Antiquity Like the rest of the Maghreb, the site of modern-day Arzew was originally inhabited by the
Berbers. Arzew's original Berber population came mainly from the nearby town of
Bethioua, families from nearby Mostaganem, Kabyles, that were deported there. Nearby Bethioua was on the ruins of the
Phoenician Empire of
Carthage before becoming the
Portus Magnus ("Great Port") under the
Roman Empire, although the name was used on Arzew's
coat of arms under
French colonial rule. Portus Magnus was a
Roman colony or otherwise received
citizen status and exported grain and salt.
Arsenaria was a nearby settlement 3
Roman miles (km) inland from the sea. The town was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1912. The area was important during
Operation Torch, the
Allied invasion of North Africa during
World War II. During the
Algerian War of Independence, the city hosted one of the two
SDECE French intelligence CIPCGs (), bases used for counter-guerrilla and pacification work.
Modern Algeria After the
independence of Algeria in 1962, Arzew became an important port and industrial area, home to a
refinery exporting
LNG (liquified natural gas), as well as a fleet of small
fishing boats to work the local waters. == Demography ==