Annaba

Annaba, formerly Bône, city, northeastern Algeria, capital of Annaba Province, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea, near the mouth of the Seybouse River. The picturesque old sector with narrow streets and bazaars remains, and examples of modern French architecture stand alongside original native buildings. Under government impetus, industry has flourished since the end of World War II. Industrial establishments include aluminum and chemical works and motor and railway shops. Annaba is the principal harbor of eastern Algeria and is a chief exporter of minerals on the Mediterranean. Mineral exports include iron, phosphate, and zinc. Other exports are cork (from the wooded Edough plateau, at the foot of which the city lies), grain, wool, and hides. A railroad connects Annaba with the Algerian cities of Algiers, Constantine, and Biskra and with important cities in Tunisia and Morocco. On the site of Annaba once stood Aphrodisium, port of the ancient city of Hippo Regius, ruins of which still stand. The city was a favorite residence of the Numidian kings; later, as the episcopal see of St. Augustine, who died here in 430, it was a center of early Christianity. The French occupied the city in 1832. Annaba was captured by the Allies during World War II and used by them as an army base. Population (1987) 305,526.