Bir el-Ater
Encyclopedia
Bir el Ater is a city of approximately 100 000 inhabitants located in extreme eastern Algeria
towards the south, near the Tunis
ian borders and just beyond the Sahara
, about 87 kilometers south of Tébessa
.
Bir El Ater was the cradle of the Aterian
civilization (the term Aterian derives from el-Ater) which was around 40000 - 20000 years BC.
It is now a mining city, located 15 km south of Bir El-Ater. There are deposits of Djebel Onk Phosphates, the largest in Algeria which are extracted and shipped by train to Annaba
a port, 300 km north on the Mediterranean or are used locally..
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
towards the south, near the Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
ian borders and just beyond the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
, about 87 kilometers south of Tébessa
Tébessa
Tébessa is the capital city of Tébessa Province, Algeria, 20 kilometers west from the border with Tunisia. Nearby is also a phosphate mine. The city is famous for the traditional Algerian carpets in the region, and is home to over 161,440 people.-History:...
.
Bir El Ater was the cradle of the Aterian
Aterian
The Aterian industry is a name given by archaeologists to a type of stone tool manufacturing dating to the Middle Stone Age in the region around the Atlas Mountains and the northern Sahara, it refers the site of Bir el Ater, south of Annaba.The industry was probably created by modern humans ,...
civilization (the term Aterian derives from el-Ater) which was around 40000 - 20000 years BC.
It is now a mining city, located 15 km south of Bir El-Ater. There are deposits of Djebel Onk Phosphates, the largest in Algeria which are extracted and shipped by train to Annaba
Annaba
Annaba is a city in the northeastern corner of Algeria near the river Seybouse. It is located in Annaba Province. With a population of 257,359 , it is the fourth largest city in Algeria. It is a leading industrial centre in eastern Algeria....
a port, 300 km north on the Mediterranean or are used locally..
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 33,400 |
| 1998 | 53,200 |