# Blida

> city and commune in Algeria

**Wikidata**: [Q216990](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216990)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blida)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/blida

## Summary
Blida is a city and commune in Algeria, serving as the capital of both Blida District and Blida Province. It is a significant urban settlement with a population that was recorded as 163,586 in the 2008 census. The city is also known by aliases such as "Ville des roses" (City of Roses) and "Ourida."

## Key Facts
- **Instance Of:** City; Commune of Algeria.
- **Location:** Located in Blida District, Blida Province, Algeria, at coordinates 36.472222222222° N, 2.8333333333333° E.
- **Population:** 163,586 (2008 census); 162,000 (2005 estimation); 191,000 (1983 estimation); 131,600 (1987 estimation); 99,200 (1966 estimation).
- **Area:** 72.1 square kilometres.
- **Elevation:** 260 metres above sea level.
- **Capital Of:** Blida District and Blida Province.
- **Country:** Algeria; was also under France until July 3, 1962.
- **Located In:** Blida District; was also located in the arrondissement of Blida until July 5, 1962.
- **Postal Code:** 09000.
- **Timezone:** UTC+01:00.
- **Aliases:** Ville des roses, Ourida, Blidah, El Boulaida, Al-Bulaida, Bulaida, بليدة, مدينة الورود, وريدة.
- **Native Label:** ⵍⴻⴱⵍⵉⴷⴰ.
- **Shares Border With:** Beni Tamou.
- **Owner Of:** Stade Mustapha Tchaker.
- **Image:** Blida_centre.jpg (hosted on Wikimedia Commons).
- **Locator Map Image:** DZ_-_09-01_-_Blida_-_Wilaya_de_Blida.svg.
- **Described By Source:** Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary; Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition.

## FAQs
**Where is Blida located?**
Blida is a city located in northern Algeria. It is the capital of the Blida District within Blida Province, situated at geographical coordinates 36.472222222222° N, 2.8333333333333° E.

**What are the population figures for Blida?**
The population has varied over time, with official records showing 163,586 people in the 2008 census. Other estimates include 162,000 for 2005 and 191,000 for 1983.

**What other names is Blida known by?**
The city has several aliases, including "Ville des roses" (City of Roses) and "Ourida." Other transliterations include Blidah, El Boulaida, Al-Bulaida, Bulaida, and its Arabic name, بليدة.

**What is Blida's administrative status?**
Blida is both a city and a commune. It serves as the administrative capital for two entities: the larger Blida Province and the smaller Blida District within that province.

## Why It Matters
As the capital of its province, Blida is a central administrative and urban hub for its region in Algeria. Its historical significance is underscored by its period under French administration, which ended in 1962. The city's various identifiers across major library and encyclopedia systems, such as the Library of Congress and Encyclopædia Britannica, attest to its recognized place in geographical and historical scholarship.

## Notable For
- Serving as the capital of both a district and a province.
- Its historical designation as part of France until Algerian independence in 1962.
- Being known by the poetic alias "Ville des roses" (City of Roses).
- Having a detailed record of population changes over several decades.

## Body

### Classification and Basic Attributes
Blida is formally classified as both a city and a commune of Algeria. It is a large human settlement with a significant presence, indicated by its high sitelink count across Wikimedia projects. The city spans an area of 72.1 square kilometres and is situated at an elevation of 260 metres above sea level.

### Geographical and Administrative Context
Blida is located within Blida District, which is part of Blida Province in Algeria. It serves as the capital for both of these administrative divisions. Historically, it was also part of the arrondissement of Blida until July 5, 1962. The city shares a border with the commune of Beni Tamou. Its timezone is UTC+01:00 and its postal code is 09000.

### Demographics
The population of Blida has been documented through various censuses and estimates:
- 2008 Census: 163,586
- 2005 Estimation: 162,000
- 1987 Estimation: 131,600
- 1983 Estimation: 191,000
- 1966 Estimation: 99,200

### Identifiers and Names
The city has a wide array of official identifiers and names:
- **Official Name:** Blida
- **Native Label:** ⵍⴻⴱⵍⵉⴷⴰ
- **Aliases:** Ville des roses, Ourida, Blidah, El Boulaida, Al-Bulaida, Bulaida, بليدة, مدينة الورود, وريدة.
- **Key External IDs:** 
    - Geonames ID: 2503769
    - UN/LOCODE: DZBLD
    - Wikidata ID: Q...(implicit from structure)
    - Wikipedia Title: Blida
    - Freebase ID: /m/04rdmj
    - VIAF ID: 234802419, 7221170868678222930009
    - GND ID: 4819249-1
    - Library of Congress Authority ID: n85183044

### Historical and Political Context
Blida was under French administration until July 3, 1962, a fact reflected in its historical country qualifiers. It has been described in significant historical publications, including the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary and the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.

### Cultural and Infrastructural Features
The city owns the Stade Mustapha Tchaker. It is associated with several cultural categories, including a category for people born there (Category:Births in Blida) and a general category for people from the city (Category:People from Blida). An image of the city centre (`Blida_centre.jpg`) and a locator map (`DZ_-_09-01_-_Blida_-_Wilaya_de_Blida.svg`) are available via Wikimedia Commons.

### Online and Data Presence
Blida has a substantial online footprint with Wikipedia articles in over 50 languages, including af, ar, az, en, fr, and zh. It is also represented on platforms like iNaturalist (place ID 15545) and has a topic ID on El Moudjahid. Its main thematic category is Category:Blida.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. Czech National Authority Database
3. [Blida (Blida, Algeria) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information](https://www.citypopulation.de/de/algeria/blida/0901__blida/)
4. Belarusian encyclopedia (vol. 3)
5. Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978)
6. [Great Russian Encyclopedia](https://old.bigenc.ru/geography/text/1873267)
7. Q120475222. 1989
8. Flickr Shapefiles Public Dataset 2.0
9. GeoNames
10. [Source](https://service.unece.org/trade/locode/dz.htm)
11. [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/inaturalist-places.csv.zip)
12. KBpedia
13. [Source](https://biblionat.dz/audiovisuel/904-blidah-vue-generale1857/)