O·ran ( -rän , ô-rä ) A city of northwest Algeria on the Gulf of Oran, an inlet of the Mediterranean Sea west-southwest of Algiers. Built on a site occupied since prehistoric times, Oran was captured by the Spanish in 1509 and by the Turks in 1708. It was occupied by the French in 1831 and held by Vichy France during World War II. Allied troops liberated the city in November 1942. Population: 646,000. |
Oran [əˈræn əˈrɑːn (French) ɔrɑ̃]
n
(Placename) a port in NW Algeria: the second largest city in the country; scene of the destruction by the British of most of the French fleet in the harbour in 1940 to prevent its capture by the Germans. Pop.: 692 516 (1998)
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| Noun | 1. | Oran - a port city in northwestern Algeria and the country's 2nd largest city Algeria, Algerie, Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria - a republic in northwestern Africa on the Mediterranean Sea with a population that is predominantly Sunni Muslim; colonized by France in the 19th century but gained autonomy in the early 1960s |
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