Algeria ( (listen); Arabic: الجزائر‎
al-Jazā'ir, familary Algerian Arabic الدزاير
al-dzāyīr; French: Algérie), officially
the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria,
is a country in the Maghreb (Northwest Africa)
on the Mediterranean coast.
The capital and most populous city is Algiers,
located in the far north of the country.
With an area of 2,381,741 square kilometres
(919,595 sq mi), Algeria is the tenth-largest
country in the world, and the largest in Africa.
Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia,
to the east by Libya, to the west by Morocco,
to the southwest by the Western Saharan territory,
Mauritania, and Mali, to the southeast by
Niger, and to the north by the Mediterranean
Sea.
The country is a semi-presidential republic
consisting of 48 provinces and 1,541 communes
(counties).
Ancient Algeria has known many empires and
dynasties, including ancient Numidians, Phoenicians,
Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines,
Umayyads, Abbasids, Idrisid, Aghlabid, Rustamid,
Fatimids, Zirid, Hammadids, Almoravids, Almohads,
Spaniards, Ottomans and the French colonial
empire.
Berbers are the indigenous inhabitants of
Algeria.
Algeria is a regional and middle power.
The North African country supplies large amounts
of natural gas to Europe, and energy exports
are the backbone of the economy.
According to OPEC Algeria has the 16th largest
oil reserves in the world and the second largest
in Africa, while it has the 9th largest reserves
of natural gas.
Sonatrach, the national oil company, is the
largest company in Africa.
Algeria has one of the largest militaries
in Africa and the largest defence budget on
the continent; most of Algeria's weapons are
imported from Russia, with whom they are a
close ally.
Algeria is a member of the African Union,
the Arab League, OPEC, the United Nations
and is a founding member of the Arab Maghreb
Union.
== Etymology ==
The country's name derives from the city of
Algiers.
The city's name in turn derives from the Arabic
al-Jazā'ir (الجزائر, "The Islands"),
a truncated form of the older Jazā'ir Banī
Mazghanna (جزائر بني مزغنة, "Islands
of the Mazghanna Tribe"), employed by medieval
geographers such as al-Idrisi.
== History ==
=== Ancient history ===
In the region of Ain Hanech (Saïda Province),
early remnants (200,000 BC) of hominid occupation
in North Africa were found.
Neanderthal tool makers produced hand axes
in the Levalloisian and Mousterian styles
(43,000 BC) similar to those in the Levant.
Algeria was the site of the highest state
of development of Middle Paleolithic Flake
tool techniques.
Tools of this era, starting about 30,000 BC,
are called Aterian (after the archeological
site of Bir el Ater, south of Tebessa).
The earliest blade industries in North Africa
are called Iberomaurusian (located mainly
in the Oran region).
This industry appears to have spread throughout
the coastal regions of the Maghreb between
15,000 and 10,000 BC.
Neolithic civilization (animal domestication
and agriculture) developed in the Saharan
and Mediterranean Maghreb perhaps as early
as 11,000 BC or as late as between 6000 and
2000 BC.
This life, richly depicted in the Tassili
n'Ajjer paintings, predominated in Algeria
until the classical period.
The mixture of peoples of North Africa coalesced
eventually into a distinct native population
that came to be called Berbers, who are the
indigenous peoples of northern Africa.
From their principal center of power at Carthage,
the Carthaginians expanded and established
small settlements along the North African
coast; by 600 BC, a Phoenician presence existed
at Tipasa, east of Cherchell, Hippo Regius
(modern Annaba) and Rusicade (modern Skikda).
These settlements served as market towns as
well as anchorages.
As Carthaginian power grew, its impact on
the indigenous population increased dramatically.
Berber civilization was already at a stage
in which agriculture, manufacturing, trade,
and political organization supported several
states.
Trade links between Carthage and the Berbers
in the interior grew, but territorial expansion
also resulted in the enslavement or military
recruitment of some Berbers and in the extraction
of tribute from others.
By the early 4th century BC, Berbers formed
the single largest element of the Carthaginian
army.
In the Revolt of the Mercenaries, Berber soldiers
rebelled from 241 to 238 BC after being unpaid
following the defeat of Carthage in the First
Punic War.
They succeeded in obtaining control of much
of Carthage's North African territory, and
they minted coins bearing the name Libyan,
used in Greek to describe natives of North
Africa.
The Carthaginian state declined because of
successive defeats by the Romans in the Punic
Wars.
In 146 BC the city of Carthage was destroyed.
