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Provinces of Algeria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Algeria, as of 2025, is divided into 69 wilayas (provinces).[1] Prior to November 16, 2025, there were 58 provinces. The 69 provinces are divided into 1,541 baladiyahs (municipalities). The name of a province is always that of its capital city.

According to the Algerian constitution, a wilaya is a territorial collectivity enjoying economic and diplomatic freedom, the APW, or Popular Provincial Parliament/Provincial Popular Parliament (the Assemblée Populaire Wilayale, in French) is the political entity governing a province, directed by the Wali (Governor), who is chosen by the Algerian President to handle the APW's decisions, the APW also has a president, who is elected by the members of the APW, which Algerians elect.

On November 16, 2025, the announcement was made of 11 new provinces in the Hautes Plaines and the south of the country. These 11 new provinces are Aflou, Barika, Ksar Chellala, Messaad, Aïn Oussera, Boussaâda, El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh, El Kantara, Bir El Ater, Ksar El Boukhari, and El Aricha. Creating these new provinces made the provinces of Laghouat, Batna, Tiaret, Djelfa, M'sila, El Bayadh, Biskra, Médéa, and Tlemcen, smaller.[2]

List

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BERJAYA
Algeria's 69 provinces, updated per Law N° 26-06, April 4, 2026.

By 1984 the number of Algerian provinces was fixed at 48 and established the list of municipalities or "communes" attached to each province. In 2019, 10 new provinces were added.[3][4]

The province numbers are the first 31 provinces (see the second section) in Arabic alphabetical order, after the adding of 17 more provinces in 1983 and 10 more in 2019, the old numbering was kept and the 27 provinces created since 1984 have been assigned codes from 32 to 58, in Arabic alphabetical order.

The following table presents the list of provinces, showing for each its numerical code, its name (which is in every case the same as the name of the capital city of the province), the number of districts ("dairas"), the number of municipalities, its area, and its population.

Map Code Province Arabic name
BERJAYA 01 Adrar أدرار
BERJAYA 02 Chlef الشلف
(الأصنام)
BERJAYA 03 Laghouat الأغواط
BERJAYA 04 Oum El Bouaghi أم البواقي
BERJAYA 05 Batna باتنة
BERJAYA 06 Béjaïa بجاية
BERJAYA 07 Biskra بسكرة
BERJAYA 08 Béchar بشار
BERJAYA 09 Blida البليدة
BERJAYA 10 Bouïra البويرة
BERJAYA 11 Tamanrasset تمنراست
(تامنراست)
BERJAYA 12 Tébessa تبسة
BERJAYA 13 Tlemcen تلمسان
BERJAYA 14 Tiaret تيارت
BERJAYA 15 Tizi Ouzou تيزي وزو
BERJAYA 16 Algiers الجزائر
BERJAYA 17 Djelfa الجلفة
BERJAYA 18 Jijel جيجل
BERJAYA 19 Sétif سطيف
BERJAYA 20 Saïda سعيدة
BERJAYA 21 Skikda سكيكدة
BERJAYA 22 Sidi Bel Abbès سيدي بلعباس
BERJAYA 23 Annaba عنابة
BERJAYA 24 Guelma قالمة
BERJAYA 25 Constantine قسنطينة
BERJAYA 26 Médéa المدية
BERJAYA 27 Mostaganem مستغانم
BERJAYA 28 M'Sila المسيلة
BERJAYA 29 Mascara معسكر
BERJAYA 30 Ouargla ورقلة
BERJAYA 31 Oran وهران
BERJAYA 32 El Bayadh البيض
BERJAYA 33 Illizi اليزي
BERJAYA 34 Bordj Bou Arréridj برج بوعريريج
BERJAYA 35 Boumerdès بومرداس
BERJAYA 36 El Tarf الطارف
BERJAYA 37 Tindouf تندوف
BERJAYA 38 Tissemsilt تسمسيلت
BERJAYA 39 El Oued الوادي
BERJAYA 40 Khenchela خنشلة
BERJAYA 41 Souk Ahras سوق أهراس
BERJAYA 42 Tipaza تيبازة
BERJAYA 43 Mila ميلة
BERJAYA 44 Aïn Defla عين الدفلى
BERJAYA 45 Naâma النعامة
BERJAYA 46 Aïn Témouchent عين تموشنت
BERJAYA 47 Ghardaïa غرداية
BERJAYA 48 Relizane غليزان
BERJAYA 49 Timimoun تيميمون
BERJAYA 50 Bordj Badji Mokhtar برج باجي مختار
BERJAYA 51 Ouled Djellal أولاد جلال
BERJAYA 52 Béni Abbès بني عباس
BERJAYA 53 In Salah عين صالح
BERJAYA 54 In Guezzam عين قزّام
BERJAYA 55 Touggourt تقرت
BERJAYA 56 Djanet جانت
BERJAYA 57 El M'Ghair المغير
BERJAYA 58 El Menia المنيعة
BERJAYA 59 Aflou آفلو
BERJAYA 60 Barika بريكة
BERJAYA 61 El Kantara القنطرة
BERJAYA 62 Bir El Ater بئر العاتر
BERJAYA 63 El Aricha العريشة
BERJAYA 64 Ksar Chellala قصر الشلالة
BERJAYA 65 Aïn Oussera عين وسارة
BERJAYA 66 Messaad مسعد
BERJAYA 67 Ksar El Boukhari قصر البخاري
BERJAYA 68 Bousaâda بوسعادة
BERJAYA 69 El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh الأبيض سيدي الشيخ
Total

