The University of Constantine 1, formerly known as the University of Mentouri, was set up in 1969. Its full French name is now Université Frères Mentouri de Constantine 1. It has been officially recognised by the Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique, Algérie (Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Algeria).
It is a very large university, with over 62,864 students and 2,247 administrative and teaching staff.
It has six faculties: the faculty of sciences and technologies, the faculty of letters and languages, the faculty of natural sciences, the faculty of law, the faculty of exact sciences and the faculty of earth sciences, as well as an Institute of Nutrition, Food and Agro-Food Technology and the Institute of Veterinary Science.
University of Constantine 1 is located in Constantine, Algeria. It is the capital of the Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria, which was called Cirta in the Roman times. It was then renamed Constantina to honour emperor Constantine the Great. It remained the capital of the French department of Constantine until 1962.
An inland city, Constantine is around 80km from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of the Rhumel River, which is more of a brook, despite its name.
Constantine was named the Arab Capital of Culture in 2015.
Constantine is often referred to as the "City of Bridges" due to the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the various hills, valleys, and ravines that the city is built on and around. It has a population of about 448,000.