As Carthaginian power waned, the influence
of Berber leaders in the hinterland grew.
By the 2nd century BC, several large but loosely
administered Berber kingdoms had emerged.
Two of them were established in Numidia, behind
the coastal areas controlled by Carthage.
West of Numidia lay Mauretania, which extended
across the Moulouya River in modern-day Morocco
to the Atlantic Ocean.
The high point of Berber civilization, unequaled
until the coming of the Almohads and Almoravids
more than a millennium later, was reached
during the reign of Masinissa in the 2nd century
BC.
After Masinissa's death in 148 BC, the Berber
kingdoms were divided and reunited several
times.
Masinissa's line survived until 24 AD, when
the remaining Berber territory was annexed
to the Roman Empire.
For several centuries Algeria was ruled by
the Romans, who founded many colonies in the
region.
Like the rest of North Africa, Algeria was
one of the breadbaskets of the empire, exporting
cereals and other agricultural products.
Saint Augustine was the bishop of Hippo Regius
(modern-day Algeria), located in the Roman
province of Africa.
The Germanic Vandals of Geiseric moved into
North Africa in 429, and by 435 controlled
coastal Numidia.
They did not make any significant settlement
on the land, as they were harassed by local
tribes.
In fact, by the time the Byzantines arrived
Lepcis Magna was abandoned and the Msellata
region was occupied by the indigenous Laguatan
who had been busy facilitating an Amazigh
political, military and cultural revival.
=== Middle Ages ===
After negligible resistance from the locals,
Muslim Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate conquered
Algeria in the mid-7th century and a large
number of the indigenous people converted
to the newly founded faith of Islam.
After the fall of the Umayyad Caliphate, numerous
local dynasties emerged, including the Aghlabids,
Almohads, Abdalwadid, Zirids, Rustamids, Hammadids,
Almoravids and the Fatimids.
During the Middle Ages, North Africa was home
to many great scholars, saints and sovereigns
including Judah Ibn Quraysh, the first grammarian
to suggest the Afroasiatic language family,
the great Sufi masters Sidi Boumediene (Abu
Madyan) and Sidi El Houari, and the Emirs
Abd Al Mu'min and Yāghmūrasen.
It was during this time that the Fatimids
or children of Fatima, daughter of Muhammad,
came to the Maghreb.
These "Fatimids" went on to found a long lasting
dynasty stretching across the Maghreb, Hejaz
and the Levant, boasting a secular inner government,
as well as a powerful army and navy, made
up primarily of Arabs and Levantines extending
from Algeria to their capital state of Cairo.
The Fatimid caliphate began to collapse when
its governors the Zirids seceded.
In order to punish them the Fatimids sent
the Arab Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym against
them.
The resultant war is recounted in the epic
Tāghribāt.
In Al-Tāghrībāt the Amazigh Zirid Hero
Khālīfā Al-Zānatī asks daily, for duels,
to defeat the Hilalan hero Ābu Zayd al-Hilalī
and many other Arab knights in a string of
victories.
The Zirids, however, were ultimately defeated
ushering in an adoption of Arab customs and
culture.
The indigenous Amazigh tribes, however, remained
largely independent, and depending on tribe,
location and time controlled varying parts
of the Maghreb, at times unifying it (as under
the Fatimids).
The Fatimid Islamic state, also known as Fatimid
Caliphate made an Islamic empire that included
North Africa, Sicily, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon,
Syria, Egypt, the Red Sea coast of Africa,
Tihamah, Hejaz and Yemen.
Caliphates from Northern Africa traded with
the other empires of their time, as well as
forming part of a confederated support and
trade network with other Islamic states during
the Islamic Era.
The Amazighs historically consisted of several
tribes.
The two main branches were the Botr and Barnès
tribes, who were divided into tribes, and
again into sub-tribes.
Each region of the Maghreb contained several
tribes (for example, Sanhadja, Houara, Zenata,
Masmouda, Kutama, Awarba, and Berghwata).
All these tribes made independent territorial
decisions.Several Amazigh dynasties emerged
during the Middle Ages in the Maghreb and
other nearby lands.
Ibn Khaldun provides a table summarising the
Amazigh dynasties of the Maghreb region, the
Zirid, Banu Ifran, Maghrawa, Almoravid, Hammadid,
Almohad, Merinid, Abdalwadid, Wattasid, Meknassa
and Hafsid dynasties.In the early 16th century,
Spain constructed fortified outposts (presidios)
on or near the Algerian coast.
