Oran

Oran, city (1998 pop. 692,516), capital of Oran prov., NW Algeria, a port on the Gulf of Oran of the Mediterranean Sea. One of the country's leading ports, it ships wheat, wine, alcohol, vegetables, meat, wool, cigarettes, and iron ore. The city, surrounded by vineyards and market gardens, is a commercial, industrial, and financial center. Oran is divided into a modern, French-style section and an old Spanish-type quarter with a casbah (fortress). Its frequently visited 18th-century mosque was bombed in 1995 by Islamist militants who objected to the adoration of saints, a practice forbidden by Islam.

The site of modern Oran has been inhabited since prehistoric times, but the city's founding is generally attributed to Moorish Andalusian traders in the 10th cent. Oran's subsequent prosperity, based on commerce, was interrupted when the Moors began to engage in piracy, thus provoking reprisals from Spain. Spanish forces captured and fortified the city in 1509 and held it until the Turks arrived in 1708. Spain recovered Oran in 1732. The city was successfully besieged (1791) by the district governor of Mascara and was made a provincial capital of the Ottoman Empire.

French troops captured Oran in 1831 and began to develop it as a naval base, along with nearby Mers-el-Kebir. The building of the port and the construction of railroads linking Oran with the interior made the city the economic capital of W Algeria in the late 19th cent. Oran, held by Vichy France during World War II, fell to the Allied forces in Nov., 1942. Civil strife ravaged the city in the late 1950s; the French terrorist OAS (Secret Army Organization) and the Algerian nationalist FLN (Front for National Liberation) perpetrated violence against civilians. There followed a general exodus of the European population, which had been the largest, proportionally, of any North African city. The city provided the setting for Albert Camus's novel The Plague.

City (pop., 2004 est.: 772,900), northwestern Algeria. Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, it is about midway between Tangier, Morocco, and Algiers. With the adjacent Mers el-Kebir, it is the country's second largest port. Founded in the 10th century by Andalusians as a base for trade with the northern African hinterland, it was held by the Spanish from 1509 to 1708, when it fell to the Ottomans. It was devastated by an earthquake in 1790, and in 1792 the Ottomans settled a Jewish community there. In 1831 it was occupied by the French, who established a modern port and naval base. In World War II (1939–45) it came under the control of the Allied Powers. Most of its European inhabitants left after Algerian independence in 1962. It is divided into a waterfront and the old and new city sections built on terraces above it.

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Oran is a city in Scott County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,264 at the 2000 census. It was surveyed under the name of Sylvania on July 9, 1869. It was renamed St. Cloud on February 14, 1870. It was renamed again as Oran on August 23, 1882, when a new plat of the town was filed.

Geography

Oran is located at (37.084520, -89.654121).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,264 people, 507 households, and 353 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,200.5 people per square mile (464.8/km²). There were 544 housing units at an average density of 516.7/sq mi (200.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.39% White, 0.40% African American, 0.40% Native American, 1.27% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population.

There were 507 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $36,985. Males had a median income of $28,185 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,487. About 12.4% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

• Oran R-III School District