Bougie

Bougie, a port of Algeria, on the Bay of Bougie, 120 miles E. of Algiers. Bougie was the Saldæ of the Romans, and in the 5th century was a chief seat of the Vandals; under the Arabs it was raised to such importance that it was called Little Mecca, and was the entrepôt of the trade between Christendom and North Africa; but after various vicissitudes, it had sunk to a small village in 1833, when the French captured the place. Their extensive works have since rendered it a strong fortress, and a commercial centre of some value. Pop. 6248.