Boukaïs بوقايس | |
|---|---|
Commune and town | |
 Location of Boukaïs commune within Béchar Province | |
  Boukaïs Location of Boukaïs within Algeria | |
| Coordinates:31°55′24″N2°27′49″W / 31.92333°N 2.46361°W /31.92333; -2.46361 | |
| Country |  Algeria |
| Province | Béchar Province |
| District | Lahmar District |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,760 km2 (680 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 851 m (2,792 ft) |
| Population (2008)[2] | |
• Total | 970 |
| • Density | 0.55/km2 (1.4/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
Boukaïs (Arabic:بوقايس) is a town andcommune inLahmar District,Béchar Province, in westernAlgeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 970,[2] up from 890 in 1998,[3] and its annual population growth rate is 0.9%.[2] The commune covers an area of 1,760 square kilometres (680 sq mi).[1]
Boukaïs lies at an elevation of 851 metres (2,792 ft) on a rocky plain at the edge of a region of higher, darkly colored rocky hills. There is an even higher range of lightly colored hills to the west. TheOued Ihrassa passes by the town to the east; water from this river is used to irrigate thepalm grove found to the southwest of the town.
Boukaïs has a hotdesert climate, with very hot summers and cool winters, and low precipitation throughout the year, especially in summer.
| Climate data for Boukaïs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) | 18.4 (65.1) | 21.4 (70.5) | 25.8 (78.4) | 30.8 (87.4) | 34.6 (94.3) | 39.3 (102.7) | 38.3 (100.9) | 33.2 (91.8) | 26.6 (79.9) | 19.7 (67.5) | 15.4 (59.7) | 26.6 (79.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.6 (47.5) | 11.3 (52.3) | 14.5 (58.1) | 18.6 (65.5) | 23.6 (74.5) | 27.4 (81.3) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31 (88) | 26.2 (79.2) | 20.0 (68.0) | 13.5 (56.3) | 9.2 (48.6) | 19.6 (67.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.0 (35.6) | 4.3 (39.7) | 7.7 (45.9) | 11.4 (52.5) | 16.4 (61.5) | 20.3 (68.5) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.8 (74.8) | 19.3 (66.7) | 13.5 (56.3) | 7.4 (45.3) | 2.6 (36.7) | 12.7 (54.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 13 (0.5) | 12 (0.5) | 13 (0.5) | 12 (0.5) | 8 (0.3) | 4 (0.2) | 2 (0.1) | 4 (0.2) | 10 (0.4) | 16 (0.6) | 17 (0.7) | 16 (0.6) | 127 (5.1) |
| Source: climate-data.org[4] | |||||||||||||
Agriculture is a significant industry in Boukaïs. The commune has a total of 300 hectares (740 acres) ofarable land, of which 110 hectares (270 acres) isirrigated.[5] There are a total of 19,000date palms planted in the commune.[6] As of 2009 there were 1,613sheep, 1,815goats, 613camels, and 8cattle.[7]
100% of Boukaïs's population is connected to drinking water,[8] 99% is connected to the sewerage system,[9] and 91% (including 210 buildings) have access to electricity.[10] There is no fuel service stations in the town.[11]
Boukaïs has a total of 239 houses, of which 163 are occupied, giving an occupation rate of 6.0 inhabitants per occupied building.[12]
A local road connects the town toLahmar, 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the east, and then continues south to the provincial capitalBéchar, 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Boukaïs.[13]
There is a total length of 11.3 kilometres (7.0 mi) of roads in the commune.[14]
There is one elementary school, with 8 classrooms including 5 in use.[15] There are a total of 97 elementary and middle school students; secondary school students attend education in Lahmar.[16]
6.0% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 20.6% has competed secondary education.[17] The overall literacy rate is 79.7%, and is 86.7% among males and 73.2% among females.[18]
Boukaïs only has one room care facility; for medical treatment residents must travel to a clinic in Lahmar or the hospital in Béchar.[19]
Boukaïs has one operationalmosque, with another one under construction.[20]
The commune is composed of just one locality – the town of Boukaïs itself.[21]
Capital:Béchar | ||
| Béchar District | .svg) | |
| Abadla District | ||
| Béni Abbès District | ||
| Béni Ounif District | ||
| El Ouata District | ||
| Igli District | ||
| Kénadsa District | ||
| Kerzaz District | ||
| Lahmar District | ||
| Ouled Khodeïr District | ||
| Tabelbala District | ||
| Taghit District | ||
