M'SILA

town, north-central Algeria. It is situated on the Plains of Hodna between the saline lake Chott el-Hodna (south) and the eastwest extending Hodna Mountains to the north at an elevation of 1,542 feet (470 m). A dam on the Wadi Ksob in the Hodna Mountains irrigates the cereal-growing area around the town. M'Sila is a farming and trading centre whose chief industry is leather working. The surrounding region is largely covered with salt lakes (chotts), which drain intermittent streams. The chief economic activities of the region are the non-intensive raising of cereals (wheat and barley), seminomadic herding (goats and sheep), and date production. Pop. (1987) 65,805.