Djurdjura National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Location of Djurdjura National Park in Algeria
Location	Kabylia, Algeria
Nearest city	Tizi Ouzou, BouïraNearest city: Tizi Ouzou, Bouïra
Coordinates	34°53′N 1°18′W / 34.883°N 1.3°W / 34.883; -1.3Coordinates: 34°53′N 1°18′W / 34.883°N 1.3°W / 34.883; -1.3
Area	82.25 km²
Established	July 23, 1983 Established: July 23, 1983
Visitors	500 000 (in )

The national park of Djurdjura is one of the national parks of Algeria. It is located in Kabylia, named after the Djurdjura mountain chain. Nearby cities include Tizi Ouzou (to the north) and Bouïra (to the south). The park is home to a very broken tectonics, as well as many forests, grottoes, gorges, and important fauna, including the endangered Barbary Macaque,^[1] Macaca sylvanus, a primate whose prehistoric distribution in North Africa was much broader than today.^[2].

[edit] Name

The name of the mountain chain comes from the Kabyle word Jjerjer which means means "great cold" or "elevation", from the old compound word Jer n Jer naɣ Ger n Ger, "the mountain of the mountains".^[3]. The Roman Empire used to call it Iron mountain in Latin (Montus Ferratus), in reference to the soil of the region, as well as to the resistance of the Kabyles against the Roman annexation of Kabylia. The name Djurdjura is also used for the villages located in this mountain chain. Mmis n'Djerdjer means "children of the Djurdjura", which is a Kabyle word referring to mountain inhabitants, there is also a Kabyle girl group called DjurDjura.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (French) Algerian Minsitry of Forestry - National park of Djurdjura
• Park data on UNEP-WPMC

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