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Tamanrasset

Coordinates: 22°47′20″N 5°31′32″E / 22.78889°N 5.52556°E / 22.78889; 5.52556
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This article is about the city. For the ancient river, see Tamanrasset River. For other uses, see Tamanrasset (disambiguation).
Tamanrasset
تامنراست
City
Tamanrasset assize court
Tamanrasset assize court
Location of Tamanrasset commune within Tamanrasset Province
Location of Tamanrasset commune within Tamanrasset Province
Tamanrasset is located in Algeria
Tamanrasset
Tamanrasset
Location of Tamanrasset within Algeria
Coordinates: 22°47′20″N 5°31′32″E / 22.78889°N 5.52556°E / 22.78889; 5.52556
Country Algeria
ProvinceTamanrasset Province
DistrictTamanrasset District
Area
 • Total
37,713 km2 (14,561 sq mi)
Elevation
1,320 m (4,330 ft)
Population
 (2008)
 • Total
92,635
 • Density2/km2 (5/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
Postal code
11000
Area code(+213) 29
PMA seats (as of 2007)11
ONS code1101
ClimateBWh

Tamanrasset (/ˌtæmənˈræsət/;[1] Arabic: تامنراست), also known as Tamanghasset or Tamenghest, is an oasis city and capital of Tamanrasset Province in southern Algeria, in the Ahaggar Mountains. It is the chief city of the Algerian Tuareg. It is located an altitude of 1,320 metres (4,330 ft). As of the 2008 census, it has a population of 92,635,[2] up from 72,741 in 1998,[3] with an annual growth rate of 2.5%.[2]

Tamanrasset was originally established as a military outpost to guard the trans-Saharan trade routes. Surrounded by the barren Sahara, very high temperatures of over 47 °C (117 °F) have been recorded here[citation needed]. Tamanrasset is located at an oasis where, despite the difficult climate, citrus fruits, apricots, dates, almonds, cereals, corn, and figs are grown. The Tuareg people were once the town's main inhabitants. Tamanrasset is a tourist attraction during the cooler months. Visitors are also drawn to the Museum of the Hoggar, which offers many exhibits depicting Tuareg life and culture.

The city is served by Tamanrasset Airport and the Trans-Sahara Highway.

History

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Tamanrasset originated as the centre of a network of camel caravan trading routes from Kano, Lake Chad, Gao, Agades and Zinder.[4] When Algeria was under French rule, the Catholic priest Charles de Foucauld built his hermitage here in 1905, he established the fort by 1915.

Foucauld was shot to death outside his Tamanrasset compound by Sermi ag Thora under the command of El Madani ag Soba on 1 December 1916.[5]

As a military post, the settlement was named Fort Laperrine, after General François-Henry Laperrine's death[6] in the desert nearby in 1922.[7]

On 13 February 1960, during the Algerian War, Gerboise Bleue – the first French nuclear test – detonated in the middle of the Algerian Sahara, located about 800 km to the north-west of Tamanrasset.[8]

On 1 May 1962, near Ecker, 150 km north of Tamanrasset, there was an accidental venting of a French underground nuclear test. Due to improper sealing of the shaft, a spectacular flame burst through the concrete cap and radioactive gases and dust were vented into the atmosphere. The plume climbed up to 2600 m high and radiation was detected hundreds of kilometres away. About a hundred French soldiers and officials, including two ministers, were irradiated. The number of contaminated Algerians is unknown.

In 2003 Air Algérie Flight 6289 crashed in the city.

In 2010, the oasis town was the site of the Joint Military Staff Committee headquarters for combating Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb. The four-country Committee (Algeria, Mali, Niger, Mauritania) intends to use Tamanrasset to coordinate their military activity in the Pan-Sahel.[9]

Climate

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Tamanrasset has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with very hot summers (which are moderated by its elevation) and mild winters. There is very little rain throughout the year, although occasional rain does fall in late summer from the northern extension of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Climate data for Tamanrasset, Algeria (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 30.5
(86.9) 		32.9
(91.2) 		33.0
(91.4) 		37.5
(99.5) 		38.8
(101.8) 		41.0
(105.8) 		41.4
(106.5) 		39.5
(103.1) 		37.8
(100.0) 		35.9
(96.6) 		31.6
(88.9) 		28.6
(83.5) 		41.4
(106.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 20.5
(68.9) 		22.8
(73.0) 		26.4
(79.5) 		31.0
(87.8) 		34.2
(93.6) 		36.1
(97.0) 		36.1
(97.0) 		35.3
(95.5) 		34.2
(93.6) 		30.3
(86.5) 		25.4
(77.7) 		21.9
(71.4) 		29.5
(85.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.7
(54.9) 		15.0
(59.0) 		18.8
(65.8) 		23.3
(73.9) 		27.2
(81.0) 		29.6
(85.3) 		29.8
(85.6) 		29.1
(84.4) 		27.8
(82.0) 		23.6
(74.5) 		18.1
(64.6) 		14.4
(57.9) 		22.4
(72.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 4.9
(40.8) 		7.2
(45.0) 		11.2
(52.2) 		15.7
(60.3) 		20.1
(68.2) 		23.1
(73.6) 		23.4
(74.1) 		22.9
(73.2) 		21.4
(70.5) 		16.8
(62.2) 		10.7
(51.3) 		6.9
(44.4) 		15.4
(59.7)
Record low °C (°F) −3.4
(25.9) 		−3.7
(25.3) 		−1.5
(29.3) 		6.0
(42.8) 		9.0
(48.2) 		16.0
(60.8) 		17.6
(63.7) 		16.8
(62.2) 		15.5
(59.9) 		7.4
(45.3) 		−1.0
(30.2) 		−2.4
(27.7) 		−3.7
(25.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1.3
(0.05) 		0.9
(0.04) 		4.2
(0.17) 		0.9
(0.04) 		2.9
(0.11) 		7.0
(0.28) 		8.0
(0.31) 		17.8
(0.70) 		6.0
(0.24) 		8.3
(0.33) 		0.5
(0.02) 		0.6
(0.02) 		58.4
(2.30)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.6 1.2 1.2 3.3 1.4 0.9 0.2 0.1 9.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 288.0 272.9 297.2 299.5 288.8 240.2 286.9 261.2 248.3 282.6 284.2 282.4 3,332.2
Source: NOAA[10]

Education

[edit]

4.3% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 14.1% has completed secondary education.[11] The overall literacy rate is 69.8%, and is 78.4% among males and 60.8% among females.[12]

Localities

[edit]

The commune is composed of 14 localities:[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Tamanrasset". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Population: Tamanrasset Wilaya" (PDF) (in French). Office National des Statistiques Algérie. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Algeria Communes". Statoids. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  4. ^ John Gunther, "Inside Africa" Hamish Hamilton, page132
  5. ^ Fleming, Fergus. The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand. New York: Grove Press, 2003.
  6. ^ fr:François-Henry Laperrine
  7. ^ Cunningham, John M. "Tamanrasset". Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  8. ^ "RAPPORT N° 179 - L'EVALUATION DE LA RECHERCHE SUR LA GESTION DES DECHETS NUCLEAIRES A HAUTE ACTIVITE - TOME II : LES DECHETS MILITAIRES". www.senat.fr.
  9. ^ "Saharan states to open joint military headquarters". BBC News. 2010-04-21. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
  10. ^ "Tamanrasset Climate Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "Décret n° 84-365, fixant la composition, la consistance et les limites territoriale des communes. Wilaya d'El Oued" (PDF) (in French). Journal officiel de la République Algérienne. 19 December 1984. p. 1551. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
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