = 4 | Feb uv = 6 | Mar uv = 8 | Apr uv = 10 | May uv = 10 | Jun uv = 12 | Jul uv = 12 | Aug uv = 11 | Sep uv = 9 | Oct uv = 8 | Nov uv = 5 | Dec uv = 4 |source 1 = NOAA{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230826215631/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Algeria/CSV/ElOued_60559.csv | archive-date = 26 August 2023 | url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Algeria/CSV/ElOued_60559.csv | title = El Oued Climate Normals 1991–2020 | work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020) | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = 26 August 2023}} |source 2 = climatebase.ru (extremes, humidity){{cite web |url=http://climatebase.ru/station/60559/?lang=en |title=El Oued, Algeria |publisher=Climatebase.ru |access-date=12 February 2013}} |date=February 2013}}
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Grand_Erg_Oriental_en.jpg" caption="[[Grand Erg Oriental]] with El Oued at the top center"] ::
Transportation
The N16 highway connects El Oued to Touggourt to the southwest and Tebessa to the northeast. The N48 connects El Oued to the town of Still to the north, from which the N3 may be used to reach Biskra.
El Oued lies about 20 km south of Guemar Airport.
Education
7.4% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 17.5% has completed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 86.1% (second highest in the province), and is 91.2% among males (second highest in the province) and 80.6% among females (equal highest in the province).
Localities
The commune of El Oued is composed of six localities:
- El Oued
- Mahda
- Legtouta
- Keraïma
- Oum Sahaouine
- Mih Bahi Sud
References
References
- "Algeria: El-Oued, the City of a thousand Domes". Algeria Channel.
- "Population: El Oued Wilaya". Office National des Statistiques Algérie.
- "Algeria Communes". Statoids.
- "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.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::