Taghit () is a town and commune in Taghit District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. The town is an oasis watered by the underground Oued Zousfana, which runs along beside the dunes of the Grand Erg Occidental.
History
The town was the site of the Battle of Taghit in 1903, in which 4000
Zayanes Berber people besieged the
France in the town, whom they outnumbered by 10 to 1. The attackers were later forced to retreat.
Geography
Taghit lies on the left (eastern) bank of the
Oued Zouzfana. The Grand Erg Occidental, a large area of continuous
sand dunes, lies to the east, while the rocky
Djebel Baroun lies to the west across the river.
Climate
Taghit has a hot
desert climate (Köppen climate classification
BWh), with extremely hot summers and cool winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.
Economy
Agriculture is an important industry in Taghit. The commune has a total of of
arable land, of which is
irrigated.
There are a total of 137,450
date palms planted in the commune.
As of 2009 there were 3,330
sheep, 2,995
, 2,481
, and 62
cattle. There were also 24,000
in 2 buildings.
Tourism is also significant in Taghit due to many Neolithic in the area. Other attractions include sand dunes, palm groves, the old ksar and the zawiya.
Infrastructure and housing
90% of Taghits's population are connected to drinking water,
96% are connected to the sewerage system,
and 93% (including 1,485 buildings) have access to electricity.
There is one fuel service station in the town.
Taghit has a total of 1,551 houses, of which 913 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 6.9 inhabitants per occupied building.
Transportation
There are three main roads out of Taghit: one leads northwest to the N6 highway (
Bechar-Adrar section) just south of Bechar, another leads southwest through Igli to the N6 further south, and the third leads northeast, also to the N6 (
Bechar-
Mecheria section) northeast of Bechar, near
Figuig. A number of small localities lie along the Oued Zouzfana to the south; these are connected by a local road.
Taghit is from the provincial capital, Béchar.
There is a total length of of roads in the commune.
Education
There are 5 elementary schools, with 39 classrooms including 30 in use.
There are a total of 1,310 school students.
5.9% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 18.4% has competed secondary education.
Health
Taghit has 4 room care facilities, and a private pharmacy, and a medical operating theatre. The nearest hospital (by road) is in Béchar.
Religion
Taghit has six operational
mosques, with another under construction.
Localities
The commune is composed of five localities:
External links
Neighbouring towns and cities
