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Boukaïs (Arabic: ﻳﺲ ﺑﻮﻗﺎ) is a town and commune in Lahmar District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. 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 ﻳﺲ ﺑﻮﻗﺎ
Commune and town
Location of Boukaïs commune within Béchar Province
Boukaïs Location of Boukaïs within Algeria
Coordinates: 31°55′24″N 2°27′49″W
Country	Algeria
Province	Béchar Province
District	Lahmar District
Area [1]
• 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)

Geography

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. The Oued Ihrassa passes by the town to the east; water from this river is used to irrigate the palm grove found to the southwest of the town.

Climate

Boukaïs has a hot desert climate, with very hot summers and cool winters, and low precipitation throughout the year, especially in summer.

Economy

Agriculture is a significant industry in Boukaïs. The commune has a total of 300 hectares (740 acres) of arable land, of which 110 hectares (270 acres) is irrigated.[5] There are a total of 19,000 date palms planted in the commune.[6] As of 2009 there were 1,613 sheep, 1,815 goats, 613 camels, and 8 cattle.[7]

Infrastructure and housing

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]

Transportation

A local road connects the town to Lahmar, 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the east, and then continues south to the provincial capital Béchar, 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]

Education

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]

Health

Boukaïs only has one room care facility; for medical treatment residents must travel to a clinic in Lahmar or the hospital in Béchar.[19]

Religion

Boukaïs has one operational mosque, with another one under construction.[20]

Localities

The commune is composed of just one locality – the town of Boukaïs itself.[21]

References

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