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Constantine

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Dictionary: Con·stan·tine   (kŏn'stən-tēn', kôN-stăN-tēn') pronunciation


A city of northeast Algeria east of Algiers. It was founded by Carthaginians and was the capital and commercial center of Numidia. Destroyed in warfare in A.D. 311, it was rebuilt by Constantine I and named in his honor. Population: 450,000.

 

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Constantine
City (pop., 2004 est.: 544,700), northeastern Algeria. A natural fortress, it is situated on a rocky height some 800 ft (250 m) above the Rhumel River valley. By the 3rd century BC it was one of Numidia's most important towns, and it reached its apex of prosperity under Micipsa in the 2nd century BC. Ruined in subsequent wars, it was restored in AD 313 and renamed for its patron, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Overrun by the Arabs in the 7th century, it was ruled by a series of Arab and Berber (Amazigh) dynasties and, intermittently, by the Ottoman Empire until it was captured by the French in 1837. Occupied in 1942 by U.S. troops, it was an important Allied staging area in World War II (1939 – 45). The city retains its medieval walls, and there are Roman ruins nearby. It is an agricultural market for the surrounding area.

For more information on Constantine, visit Britannica.com.

Saints:

Constantine

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Constantine (date unknown), Cornish chieftain and martyr (?). The Cornish tradition is that he was converted by Petroc, became a monk, and founded churches in Devon and Cornwall. These are recalled by two places in Cornwall called Constantine: one near Padstow, the other on the banks of the Helford river in SW. Cornwall. This was the larger of the two and survived as a monastery until the 11th century. He was also patron of the Devon churches of Milton Abbot and Dunsford.

There are also confused traditions in both Scotland and Ireland concerning Constantine, a king who became a monk. The Scottish tradition says that he was martyred at Kintyre in 576.

Feast in Cornwall and Wales: 9 March; in Scotland, 11 March.

Bibliography
Click here for a list of abbreviations used in this bibliography.

  • G. H. Doble, The Saints of Cornwall, ii (1962), 15–24
British History:

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Constantine (c.274-337), first Christian Roman emperor (306-37), known as ‘the Great’. Born at Naissus (now Nis), Constantine was the son of Constantius I by Helena. In 305 Constantius succeeded as Augustus (senior emperor) of the West. Constantine fled from the court of Galerius, eastern Augustus, in time to be at his father's death-bed at York in 306. He was illegally proclaimed Augustus by the army there. In 312 he invaded Italy and defeated Maxentius near Rome. By 324 Constantine was sole Augustus. Constantine promoted Christianity financially, legally, and theologically, being baptized on his death-bed in 337. He probably revisited Britain in 312 and 314, taking the title Britannicus in 315.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia:

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Constantine (kŏn'stəntēn), ancient Cirta, city (1998 pop. 462,187), capital of Constantine dept., NE Algeria, on the gorge of the Rhumel River. A major inland city, it is the railhead of a prosperous and diverse agricultural area. Constantine is also a center of the grain trade and has flour mills, a tractor factory, and industries producing textiles and leather goods. Products made by local artisans are economically important. Founded by Carthaginians (who called it Sarim Batim), Constantine became the capital and commercial center of Numidia and was named Cirta [the city]. Under Roman rule it was a major grain-shipping point and one of the wealthiest cities of Africa. Destroyed (A.D. 311) during the war preceding the accession of Constantine I, it was rebuilt by Constantine himself and renamed in his honor. The city was pillaged by the Vandals in the 5th cent. and later became an object of contention among various Muslim dynasties. The Turks captured it in the 16th cent. and made it a provincial capital. By the time of the French conquest in 1837 the district governor of Constantine had become virtually independent of the Ottoman Empire. Modern Constantine is the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop, a university, and a Muslim school of higher education.


One of Algeria's major cities.

Constantine is located about 330 miles (530 km) east of the capital, Algiers, near the coast, with a population of 909,700 (2002). While known as a trading center, Constantine is best known for its association with the so-called Constantine plan, an attempt announced by the French in 1958 to tie Algeria economically to the métropole (the French nation) through a number of rural and industrial development plans. After independence in 1964, Constantine became an important educational center with the country's only Islamic university.

— DIRK VANDEWALLE

Dialing Code:

The telephone dialing code for: Constantine, Algeria

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The country code is: 213
The city code is: 4


Wikipedia:

Constantine, Algeria

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Coordinates: 36°21′N 6°36′E / 36.35°N 6.6°E / 36.35; 6.6

Commune of Constantine
بلدية قسنطينة
Sidi m'sid.jpg
Sidi M'Cid bridge
DZ-25.svg
Map of Algeria highlighting Constantine Province
DZ-2501.svg
Map of Constantine Province highlighting Constantine Municipality
ONS code 2501
Postal code 25000-25020
Province Constantine (seat)
District Constantine (coextensive)
PMA President Mr. A. Chibane (2007-2012)
PMA Seats 33
Altitude 626 m (2057 ft)
Population 750 000 (1 000 000) (1998)
Constantine CoA 2.svg
Coat of arms of Constantine

Constantine (Arabic: قسنطينة‎) is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast.

Regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the centre of its region, Constantine has a population of over 750,000 (1 000,000 with the agglomeration), making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran.

Constantine is situated on a plateau at 640 metres above sea level. The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. The city is very picturesque with a number of bridges and a viaduct crossing the ravine. The ravine is crossed by four bridges, including Pont Sidi M'Cid.

