Adrar Province Explained

Adrar Province
Native Name:	ولاية أدرار
Native Name Lang:	ar
Type:	Province
Map Caption1:	Map of the 11 districts of Adrar
Coordinates:	27.8806°N -0.2972°W
Subdivision Type:	Country
Subdivision Name:	Algeria
Seat Type:	Capital
Seat:	Adrar
Leader Title:	PPA president
Leader Name:	Mr. Menad Mehdi (FLN)
Leader Title1:	Wāli
Leader Name1:	Mr. Ali Bouguerra
Unit Pref:	Metric
Area Total Km2:	242139
Elevation M:	276
Population Footnotes:	[1]
Population Total:	401297
Population As Of:	2008
Population Density Km2:	auto
Timezone1:	CET
Utc Offset1:	+01
Iso Code:	DZ-01
Area Code Type:	Area Code
Area Code:	+213 (0) 49
Blank Name Sec1:	Districts
Blank Info Sec1:	6
Blank1 Name Sec1:	Municipalities
Blank1 Info Sec1:	16

Adrar (ar|ولاية أدرار, ber|ⴰⴷⵔⴰⵔ) is a province (wilaya) in southwestern Algeria, named after its capital Adrar. It is the second-largest province, with an area of 254 000 km², roughly the size of the US state of Wyoming. It had 401,297 inhabitants at the 2008 population census.

The provincial capital, named Adrar, serves as the administrative and economic center of the region. Historically, the province's oases have served as waypoints for Saharan caravan routes. These settlements are well known for their red mud-brick architecture and longstanding traditions in Islamic scholarship and desert agriculture.^[2]

The economy of Adrar Province relies primarily on agriculture, particularly date palm cultivation and cereal farming. Between 2021 and 2022, the area under cultivation increased by over 22%, with more than 20,300 hectares now dedicated to crops including durum wheat, barley, oats, and vegetables. The government has also promoted sustainable irrigation to support desert farming. Beyond agriculture, Adrar possesses mineral wealth such as phosphates and has been involved in limited oil and gas exploration projects. The University of Adrar, established in 2001, has been instrumental in expanding access to higher education and conducting research on Saharan ecology and indigenous cultures.^[3]

It is bordered by six other wilayas: to the west by Tindouf, to the northwest by Béni Abbès, to the north by Timimoun, to the east by In Salah, to the southeast by Tamanrasset, To the south by Bordj Badji Mokhtar, and to the southwest by Mauritania.

Adrar is composed of three natural and cultural regions: Touat (Adrar, Zaouiet Kounta), Gourara (Aougrout, Timimoune) and Tidikelt (Aoulef), and 299 ksour.

History

The province was created from parts of the and in 1974.

On 26 November 2019, Adrar was split into 3 provinces: Timimoun, Adrar, and Bordj Badji Mokhtar.

Geography

Location

The province of Adrar is located in south-west Algeria. It is entirely located in the Sahara Desert.

Administrative divisions

The province comprises 6 districts (daïras) and 16^[4] communes or municipalities (baladiyahs).The following table shows the list of districts in the province of Adrar and all the communes in each district.

Districts

1. Adrar
2. Aoulef
3. Fenoughil
4. Reggane
5. T'Sabit
6. Zaouiet Kounta

Communes

See also

• In Belbel
• Krettamia

External links

• Adrar Province

Notes and References

1. http://rgph2008.ons.dz/resultat/histo.htm Office National des Statistiques, Recensement General de la Population et de l’Habitat 2008
2. Web site: Adrar : Perspectives prometteuses pour les filières agricoles stratégiques, fruit de 60 ans de labeur . APS.dz . 5 July 2022 . 5 June 2025 . fr.
3. Web site: Université d'Adrar – Accueil . Université d’Adrar . 5 June 2025 . ar.
4. CONVENTIONS ET ACCORDS INTERNATIONAUX - LOIS ET DECRETS ARRETES, DECISIONS, AVIS, COMMUNICATIONS ET ANNONCES. Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne Democratique et Populaire.
5. Web site: Code Geographique National . 5ème Recensement General de la Population et de l’Habitat . 2008 . ar . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101113150408/http://www.ons.dz/IMG/code%20geo%20-%20fra%20-%20ara.pdf . 2010-11-13 .
6. Répartition des Sièges des Assemblées Populaires Communales: 01 — Wilaya d'Adrar . Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne . 47 . 10 July 2002. fr.