Gulf of Stora

The Gulf of Stora lies near Skikda on the northeastern Algerian Mediterranean coast. Its waters form part of a wider maritime world connecting the Maghreb with other Mediterranean shores. In the early modern period northern Algeria entered the Ottoman political sphere, with Algiers a centre of naval power and provincial authority. Coastal commerce existed alongside privateering, captivity and negotiated truces with European states. The French invasion of 1830 brought another stage of military expansion to this coast.