Annaba

Annaba (ăn-näb`ə), formerly Bône (bōn), city (1998 pop. 348,554), capital of Annaba prov., extreme NE Algeria, a port on the Mediterranean Sea. One of the country's leading ports, the city is also an important administrative, commercial, and industrial center. The large El Hadjar steelworks, built with French and Soviet financial and technical aid, constitutes the chief industry; others include chemical (superphosphate) manufacturing, food canning, cork production, and railway construction. Founded by the Phoenicians, the city became a favorite residence of the Numidian kings. Under the Romans, it was called Hippo Regius and was a center of early Christianity, the episcopal see of St. Augustine. The city was captured by the Vandals in 431. After the Arab conquest of Algeria in the 7th cent., Annaba became an important Muslim city and port. Spanish forces occupied it in the 16th cent. During the 17th and 18th cent., Annaba was a busy center for European trade. The French took the city in 1832. Landmarks include the Great Mosque and the Cathedral of St. Augustine.

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Annaba

 formerly Bône

Seaport (pop., 2004 est.: 410,700), northeastern Algeria. Identified with the port of ancient Hippo (or Hippo Regius), it was a rich city of Roman Africa. It was home to St. Augustine 396–430. Severely damaged by the Vandals in 431, it passed to the Byzantine Empire in 533 before being overrun by the Arabs in the 7th century and named Bona. It was occupied by the French in 1832 when they conquered Algeria. Modern Annaba is Algeria's chief exporter of minerals; it also serves as a trading port and port of call.

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Annaba

a port in NE Algeria: site of the Roman city of Hippo Regius. Pop.: 382 000 (2005 est.)

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Annaba 

(Bône), a city in northeastern Algeria, situated on the Mediterranean Sea. Its population was 168,800 in 1966. It is the administrative center of Annaba wilaya. Annaba is a major industrial and transportation center and seaport for the export of iron ore, phosphorites, and agricultural raw materials. In 1965 it had a freight turnover of 3.1 million tons, which includes the export of 2.8 million tons. It is also a railway and highway junction. The first section of a metallurgical complex, which is being built with the assistance of the USSR, has gone into operation (1968). Its industries include metalworking, food and food processing, chemicals, and textiles. There is a large thermal electric power plant. The ruins of ancient Hippo are located not far from the city. Among Annaba’s architectural monuments is the mosque of Sidi-bou-Merouan (11th century, extensively rebuilt). Annaba has an old city with a Casbah (fortress) and new sections with modern buildings (a theater seating 1,200 persons, a sports stadium, and others).