| Constantine قسنطينة, Qusanṭīnah also known as Kasantina |
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| — Commune and city — | |||
| A bridge in Constantine | |||
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| Nickname(s): city of bridges | |||
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Constantine
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Algeria | ||
| Province | Constantine Province | ||
| District | Constantine District | ||
| Government | |||
| • President | A. Chibane (2007-2012) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2,288 km2 (883.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008)2008 census [1] | |||
| • Total | 448,374 | ||
| • Density | 196/km2 (507.6/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
Constantine (Arabic: قسنطينة, Qusanṭīnah, also spelled Qasentina also spelled as Kasantina) is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river. Regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the centre of its region, Constantine has a population of 448,374 (1,000,000 with the agglomeration), making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran. There are museums and important historical sites around the city (one of the most beautiful one is the Palais du Bey, in the casbah). It is often referred to as the "City of Bridges" due to the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the mountains the city is built on.
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The city was originally created by the Phoenicians, who called it Sarim Batim (royal city). Later it was named Cirta, which in Phoenician means a city carved into the rock. The city was taken over by Numidia, the country of the Berber people, after the Phoenicians were defeated by Rome in the Third Punic War. In 112 BC the city was occupied by Jugurtha who defeated his half-brother Adherbal. The city later served as the base for Roman generals Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus and Gaius Marius in their war against Jugurtha. Later, with the removal of King Juba I and the remaining supporters of Pompey in Africa (c. 46), Julius Caesar gave special rights to the citizens of Cirta, now known as Colonia Sittlanorum.
In 311, during the civil war between emperor Maxentius and usurper Domitius Alexander (a former governor of Africa), the city was destroyed. Rebuilt in 313, it was subsequently named after emperor Constantine the Great, who had defeated Maxentius. Conquered by the Vandals in 432, Constantine returned to the Byzantine Exarchate of Africa (i.e. North Africa) from 534 to 697. It was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century, receiving the name of Qusantina.
The city recovered and in 12th century was again a prosperous market, with connection to Pisa, Genoa and Venice. Since 1529 it was intermittently part of Ottoman Empire, ruled by a Turkish bey (governor) subordinate to the dey of Algiers. Salah Bey, who ruled the city in 1770–1792, greatly embellished it and built much of the Muslim architecture still visible today.
In 1826 the last Bey, Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif, became the new head of state. He led a fierce resistance against French forces, which invaded Algeria four years later. By 13 October 1837, the territory was reconquered by France, and from 1848 on until 1962 it was an integral part of the French motherland and centre of the Constantine Département.
In World War II, during the campaign in North Africa (1942–43), Constantine and the nearby city of Sétif were used by the Allied forces as operational bases.
In 1880, while working in the military hospital in Constantine, Algeria, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran discovered that the cause of malaria is a protozoan, after observing the parasites in a blood smear taken from a soldier who had just died of malaria.[1] For this, he received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.[2] This was the first time that protozoa were shown to be a cause of disease. His work helped inspire researchers and veternarians today to try and find a cure for malaria in animals.[3]
Constantine is situated on a plateau at 640 metres (2,100 ft) above sea level. The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. The city is very picturesque with a number of bridges over Rhumel river and a viaduct crossing the ravine. The ravine is crossed by four bridges, including Pont Sidi M'Cid. Constantine is the railhead of a prosperous and diverse agricultural area. It also a centre of the grain trade and has flour mills, a tractor factory, and industries producing textiles, wool, linen and leather goods. Algeria and Tunisia serve as its markets.
| Climate data for Constantine | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 78.8 (26.0) |
77.9 (25.5) |
82.8 (28.2) |
88.9 (31.6) |
94.1 (34.5) |
101.7 (38.7) |
112.1 (44.5) |
110.8 (43.8) |
102.2 (39.0) |
93.6 (34.2) |
84.4 (29.1) |
78.4 (25.8) |
112.1 (44.5) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 56.1 (13.4) |
56.7 (13.7) |
60.4 (15.8) |
65.5 (18.6) |
73.2 (22.9) |
79.3 (26.3) |
86.9 (30.5) |
87.8 (31.0) |
77.4 (25.2) |
69.3 (20.7) |
61.0 (16.1) |
55.4 (13.0) |
69.08 (20.60) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 38.3 (3.5) |
38.8 (3.8) |
40.5 (4.7) |
44.6 (7.0) |
52.7 (11.5) |
56.5 (13.6) |
61.2 (16.2) |
61.2 (16.2) |
56.7 (13.7) |
50.9 (10.5) |
45.3 (7.4) |
38.1 (3.4) |
48.73 (9.29) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 14.5 (−9.7) |
17.1 (−8.3) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
32.5 (0.3) |
39.6 (4.2) |
40.8 (4.9) |
43.0 (6.1) |
42.8 (6.0) |
39.6 (4.2) |
31.8 (−0.1) |
26.8 (−2.9) |
14.9 (−9.5) |
14.5 (−9.7) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 2.457 (62.4) |
2.476 (62.9) |
1.803 (45.8) |
1.831 (46.5) |
1.138 (28.9) |
0.685 (17.4) |
0.634 (16.1) |
0.602 (15.3) |
0.85 (21.6) |
1.346 (34.2) |
2.051 (52.1) |
2.657 (67.5) |
18.48 (469.4) |
| Source: [4] | |||||||||||||
Constantine is the native city of the Islamic reformer Ben Badis. It is also the hometown of many noteworthy people in Algeria and France.
The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. The city is very picturesque with a number of bridges and a viaduct crossing the ravine.
Nearby is the Roman city of Tiddis and the megalithic monuments and burial grounds at Djebel Mazala Salluste.
The topography of the city is unique and it determines the need for bridges. At the end of the XIX century, Guy de Maupassant wrote: "Eight bridges used to cross this ravine. Six of these bridges are in ruins today." Today the most important bridges are:
Constantine has multiple universities: Mentouri, designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, and Algerian architect Rashid Hassaine, Zerzara, and the Islamic University of El amir Abdelkader, Constantine will have another university town under construction in the nouvelle ville
Constantine is twinned with:
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