Since 2025

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In 2025, 11 new provinces were added. These provinces included:

  1. Aflou
  2. El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh
  3. El Aricha
  4. El Kantara
  5. Barika
  6. Bou Saâda
  7. Bir El Ater
  8. Ksar El Boukhari
  9. Ksar Chellala
  10. Aïn Oussera
  11. Messaad

2019–2025

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On 26 November 2019, the Cabinet of Algeria passed a bill to add 10 more provinces, by splitting some of the larger provinces in the south of Algeria into smaller ones.[5] Thus, the following provinces have been added on December 18, 2019:

1984–2019

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Map of the provinces of Algeria numbered according to the official order.
Map of the provinces of Algeria numbered according to the official order.

In 1984, 17 new provinces were added. These provinces included:

  1. El Bayadh
  2. Illizi
  3. Bordj Bou Arréridj
  4. Boumerdès
  5. El Taref
  6. Tindouf
  7. Tissemsilt
  8. El Oued
  9. Khenchela
  10. Souk Ahras
  11. Tipaza
  12. Mila
  13. Aïn Defla
  14. Naâma
  15. Aïn Témouchent
  16. Ghardaïa
  17. Relizane

1974–1983

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BERJAYA

The 15 departments were reorganized to form 31 provinces:

1957–1974

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BERJAYA

Immediately after independence, Algeria retained its 15 former French départements, which were renamed wilayas (provinces) in 1968, for the most part, with some name changes:

  • 8A-El Wahat (Currently Ouargla, formerly Oasis)
  • 8B-Saoura (Currently Béchar)
  • 9A-Alger (Algiers)
  • 9B-Batna
  • 9C-Annaba (Formerly Bône, English: Bona)
  • 9D-Constantine
  • 9E-Médéa
  • 9F-Mostaganem
  • 9G-Oran
  • 9H-Orléansville (Then El Asnam, now Chlef)
  • 9J-Sétif
  • 9K-Tiaret
  • 9L-Tizi-Ouzou
  • 9M-Tlemcen
  • 9R-Saïda

1954–1962

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During the Algerian War of Independence, the FLN adopted an organizational system divided by 6 numbered wilayas:

  1. Aurès
  2. Constantine
  3. Kabylie
  4. Algiers
  5. Oran
  6. Sahara

See also

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References

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  1. "Algeria". The World Factbook (2025 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
  2. Tadjer, Rafik (2025-11-16). "Algérie : onze nouvelles wilayas créées, voici la liste". TSA (in French). Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  3. "Journal Officiel Algérie - F2019078.pdf" (PDF). www.joradp.dz. December 18, 2019. pp. 12–15. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 17, 2020.
  4. CHAFAI, Mohamed (27 November 2019). "Eleven administrative districts promoted into provinces with full prerogatives". www.aps.dz. Archived from the original on 29 November 2019.
  5. "10 New Wilayas - El Khabar" (in Arabic). No. 26 November 2019. El Khabar. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
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