Akbou

Akbou or Aqvu is a town in northern Algeria in Béjaïa Province. It is a growing city with a population of 52,300 in 2008. This is a number approximately 20,000 more than what was recorded in 1998.HistoryThe modern town of Akbou was established by the French in 1874. However, the area was occupied in ancient times by the Romans and contains a Roman mausoleum in the middle of the Soummam valley.Bou Baghli had earlier organized the uprising in Kabylie against the French conquest in 1851. The French recognized the strategic importance of the area on the Soummam river and set up a stronghold. The area was again subject to an uprising in 1871, but the French troops led a ruthless suppression. The fertile land in the Soummam valley was destined for settlement and shortly afterwards was established in 1874.GeographyAkbou is located in the upper Soummam River valley on the eastern flank of the Djurdjura Mountain. It is bounded to the north by Ouzellaguen, east by the Soummam River, which separates it from the commune of Amalou, south-east by the Wadi Sahel, locally called "assif abbas", which separates it from the communes of Ait R'Zine, to the south by Tazmalt, to the west by the municipality of Ighram and north-west by the town of Chellata. It is located at an average altitude of 280 m, and the commune covers an area of 52.18 square kilometers, comprising two distinct areas: the urban area and peripheries on the plain such as the villages Lazib and Colonel Amirouche (ex.Riquet).