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Guelma

Guelma
ⴳⴰⵍⵎⴰ,ڨالمة
City
City of Guelma
General view of Guelma
From top left to bottom right clockwise: Souidani Boudjemmâa Boulevard, province administration, municipal theater, St. Augustine Place, Oued Maïz Road, the Roman theater, and Lake Bouhemdane
Coat of arms of Guelma
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): La ville assiette (The Basin City)
Location of Guelma in the Guelma Province
Location of Guelma in the Guelma Province
Guelma is located in Algeria
Guelma
Guelma
Location of Guelma within Algeria
Coordinates: 36°27′N 7°26′E / 36.450°N 7.433°E / 36.450; 7.433Coordinates: 36°27′N 7°26′E / 36.450°N 7.433°E / 36.450; 7.433
Country  Algeria
Province Guelma (seat)
District Guelma (seat)
Government
 • PMA Seats 23
Area
 • Total 44.74 km2 (17.27 sq mi)
Elevation 256 m (840 ft)
Population (2008)
 • Total 120,004
 • Density 2,700/km2 (6,900/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+01)
Postal code 24000
ONS code 2401
Website www.guelma.org

Guelma (Algerian Arabic: ڨالمة; Berber: ⴳⴰⵍⵎⴰ; Algerian pronunciation: [ɡelmæ]) is the capital of Guelma Province and Guelma District, located in north-eastern Algeria, about 65 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast. Its location corresponds to that of ancient Calama.

Though Guelma was settled from early prehistory, it was first established as a town under the Phoenicians, who called it Malaca, probably a Phoenician word meaning "salt" (sharing a common etymology with Málaga in Spain). Later, the Romans settled the area and renamed it Calama, part of the Roman province of Numidia. Calama prospered during the rise of Christianity; Saint Possidius was bishop of Guelma during the 5th century. Later, the Vandal invasion devastated the area until the coming of the Byzantines, who settled the area and built city walls to protect it from further invasions. It was located in the Byzantine Exarchate of Africa. However, after the successful Islamic conquest of Algeria, the area was abandoned as a formal settlement, even later, during Ottoman rule.


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