Mostaganem

Mostaganem
مستغانم
El Arsa Park
Tobana Mosque
Dar El Kaïd
Dar Hamid El Abdi
Bordj Ettork and Mostaganem Tramway
Zawiya Al-Alawiyya of Mostaganem
Nickname: 
Pearl of the Mediterranean
Mostaganem
Coordinates: 35°56′N 0°5′E / 35.933°N 0.083°E / 35.933; 0.083
Country Algeria
ProvinceMostaganem Province
DistrictMostaganem District
Area
 • Total
50 km2 (19 sq mi)
Elevation
104 m (341 ft)
Population
 (2014 census)
 • Total
245,330
 • Density4,900/km2 (13,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
Postal code
27000

Mostaganem (Arabic: مستغانم, romanizedMustaghānim, Berber languages: ⵎⵓⵙⵜⴰⵖⴰⵏⵎ, romanized: Mustaɣanm) is a Mediterranean sea port and capital city of Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria in the Gulf of Arzew. The city was founded in the 11th century and is 72 kilometres (45 mi) ENE of Oran. The city was founded in the 11th century as Murustage but has origins going back to Punic and Roman times. In 1516, it was captured by the Ottoman admiral Barbarossa and became a centre for Mediterranean sea corsairs, as well as a commercial port. By 1700, it had come under Ottoman rule. In 1833, the city was taken by France and a garrison established. Algeria became independent in 1962. It is the second-largest city in the country's northwest, after Oran, and Algeria's fourth-largest port city with 406,190 inhabitants as of the 2019 census.

Mostaganem is home to the medical provider and college, the University of Mostaganem which was established in 1979. The University is referred to locally as the University of Abdelhamid Ibn Badis (UMAB). The name is taken from Abdelhamid Ibn Badis who is a popular figure of Muslim reform movements in Algeria. The university offers curriculums from Bachelor's to Doctorate's in computer science as well as a medical Doctorate's.

The city's major sports teams are ESA Mostaganem, and WA Mostaganem. Both are Algerian football teams and both play in the Mohamed Bensaïd Stadium.