El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh Province
Province in Algeria
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El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh Province (Arabic: ولاية الأبيض سيدي الشيخ, romanized: Wilāyat al-Abyaḍ Sidī ash-Shaykh) is a province (wilaya) in western Algeria, with El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh as its provincial capital. It was created in 2026 by separation from El Bayadh Province.[3]
El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh Province
ولاية الأبيض سيدي الشيخ ⴰⴳⴻⵣⴷⵓ ⵏ ⵍⴻⴱⵢⴻⴹ ⵙⵉⴷⵉ ⵛⵛⵉⵅ | |
|---|---|
Map of El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh Province | |
| Coordinates: 32°53′55″N 0°32′40″E | |
| Country |  Algeria |
| Created | 2026 |
| Capital | El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh |
| Area | |
• Total | 45,000 km2 (17,000 sq mi) |
| Population (2008)[2] | |
• Total | 43,277 |
| • Density | 0.96/km2 (2.5/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01 (CET) |
| Area code | +213 |
| ISO 3166 code | DZ-32 |
| Districts | 3 |
| Municipalities | 7 |
The province lies in the transition zone from the Saharan Atlas to the Sahara desert and covers an area of about 45,000 km².[4] With around 43,000 inhabitants at the 2008 census,[2] it is very sparsely populated; its population density is about 1 inhabitant per square kilometre.
Administrative divisions
The wilaya of El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh is divided into 7 communes,[3] grouped into 3 districts (daïras).[5]
| Daïras | Communes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Pop. 2008[2] | ONS code[6] | |
| El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh | El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh | 24,949 | 3207 |
| Aïn El Orak | 1,424 | 3208 | |
| Arbaouat | 4,321 | 3209 | |
| El Bnoud | 1,607 | 3216 | |
| Boussemghoun | Boussemghoun | 3,795 | 3213 |
| Chellala | Chellala | 3,929 | 3214 |
| El Mehara | 3,252 | 3219 | |