Annaba

Annaba (formerly Bône), city in north-eastern Algeria, capital of Annaba Department, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea near the mouth of the Seybouse River. The picturesque old quarter of the town with its narrow streets and bazaars has survived, but now examples of modern French architecture stand alongside original native buildings. Under government impetus, industry has flourished since the end of World War II. Industrial complexes include aluminium and chemical works and motor and railway workshops. Annaba is the principal harbour of eastern Algeria and is an exporter of minerals on the Mediterranean, among which are iron, phosphate, and zinc. Other exports include cork (from the wooded Edough plateau above the city), cereals, wool, and hides. A rail link connects Annaba with Algiers, Constantine, and Biskra and with important cities in Tunisia and Morocco. On the site of Annaba once stood Aphrodisium, port of the ancient city of Hippo Regius, the ruins of which still stand. The city was a favourite residence of the Numidian kings; later, as the episcopal see of St Augustine, who died here in 430, it was a centre of early Christianity. The French captured the city in 1832. Annaba was captured by the Allies during World War II and used by them as an army base. Population (1987 estimate) 305,526.