The land relief in Mostaganem Province can be divided into four regions: the
Dahra Range to the east, the Mostaganem Plateau to the south, the
Chelif River valley which separates the two highland regions, and the plains on the province's southern border which lie next to the marshes of the
Macta. The Mostaganem Plateau covers eleven municipalities in the southern part of the province: Mostaganem,
Ain Tedles,
Sour,
Bouguirat,
Sirat,
Souaflia,
Mesra,
Ain Sidi Cherif,
Mansourah,
Touahria and
Sayada. It is a semi-arid and sandy plateau, in the shape of a triangle and bounded to the north by the Chelif River. It receives 350 mm of rainfall per year. During
French colonization,
viticulture was introduced on the plateau. After the country's independence, it was replaced by irrigated
market gardening and the culture of citrus fruits and cereals. However, in certain sectors east of Mostaganem, the replacement of the vineyards caused the appearance of small dunes as a consequence of the resumption of soil movement. ==History==