Constantine has one university, the University of Constantine, which was founded in 1969. There are museums and important historical sites around the city.

Constantine is the railhead of a prosperous and diverse agricultural area. It also a center of the grain trade and has flour mills, a tractor factory, and industries producing textiles, wool, linen, and leather goods[citation needed]. Algeria and Tunisia serve as its markets.

Contents

History

The city was originally created by the Phoenicians, which they called the Sarim Batim (royal city). Later, this name was Cirta, which means, in Phoenician "city carved into the rock". The city was taken over by Numidia, the country of the Berber People after the defeat of the Phoenicians during the 3rd Punic war. In 112 BC the city was occupied by Jugurtha who defeated his half brother, Adherbal. The city later served as the base for Roman generals Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus and Gaius Marius in their war against Jugurtha. Later, with the removal of King Juba I and the remaining supporters of Pompey in Africa (c46), Julius Caesar gave special rights to the citizens of Cirta, now known as Colonia Sittlanorum.

In 311, during the civil war between emperor Maxentius and usurper Domitius Alexander (a former governor of Africa), the city was destroyed. Rebuilt in 313, it was subsequently named after emperor Constantine the Great, who had defeated Maxentius. Conquered by the Vandals in 432, Constantine returned to the Byzantine exarchate of North Africa from 534 to 697. It was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century, receiving the name of Qusantina.

The city recovered and in 12th century was again a prosperous market, with connection to Pisa, Genoa and Venice. Since 1529 it was intermittently part of Ottoman Empire, ruled by a Turkish bey (governor) subordinate to the dey of Algiers. Salah Bey, who ruled the city in 1770-1792, greatly embellished it and built much of the Muslim architecture still visible today.

In 1826 the last Bey, Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif, became the new head of state. He led a fierce resistance against French forces, which invaded Algeria four years later. By 13 October 1837 the territory was reconquered by France, and from 1848 on until 1962 it was an integral part of the French motherland and center of the Constantine Département.

In World War II, during the campaign in North Africa (1942–43), Constantine and the nearby city of Sétif were used by the Allied forces as operational bases.

Climate

Weather data for Constantine
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 79
(26.0)
78
(25.5)
83
(28.2)
89
(31.6)
94
(34.5)
102
(38.7)
112
(44.5)
111
(43.8)
102
(39.0)
94
(34.2)
84
(29.1)
78
(25.8)
112
(44.5)
Average high °F (°C) 56
(13.4)
57
(13.7)
60
(15.8)
65
(18.6)
73
(22.9)
79
(26.3)
87
(30.5)
88
(31.0)
77
(25.2)
69
(20.7)
61
(16.1)
55
(13.0)
Average low °F (°C) 38
(3.5)
39
(3.8)
40
(4.7)
45
(7.0)
53
(11.5)
56
(13.6)
61
(16.2)
61
(16.2)
57
(13.7)
51
(10.5)
45
(7.4)
38
(3.4)
Record low °F (°C) 15
(-9.7)
17
(-8.3)
23
(-4.8)
33
(0.3)
40
(4.2)
41
(4.9)
43
(6.1)
43
(6.0)
40
(4.2)
32
(-0.1)
27
(-2.9)
15
(-9.5)
15
(-9.7)
Precipitation inches (mm) 2.46
(62.4)
2.48
(62.9)
1.8
(45.8)
1.83
(46.5)
1.14
(28.9)
0.69
(17.4)
0.63
(16.1)
0.6
(15.3)
0.85
(21.6)
1.35
(34.2)
2.05
(52.1)
2.66
(67.5)
18.48
(469.4)
Source: {{{accessdate}}}

[citation needed]

People

Constantine is the native city of the Islamic reformator Ben Badis. It is also the hometown of many noteworthy people in Algeria and France.

Capture of Constantine by French troops, 13 October 1837. Horace Vernet.

Main sights

The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. The city is very picturesque with a number of bridges and a viaduct crossing the ravine.

  • Gustave Mercier Museum (displays of ancient and modern art).
  • Abd al Hamid Ben Badis Mosque.
  • The Constantine Casbah.
  • Emir Abd al-Qadir University & Mosque.
  • Soumma Mausoleum
  • Massinissa's Mausoleum
  • The Palace of Ahmed Bey.
  • Ruins of the Antonian Roman aqueduct.
  • Ben Abdelmalek Stadium

Nearby is the Roman city of Tiddis and the megalithic monuments and burial grounds at Djebel Mazala Salluste.

Miscellaneous

Constantine is also known for its universities: Mentouri, designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer., Zerzara, and The Islamic University of El amir Abdelkader, Constantine will have another huge University town under construction in the (nouvelle ville) Constantine's current zip code is 25000.

Constantine was also one of the focal points of the novel Memory in the Flesh by Ahlam Mosteghanemi.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Constantine is twinned with:

References

Notes

  1. ^ Jérôme Steffenino, Marguerite Masson. "Ville de Grenoble - Coopérations et villes jumelles". Grenoble.fr. http://www.grenoble.fr/jsp/site/Portal.jsp?page_id=92. Retrieved 2009-10-29. 

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Did you mean: Constantine (city, Algeria), Constantine (Roman general), Constantine I The Great (Emperor), Constantine (Russian grand duke), Constantine (name), Pope Constantine More...


 

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