- Stidia
Stidia is a small town in
Mostaganem Province ,Algeria .ituation
Stidia is located 15 km (9.5 miles) from
Mostaganem , thewilaya (province) capital, and 65 km (40 miles) fromOran , the country's second largest city. A four lanes highway links both cities, via Stidia. The city is located on the Greenwich meridian.Name
The name of Stidia derives from an old fountain named "Aïn Stidia". The town was first named "La Stidia", before being renamed "Georges Clémenceau" by the French, after
World War I .According to Salim Ammar who was born in the territory of Stidia, this town was named in the XV century by the Moors ESTIJA in honor of their lost city in Andalucia, the actual ECIJA. The german settlers later in the XIX century mispronounced the Arabic name and it became Stidia or Stidya.
History
Before the foundation of the European settlment down the hill, the Moors who were expelled from Spain after 1492 , founded the original Stidia on the hill and it is called now "Douar" Stidia to differentiate it from " Village" Stidia which is the part built during the French occupation.The moorish influence is obvious in the territory of Stidia and Fornaka. The ethnic groups living in the territory keep the remembrance of the epic History of the fighting against the Spanish crusades.
Although the fountain "Aïn Stidia" existed for some time, the town was founded in 1846, by German settlers who tried to emigrate to South America, but were directed to Algeria, after being abandoned in
Dunkerque ,France by a dishonest conveyor.The settlement was first helped by French soldiers who left in 1948. Although Algeria was a French colony at the time, the inhabitants continued to speak German until about the first World War.At the independence of Algeria (1962 ), the town was renamed "Stidia" (from "Georges Clémenceau").Demogaphics
* 1866 : 486
* 1958 : 1.301
* 2002 : 11.500Attractions
Beaches
The beaches in the Stidia region attract lots of tourists (mainly Algerians from Mostaganem and surroundings) during the summer. Although not the best ones of the western Algerian coast, they still offer good recreation opportunities. There is often a guarded parking (for a small fee) in front of the beach.The nearest accommodation is in Mostaganem (15 km), or, to a greater extent, in Oran (65 km). There aren't any hotels in Stidia.
Greenwich meridian
A plate indicates the crossing of the Greenwich meridian, on the Mostaganem-Oran highway.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
