Guelma Province () is a province (wilaya) in eastern Algeria. Its namesake is its seat and most populous municipality: Guelma. History Its civilians suffered heavy casualties during the 1945 Sétif massacre by the French Army. The province itself was established in 1974. Before that, it was part of Annaba Province. In 1984 El Taref Province and Souk Ahras Province were carved out of its territory. Demographics It has 429,998 inhabitants as of the 1998 census, one of the lower populations in the country, which gives it 39 seats in the APW, the province's assembly. The population density is . Of these, 54.4% live in urban areas and 87% have access to safe drinking water, lower than the national average of 89%. . Of the active population of the province, 23.3% work in agriculture, 17.9% in constructions, 9.9% in industry, and 48.9% in the services sector. 21.1% of the population is unemployed.] Geography The territory of the province () is mainly composed of arable land (about 49%) or , of which about is irrigated, and the rest is rainfed. In the area surrounding Guelma, around is irrigable, in the area between Oued Zenati and Tamlouka, and around Bouchegouf. Forests cover about 31% of the total area, which equals , composed mainly of Aleppo Pine, Algerian Oak and Cork Oak. Areas dedicated for future industrial development, called activity zones in Algeria cover .] Administrative divisions The province is divided into 10 districts (daïras), which are further divided into 34 communes or municipalities. Districts Aïn Makhlouf Bouchegouf Guelaât Bou Sbaâ Guelma Hammam Debagh Hammam N'Bails Héliopolis Houari Boumédienne Khezaras Oued Zenati Communes Aïn Ben Beida Houari Boumediene Aïn Larbi Aïn Makhlouf Aïn Reggada Aïn Sandel Belkheir Ben Djarah Beni Mezline Bordj Sabat Bou Hachana Bou Hamdane Bouati Mahmoud Boughouf Boumahra Ahmed Dahouara Djeballah Khemissi El Fedjoudj Guellat Bou Dbaa Guelma Hammam Debagh Hammam Nbail Héliopolis Kheraza Medjez Amar Medjez Sfa Nechmaya Oued Cheham Oued Fragha Oued Zenati Ras El Agba Roknia Salaoua Announa Tamlouka Notable residents Houari Boumédienne, President of Algeria Saint Possidius, bishop of Calama (Guelma) (5th century) See also Khamissa — Ancient Roman ruins in province. References External links Official Tourism Office of Guelma Province website — ; ; ; Provinces of Algeria States and territories established in 1974