 Ethnologically, the city draws its population from the diverse surrounding regions, including Souk Ahras, Taoura, Annaba, Guelma, Tebessa, Chréa, El-meridj, Ain Zerga, Meskiana and others.Ouenza was built by the French Société de l'Ouenza at the start of the Twentieth Century, to exploit the iron ore deposits that have been the basis of economic growth in the region for over 100 years.Originally, workers from Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and other regions of Algeria came to Ouenza, contributing to its cultural diversity and making the town unique in the region.