Spain took control of few coastal towns like
Mers el Kebir in 1505; Oran in 1509; and Tlemcen,
Mostaganem and Ténès in 1510.
In the same year, a few merchants of Algiers
ceded one of the rocky islets in their harbour
to Spain, which built a fort on it.
The presidios in North Africa turned out to
be a costly and largely ineffective military
endeavour that did not guarantee access for
Spain's merchant fleet.
There reigned in Ifriqiya, current Tunisia,
a Berber family, Zirid, somehow recognising
the suzerainty of the Fatimid caliph of Cairo.
Probably in 1048, the Zirid ruler or viceroy,
el-Mu'izz, decided to end this suzerainty.
The Fatimid state was too weak to attempt
a punitive expedition; The Viceroy, el-Mu'izz,
also found another means of revenge.
Between the Nile and the Red Sea were living
Bedouin tribes expelled from Arabia for their
disruption and turbulent influence, both Banu
Hilal and Banu Sulaym among others, whose
presence disrupted farmers in the Nile Valley
since the nomads would often loot.
The then Fatimid vizier devised to relinquish
control of the Maghreb and obtained the agreement
of his sovereign.
This not only prompted the Bedouins to leave,
but the Fatimid treasury even gave them a
light expatriation cash allowance.
Whole tribes set off with women, children,
ancestors, animals and camping equipment.
Some stopped on the way, especially in Cyrenaica,
where they are still one of the essential
elements of the settlement but most arrived
in Ifriqiya by the Gabes region.
The Zirid ruler tried to stop this rising
tide, but each meeting, the last under the
walls of Kairouan, his troops were defeated
and Arabs remained masters of the field.
The flood was still rising, and in 1057 the
Arabs spread on the high plains of Constantine
where they gradually choked Qalaa of Banu
Hammad, as they had done Kairouan few decades
ago.
From there they gradually gained the upper
Algiers and Oran plains.
Some were forcibly taken by the Almohads in
the second half of the 12th century.
We can say that in the 13th century there
were in all of North Africa, with the exception
of the main mountain ranges and certain coastal
regions remained entirely Berber.
=== Ottoman era ===
The region of Algeria was partially ruled
by Ottomans for three centuries from 1516
to 1830.
In 1516 the Turkish privateer brothers Aruj
and Hayreddin Barbarossa, who operated successfully
under the Hafsids, moved their base of operations
to Algiers.
They succeeded in conquering Jijel and Algiers
from the Spaniards but eventually assumed
control over the city and the surrounding
region, forcing the previous ruler, Abu Hamo
Musa III of the Bani Ziyad dynasty, to flee.
When Aruj was killed in 1518 during his invasion
of Tlemcen, Hayreddin succeeded him as military
commander of Algiers.
The Ottoman sultan gave him the title of beylerbey
and a contingent of some 2,000 janissaries.
With the aid of this force, Hayreddin conquered
the whole area between Constantine and Oran
(although the city of Oran remained in Spanish
hands until 1791).
The next beylerbey was Hayreddin's son Hasan,
who assumed the position in 1544.
Until 1587 the area was governed by officers
who served terms with no fixed limits.
Subsequently, with the institution of a regular
Ottoman administration, governors with the
title of pasha ruled for three-year terms.
The pasha was assisted by janissaries, known
in Algeria as the ojaq and led by an agha.
Discontent among the ojaq rose in the mid-1600s
because they were not paid regularly, and
they repeatedly revolted against the pasha.
As a result, the agha charged the pasha with
corruption and incompetence and seized power
in 1659.Plague had repeatedly struck the cities
of North Africa.
Algiers lost from 30,000 to 50,000 inhabitants
to the plague in 1620–21, and suffered high
fatalities in 1654–57, 1665, 1691 and 1740–42.In
1671, the taifa rebelled, killed the agha,
and placed one of its own in power.
The new leader received the title of dey.
After 1689, the right to select the dey passed
to the divan, a council of some sixty nobles.
It was at first dominated by the ojaq; but
by the 18th century, it had become the dey's
instrument.
In 1710, the dey persuaded the sultan to recognise
him and his successors as regent, replacing
the pasha in that role, although Algiers remained
a part of the Ottoman Empire.The dey was in
effect a constitutional autocrat.
The dey was elected for a life term, but in
the 159 years (1671–1830) that the system
survived, fourteen of the twenty-nine deys
were assassinated.
Despite usurpation, military coups and occasional
mob rule, the day-to-day operation of Ottoman
government was remarkably orderly.
