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Biskra
Commune and city
City Hall of Biskra, with the modern coat of arms visible at center-right
City Hall of Biskra, with the modern coat of arms visible at center-right
Country Algeria
ProvinceBiskra Province
DistrictBiskra District
Population
 (2007)
 • Total207,987
Time zoneUTC+1 (+1)

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Biskra (Arabic: بسكرة ‎; Berber: Biskra in Tifinagh.svg Tibeskert) is the capital city of Biskra province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 207,987.

Dancer in Biskra, published in March 1917 National Geographic.

During Roman times the town was called Vescera, though this may have been simply a Latin transliteration of the native name. Around 200 AD under Septimius Severus' reign, it was seized by the Romans and became part of the province of Numidia. As a major settlement in the border region, it was significant even then. Its name was apparently bowdlerized by the Romans to Ad Piscīnam ("at the piscīna"), implying the presence of important waterworks.

As of 1935, Biskra was an inland town, the principal settlement of a Saharan oasis watered by the intermittent Oued Biskra. It is in the southern part of the Algerian rail system, and a favorite winter resort. Large quantities of fruit, especially dates and olives, were grown in the vicinity. The town was a military post, and was the scene of severe fighting in the rebellions of 1849 and 1871.

With January temperatures averaging 11 °C, Biskra is a common vacation spot in winter. Located in northeastern Algeria on the northern edge of the Sahara Desert, the area surrounding it is very arid and most of the population lives in oasis.

The Hungarian composer Béla Bartók collected traditional music in Biskra in 1913.

Biskra is the setting of key sections of André Gide's 1902 novel The Immoralist.

Historical population
Year Population[1]
1901 7,500
1911 20,000
1926 22,000
1931 18,900
1936 21,300
1948 36,400
1954 52,500
1966 59,300
1977 77,000 (town)
90,500 (municipality)
1987 128,300
1998 177,600

References

External links

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Climate

Climate data for Biskra
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 16
(61)
18
(64)
22
(72)
26
(79)
31
(88)
36
(97)
42
(108)
41
(106)
34
(93)
28
(82)
21
(70)
17
(63)
27.7
(81.8)
Average low °C (°F) 7
(45)
8
(46)
11
(52)
14
(57)
18
(64)
24
(75)
27
(81)
26
(79)
23
(73)
17
(63)
12
(54)
7
(45)
16.2
(61.1)
Precipitation mm (inches) 18
(0.71)
10
(0.39)
18
(0.71)
10
(0.39)
15
(0.59)
8
(0.31)
3
(0.12)
3
(0.12)
18
(0.71)
15
(0.59)
23
(0.91)
18
(0.71)
159
(6.26)
Source: [1]

ar:بسكرة bn:বিসক্রা br:Biskra ca:Biskra da:Biskra de:Biskra fr:Biskra hr:Biskra id:Biskra it:Biskra lt:Biskra nl:Biskra no:Biskra ru:Бискра (город) sh:Biskra sv:Biskra war:Biskra zh:比斯克拉