Médéa

Médéa, town, north-central Algeria. It is situated on a plateau in the Tell Atlas Mountains 56 miles (90 km) south of Algiers. Shadowed by Mount Nador (3,693 feet [1,126 metres]) to the northwest, the town is surrounded by fertile, well-watered soil that forms the watershed for the Chelif River and the Wadis Chiffa and Isser. Located on the site of Lambdia, a Roman military post, Médéa was founded in the 10th century by Yūsuf Buluggin I ibn Zīrī and became capital of the Turkish beylik (principality) of Titteri in the 14th. It was occupied by Abdelkader, the Algerian national leader, in 1835 and taken by the French in 1840. Médéa was the birthplace of the French poet and playwright Jean Richepin (1849–1926).

The town is French in character, with a rectangular city plan, public gardens, and red-tile-roofed buildings. The neighbouring hills are covered with vineyards and orchards, and the surrounding plains yield high-grade cereals. Médéa’s chief products include pumps and irrigation equipment, wines, and varied handicrafts. Pop. (1998) 123,535; (2008) 145,441.