World-Geography24

Algeria is currently divided into 48 wilayas (provinces), 553 dairas (circles, or counties) and 1541 baladiyahs (municipalities, in French: commune). The capital city of a baladiyah, daïra, or province (which is also the largest city of those) always gives those entities their name, even Algiers, the capital of the country gave it its name (El Djazayar, the Arabic name for both the city and the country).

According to the Algerian constitution, a wilaya is a territorial collectivity enjoying economic and diplomatic freedom, the APW, or “Popular Provincal Parliament/Provincal Popular Parliament” (the Assemblé Populaire Wilayale, in French) is the political entity governing a province, directed by the “Wali” (Governor), who is chosen by the Algerian President to handle the APW’s decisions, the APW has also a president, who is elected by the members of the APW, which is elected by Algerians.

The administrative divisions have changed several times since independence. When introducing new wilayas, the numbers of old provinces are kept, hence the non alphabetical order. With their official numbers, currently (since 1983) they are:

Adrar
Chlef
Laghouat
Oum el-Bouaghi
Batna
Béjaïa
Biskra
Béchar
Blida
Bouira
Tamanghasset
Tébessa
Tlemcen
Tiaret
Tizi Ouzou
Algiers
Djelfa
Jijel
Sétif
Saida
Skikda
Sidi Bel Abbes
Annaba
Guelma
Constantine
Médéa
Mostaganem
M’Sila
Muaskar
Ouargla
Oran
El Bayadh
Illizi
Bordj Bou Arréridj
Boumerdès
El Tarf
Tindouf
Tissemsilt
El Oued
Khenchela
Souk Ahras
Tipasa
Mila
Aïn Defla
Naama
Aïn Témouchent
Ghardaïa
Relizane