El Affroun is the quintessential crossroads city, linking the capital and the wilaya of Blida to the neighboring wilayas of Médéa, Aïn Defla, and Tipaza. To the south lies the east–west highway, to the north the Algiers–Oran railway line, and to the west National Road 42, which leads to the coastline and particularly to the wilaya of Tipaza.

The district of El Affroun consists of two municipalities: El Affroun and Ouled Djer. Its population stands at 52,298 inhabitants (45,075 in El Affroun and 7,223 in Ouled Djer).

Does “El Affroun” mean “the fighter,” or is it a distortion of “El Afrit”?
According to some residents, the name “El Affroun,” which would mean “fighter,” dates back to the Ottoman era, when the local population, known for its combative spirit, fought to defend their land. Others believe the name is a deformation of “El Afrit,” meaning “the spirit,” whose legendary strength and cleverness in popular imagination could describe the inhabitants’ combative nature.

The population of the district, once mainly engaged in agriculture, is gradually abandoning the sector as its aging workforce is not being replaced. Young people increasingly prefer jobs in trade or services, often commuting to the wilaya capital or to Algiers.

The district’s main vocation, as part of the Mitidja plain, is agriculture, with its orchards, vegetable production, cereal crops, and mountain arboriculture. The El Affroun region, once famous for its tobacco and wine grapes, also enjoyed a golden era with the cultivation of lavender and jasmine, which were processed in distilleries into essential oils well known to enthusiasts of scents and perfumes.

Considered a medium-sized district within the wilaya of Blida, and ranking around tenth in population density, El Affroun is a vulnerable zone because it sits on a major coastal seismic fault. This fault caused the 1989 earthquake, whose epicenter was in Oued Djer.

In addition to its new university hub with 27,000 student places, specializing in the humanities and social sciences, and economic studies and langauges and contributing significantly to economic growth, employment, and wealth creation, El Affroun is developing a new urban expansion area: the secondary agglomeration of El Maïf, which will host 3,700 housing units in the medium term, along with accompanying facilities.