OUM EL-BOUAGHI

also called (after 1981) Oum El-bouagul, formerly Canrobert, town, northeastern Algeria. The town is situated in the high plains of the Tell Atlas about 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Constantine city. This extensive high-plains region receives about 20 inches (500 mm) of rain annually, and the town is a principal trading centre for the wheat, barley, figs, and olives grown nearby. The area was chosen to demonstrate the autogestion (self-managed farms) advocated by Ahmed Ben Bella in the first years of Algerian independence from France, so that workers could share in the management and profits of the land. Salt marshes (chotts) provide seasonal grazing pastures for sheep. Pop. (1987 prelim.) 44,199.