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In Salah

Coordinates: 27°15′N 2°31′E / 27.25°N 2.52°E / 27.25; 2.52
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In Salah
عين صالح
Aïn Salah; I-n-Salah; 'Ayn Şalih
Commune and town
A palm-lined street of In Salah. Note the sand dune at the far end of the street.
A palm-lined street of In Salah. Note the sand dune at the far end of the street.
Country Algeria
ProvinceTamanrasset Province
DistrictIn Salah District
Area
 • Total43,938 km2 (16,965 sq mi)
Elevation
279 m (915 ft)
Population
 (1998)
 • Total43,680
 • Density0.63/km2 (1.6/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
PMA seats (as of 2007)11
ONS code1108
Postal code11220

In Salah (Template:Lang-ar) is an oasis town in central Algeria. It was once an important trade link of the trans-Saharan caravan route. Population 43,680 (calculated)[1]. The area around In Salah is home to some of Algeria's largest oil and gas reserves and production facilities[2]. The village is located in the heart of the Sahara Desert region of northern Africa. The name In Salah comes from the term "good well"[3] although the water is known for its rather unpleasant, salty taste.[4].

Features of Interest

A creeping sand dune on the western edge of town is literally advancing on the city and cuts In Salah in half. The dune is moving at a speed of approximately one meter every five years. As buildings are covered by its leading edge, structures at the back of the dune are being gradually uncovered. When a formerly covered location at the back of the dune once again becomes free, it is established who the past owners were and the building is restored and moved into by relatives.[5]. Four red or violet clay brick ksars (walled villages) are found in the oasis, each having its own citadel. [6]

Transport

Air flights via In Salah Airport connect the town with the capital Algiers and other major cities in Algeria. The Bus station of In Salah hosts buses going to the north and south. There is a hotel, a restaurant, an internet cafe[7] and two camping sites located in the city and surrounding area. See In salah camping.

Economy

A typical Sahara Desert Oasis

Aside from oil and gas reserves, the primary economic activities of In Salah are agricultural in nature with irrigation being supplied by artesian wells. The oasis has over 200,000 date palms. The chief produce are dates, fruits and vegetables. Fruit and vegetable gardens and Palm groves flank the village on its southern and western edges. These groves are protected from the always advancing sand by hedges[8]. In Salah is also a centre for nomadic Tuareg.[9] The In Salah oil and gas fields are home to the In Salah Project, a major component of which includes a facility to remove CO2 from the gas produced. The CO2 is then re-injected into an underground formation.[10].

Historically, In Salah was formerly a trading town which dealt in slaves, ivory and gold from the south. These goods were exchanged with European goods from the north.[11].

Media

Satellite image of In Salah (right)- from NASA Image Exchange. Note the oasis (bottom center) and city at the top/right of image. The dark areas in the center of the image are agricultural areas.


Photo gallery/virtual tour featuring 24 images of the In Salah area and their locations. From Panoramio[12]:
CLICK HERE

Climate

The Saharan desert region of Algeria has a climate that is virtually rainless. In Salah averages less than one inch of rainfall per year. Summer temperatures are consistently high - with heat indices reaching extreme levels for four months of the year - but temperatures at night fall low enough to be quite tolerable. Winter nights can be chilly and frost is by no means unknown but the days are warm and sunny.[13] During the summer, the Sahara region of Algeria is the source of a very hot, dusty, southerly wind called the Sirocco. These winds parch the plateaus of northern Algeria up to 40 days and reach the Tell coastal region for as many as 20 days.[14]

Climate data for Faya-Largeau
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Source: BBC Weather [15]



Historical weather records for In Salah: http://www.tutiempo.net/en/Climate/IN-SALAH/606300.htm

Google Maps World Gazateer
 Looklex Encyclopedia

Notes

  1. ^ World Gazateer. http://world-gazetteer.com/
  2. ^ World 66 -The Travel Guide you write. http://www.world66.com/africa/algeria/insalah
  3. ^ "I-n-Salah." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 Dec. 2008
  4. ^ Looklex Encyclopedia of the Orient: http://www.looklex.com
  5. ^ Looklex Encyclopedia of the Orient: http://www.looklex.com
  6. ^ "I-n-Salah." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 Dec. 2008
  7. ^ World 66 -The Travel Guide you write. http://www.world66.com/africa/algeria/insalah
  8. ^ "I-n-Salah." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 Dec. 2008
  9. ^ [1]http://lexicorient.com/e.o/in_salah.htm
  10. ^ http://www.co2captureandstorage.info/project_specific.php?project_id=71
  11. ^ Looklex Encyclopedia of the Orient: http://www.looklex.com
  12. ^ [http://www.panoramio.com/
  13. ^ The Times Books World Weather Guide, E.A Pearce and C.G. Smith, TIMES BOOKS, The New York Times Book Co., Inc.
  14. ^ The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: Scott Fetzer Co., 2007.
  15. ^ BBC Weather Centre "Average Conditions In Salah, Algeria". BBC Weather. Retrieved August 21, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)


27°15′N 2°31′E / 27.25°N 2.52°E / 27.25; 2.52

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