The municipality of Castellar in the Alpes-Maritimes department has a particularly marked relief. Such distinctive feature leaves little room for heterogeneous agricultural areas that, in 2018, only covered 0.5% of the 2,777 acres (1,224 ha) of the municipal territory. The agricultural land of Castellar is mainly dedicated to olive growing. At the end of the 19th century, it could hardly support the inhabitants' subsistence. Some of them emigrated to Algeria in the town of Abboville, created by their mayor in Kabylia in 1872.