The city became the capital of the province, having the same name, according to the administrative division in 1984.

The city is famous as a scientific center, including a number of national institutes and the University of M'hamed Bouguerra.

The institutes include l'Institut Algérien du Pétrole (the Algerian Petroleum Institute IAP), Faculté des Hydrocarbures et de la Chimie (Faculty of Hydrocarbons and Chemistry FHC), l'Institut National d'Électricité et d'Électronique (The National Institute for Electricity and Electronics INELEC), l'Institut National de Génie mécanique (The National Institute of Mechanical Engineering ENGM), l'Institut National des Industries légères (The National Institute for Light Industries INIL).

In 2003, a devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook northern Algeria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme).

[3] In total, more than 2,200 people were killed, over 10,000 were injured, and a moderate tsunami damaged boats at the Balearic Islands.