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Gouraya National Park

Coordinates: 36°46′N 5°6′E / 36.767°N 5.100°E / 36.767; 5.100
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Gouraya National Park
The Aiguades
Map showing the location of Gouraya National Park
Map showing the location of Gouraya National Park
LocationBéjaïa Province, Algeria
Nearest cityBéjaïa
Coordinates36°46′N 5°6′E / 36.767°N 5.100°E / 36.767; 5.100
Area20.8 km2 (8.0 sq mi)
Established1984
Visitors60.000 (in 2005)
Map

The national park of Gouraya (Arabic: الحديقة الوطنية قورايا) is one of the coastal national parks of Algeria. It is located in Béjaïa Province, near the shrine of Sidi Touati.

History

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The park became an Algerian National Park in 1984, and has been UNESCO-recognized as a biosphere reserve in 2004.[1]

Description

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The park owes its name to the Gouraya Mountain (altitude 660m) located within the park's boundaries.[2] The ground elevation in the park oscillates between -135m and 660m. There is also a lake, the Lake Mézaïa.[1]

The park is located on a calcaro-dolomitic ground.[3]

The park is north-east of Béjaïa, close to the city. The park includes many beaches and cliffs, which make it a swimming destination for many Algerians.

Population

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The permanent population in the Gouraya National Park is of Berber origins, 1,655 inhabitants across 13 villages.[1]

Wildlife

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A magot in Yemma Gouraya.

The park is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including Barbary macaques and jackals who live in the park's forests. The Barbary macaque is a primate with a very restricted range in portions of northwestern North Africa and disjunctively in Gibraltar.[1]

In 2011, the French Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique led a phytosociological study which concluded there were 7 vegetation groups belonging to 4 phytosociological classes:[3]

  • Quercetea ilicis Braun-Blanquet (1947)
  • Querco-Fagetea Braun-Blanquet & Vlieg (1937)
  • Crithmo-limonielea Braun-Blanquet (1947)
  • Asplenietea rupestris (H.M) Braun-Blanquet (1934)
Protected fauna[1]
Endangered animals[1]
Marine mammals of national importance[1]
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References

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