"Annaba ex Bône, the capital of east ..." a Annaba Travel Page by JLBG

Annaba is the capital of Eastern Algeria, not far from the Tunisian border. It has a very long history. The place was already inhabited 12 centuries BC. Numides, Phenicians, Carthagenese, Romans, Vandals, Fatimides, Zirides, Hamadites, Ottomans, Spanish, Ottomans again and French (1832-1962) followed one another as rulers and left their imprint.

It was called Hippo Regius and later Hippone by the Romans. Later, it became Bouna, that the French turned into Bône. After the independence it chose to call itself Annaba.

The Roman ruins can be visited but unfortunately it was not open when we might have visited them.

Annaba is the capital of the wilaya (550,000 inhabitants) that bears the same name. It is a rich agricultural land (corn, tomatoes, oranges, cotton, peanuts). It is also a main industrial area with phosphate refining for fertilizers and a main steelwork, the first in the country. It was built under President Boumedienne and was state owned. It has been sold and is now ruled by an Indian company.

The harbor is the third in the country.