Where is the town of Arzew?

Arzew or Arzeu (Arabic: أرزيو‎‎ Berber; erziouw) is a port city in Algeria, 25 miles (40 km) from Oran. It is the capital of Arzew District, Oran Province.

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, as well as some semi-nomadic tribe called Hamian.

It was named Arsenaria, or Portus Magnus (Great Harbour) under the Roman Empire. During Roman times, Arzew's exports used to be grain and salt. The Vandals destroyed Portus Magnus in 429/430.

In 1833, French forces coming from Oran went further east and occupied the locality, which was then simply called Marsa (i.e. port). After years of war (ended by the Treaty of Desmichels) Arzew became a legal possession of France, with its name transliterated in Arabic as Arziou (Arziw) and in French as Arzowe.

King Louis-Philippe ordered the creation of the settlement of Arzew Le Port on 12 August 1845, which encouraged people from Europe to settle the area. It became a fully functional commune on 31 December 1856. It was an important war site during World War II (see Operation Torch).

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.