Guelma Province Information & Guelma Province Links at HealthHaven.com

*Guelma Province*
	Guelma Province
	ولاية قالمة
	; Map of Algeria highlighting the Province of Guelma
Province Code	24
Area Code	+213 (0) 37
	Administration
Capital	Guelma
Districts	10
Municipalities	34
	Basic statistics
Area	4,101 km² (1,583.4 sq mi)
Population	482,261 (2008)
Density	117.6/km² (304.6/sq mi)

Coordinates: 36°27′50″N 007°26′50″E / 36.46389°N 7.44722°E / 36.46389; 7.44722

Guelma Province (Arabic: ولاية قالمة‎) is a province (wilaya) in eastern Algeria. Its namesake is its seat and most populous municipality: Guelma.

[edit] History

Its civilians suffered heavy casualties during the 1945 Sétif massacre by the French Army. The province itself was established on 1974. Before that, it was part of Annaba Province. In 1983, the province lost its south-eastern half in favor of the creation of Souk Ahras Province.

[edit] Demographics

It has 429.998 inhabitants as of the 1998 census, one of the lower populations in the country, which gives it 39 seats in the APW, the province's assembly. The population density is 105/km², or 272/sq mi. Of them, 54,4 % live in urban areas and 87 % have access to safe drinking water, lower than the national average of 89%. [1]. Of the active population of the province, 23,3 % work in agriculture, 17,9 % in constructions, 9,9 % in industry, and 48,9 % in the services sector. 21,1 % of the population is unemployed.[2]

[edit] Geography

Guelma Valley as seen from Ben Djerrah, partially showing the metropolitan area of Guelma with the cities of Boumahra Ahmed, Belkheir, and Guelma visible (from right to left/east to west).

The territory of the province (4.101 km², or 1,583 sq mi) is mainly composed of arable lands (about 49 %) or 1.89 km² of which about 100 km² is irrigated, and the rest is rainfed. In the area surrounding Guelma, around 130 km² is irrigable, 110 km² in the area between Oued Zenati and Tamlouka, and 20 km² around Bouchegouf. Forests cover about 31 % of the total area, which equals 0.9 km² composed mainly of Aleppo Pine, Algerian Oak and Cork Oak. Areas dedicated for future industrial developpement, called activity zones in Algeria cover 2 km². [3]