Laghouat, town (1998 pop. 96,342), N Algeria, an oasis on the north edge of the Sahara Desert. It is an important administrative and military center and marketplace and is known for rug and tapestry weaving. There are natural gas deposits in the region. The town has a meteorological station. Laghouat traces its history at least to the 11th cent. It paid tribute to Morocco in the 17th cent. The Turks captured Laghouat in 1786, and the French conquered the city in 1852.

Town (pop., 2008 prelim.: 62,529) and oasis, north-central Algeria. At the southern edge of the Atlas Mountains, it was built on two hills that are extensions of Mount Tizigarine. It was settled in the 11th century and came under Moroccan and Ottoman control. It was seized by the French in 1852 and reverted to Algeria in 1962.

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Laghouat (الأغواط) is the capital city of the Laghouat Province, Algeria, 400 km south of the Algerian capital Algiers in the Atlas Mountains. It has about 125,000 inhabitants (2005). Nearby, (in Hassi R'Mel) there is the largest natural gas reserve in Africa.

The city was founded in the 11th Century. In 1852, the French took over the city. Since 1962, it is Algerian.

External links

• Falling Rain Genomics, Inc Geographical information on Laghouat, Algeria. Retrieved on 2008-04-27..