Mostaganem

Mostaganem is a Mediterranean sea port and capital city of Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria in the Gulf of Arzew. The city was founded in the 11th century and is 72 kilometres (45 mi) ENE of Oran. The city was founded in the 11th century as Murustage but has origins going back to Punic and Roman times. In 1516, it was captured by the Ottoman admiral Barbarossa and became a centre for Mediterranean sea corsairs, as well as a commercial port. By 1700, it had come under Ottoman rule. In 1833, the city was taken by France and a garrison established. Algeria became independent in 1962. It is the second-largest city in the country's northwest, after Oran, and Algeria's fourth-largest port city with 406,190 inhabitants as of the 2019 census.