Tizi Ouzou

Tizi Ouzou (in ern part of Kabylia).

Etymology

The name comes from the Kabyle "Tizi (n) Uzezzu", which was contracted into "Tizi Uzzu" .
"Tizi" means mountain pass and "azezzu" (annexed state "uzezzu") means broom (the preposition "n" "of" is not pronounced before "u-"). That is why the city is often referred to as "the city of broom" (French "La ville des genêts").

Geography

This city, with more than 100 000 inhabitants, is located in the heart of Kabylia. It is about 30 km from several coastal cities such as Tigzirt, Azeffoun or Dellys (in the wilaya of Boumerdes).

Tizi Ouzou lies 100 km east of the Algerian capital, Algiers. A highway, sometimes saturated, connects the two cities.

Tizi Ouzou is located in the valley of Wadi Sébaou. It is surrounded by mountains. The city itself was built at an altitude of 200m.

The city of broom is bounded on the north by Mount Belloua which rises to 850m above sea level. A portion of the old city of Tizi Ouzou (known as the High City) backed the east slopes of the mountain. At the top of the mountain Belloua lies the village of Redjaouna. The latter is attached to the town of Tizi Ouzou.

The Common and the Daïra of Tizi Ouzou

The daïra of Tizi Ouzou includes a single common. This is the town of Tizi Ouzou. The two administrative structures share the same area (102.36 km2) and the same number of inhabitants (118 542 in 1998).

Transport

The city of Tizi Ouzou has a bus station. The city is linked to Algiers and several towns, like Béjaïa, through a major road network.

Because of congestion and traffic jams caused by crossing the town, a bypass road was built recently in order to circumvent Tizi Ouzou.

The wilaya (province) of Tizi Ouzou is one of the wilayas of Algeria which has the largest fleet. Moreover, it is also one of wilayas which records the highest number of deaths on the road.

External links

*