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  Algeria / Cities and Towns /
Adrar
Arabic: 'adrār
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Sand dunes meet town.
The big, open square of Adrar.
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Town and oasis in central Algeria with 90,000 inhabitants (2009 estimate), capital of the Adrar province with 402,000 inhabitants (2008 estimate) and an area if 440,000 km², being the second largest province of the country. Adrar lies deep into Sahara, south of the enormous sand desert of Grand Erg Occidental.
The town is built almost entirely in red brick, and the town layout is noted for its gigantic town square, which seems to serve no purpose in a town so exposed to the sun.
Agriculture is the central activity in Adrar, producing especially grain and dates. A traditional irrigation system, known as fouggara, is noted for its underground channels equipped with numerous small wells. The original fouggara stretched for a total of 3,000 km in the Touat, the region of Adrar.
Adrar has a national airport, connecting to Algiers, Oran, Ouargla, Bordj Badji Mokhtar and In Amenas.
The University of Colonel Ahmed Draya was established here in 2001.
© Copyright 1996-2009 LookLex Ltd. All rights reserved
By: Tore Kjeilen
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