Although the regency patronised the tribal
chieftains, it never had the unanimous allegiance
of the countryside, where heavy taxation frequently
provoked unrest.
Autonomous tribal states were tolerated, and
the regency's authority was seldom applied
in the Kabylie.
The Barbary pirates preyed on Christian and
other non-Islamic shipping in the western
Mediterranean Sea.
The pirates often took the passengers and
crew on the ships and sold them or used them
as slaves.
They also did a brisk business in ransoming
some of the captives.
According to Robert Davis, from the 16th to
19th century, pirates captured 1 million to
1.25 million Europeans as slaves.
They often made raids, called Razzias, on
European coastal towns to capture Christian
slaves to sell at slave markets in North Africa
and the Ottoman Empire.In 1544, Hayreddin
captured the island of Ischia, taking 4,000
prisoners, and enslaved some 9,000 inhabitants
of Lipari, almost the entire population.
In 1551, Turgut Reis enslaved the entire population
of the Maltese island of Gozo, between 5,000
and 6,000, sending the captives to Libya.
In 1554, pirates sacked Vieste in southern
Italy and took an estimated 7,000 captives
as slaves.In 1558, Barbary corsairs captured
the town of Ciutadella (Minorca), destroyed
it, slaughtered the inhabitants and took 3,000
survivors as slaves to Istanbul.
Barbary pirates often attacked the Balearic
Islands, and in response, the residents built
many coastal watchtowers and fortified churches.
The threat was so severe that residents abandoned
the island of Formentera.
Between 1609 and 1616, England lost 466 merchant
ships to Barbary pirates.
In July 1627 two pirate ships from Algiers
sailed as far as Iceland, raiding and capturing
slaves.
Two weeks earlier another pirate ship from
Salé in Morocco had also raided in Iceland.
Some of the slaves brought to Algiers were
later ransomed back to Iceland, but some chose
to stay in Algeria.
In 1629 pirate ships from Algeria raided the
Faroe Islands.Barbary raids in the Mediterranean
continued to attack Spanish merchant shipping,
and as a result, the Spanish navy bombarded
Algiers in 1783 and 1784.
In 1792, Spain abandoned Oran, selling it
to the Ottoman Empire, and it became the site
for a new bey in Algiers, though French influence
in the region increased over the 19th century.In
the 19th century, the pirates forged affiliations
with Caribbean powers, paying a "licence tax"
in exchange for safe harbour of their vessels.
One American slave reported that the Algerians
had enslaved 130 American seamen in the Mediterranean
and Atlantic from 1785 to 1793.Piracy on American
vessels in the Mediterranean resulted in the
United States initiating the First (1801–1805)
and Second Barbary Wars (1815).
Following those wars, Algeria was weaker and
Europeans, with an Anglo-Dutch fleet commanded
by the British Lord Exmouth, attacked Algiers.
After a nine-hour bombardment, they obtained
a treaty from the Dey that reaffirmed the
conditions imposed by Captain (later Commodore)
Stephen Decatur (U.S. Navy) concerning the
demands of tributes.
In addition, the Dey agreed to end the practice
of enslaving Christians.Despite being removed
from Algeria in the 19th century, Spain retained
a presence in Morocco.
Algeria consistently opposed Spanish fortresses
and control in nearby Morocco through the
20th century.
=== French colonization (1830–1962) ===
Under the pretext of a slight to their consul,
the French invaded and captured Algiers in
1830.
Algerian slave trade and piracy ceased when
the French conquered Algiers.
The conquest of Algeria by the French took
some time and resulted in considerable bloodshed.
A combination of violence and disease epidemics
caused the indigenous Algerian population
to decline by nearly one-third from 1830 to
1872.
Historian Ben Kiernan wrote on the French
conquest of Algeria: "By 1875, the French
conquest was complete.
The war had killed approximately 825,000 indigenous
Algerians since 1830."
French losses from 1831–51 were 3,336 killed
in action and 92,329 dead in the hospital.
The population of Algeria, which stood at
about 2.9 million in 1872, reached nearly
11 million in 1960.
French policy was predicated on "civilising"
the country.
During this period, a small but influential
French-speaking indigenous elite was formed,
made up of Berbers, mostly Kabyles.
As a consequence, French government favored
the Kabyles.
About 80% of Indigenous schools were constructed
for Kabyles.
From 1848 until independence, France administered
the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria
as an integral part and département of the
nation.
One of France's longest-held overseas territories,
Algeria became a destination for hundreds
of thousands of European immigrants, who became
known as colons and later, as Pied-Noirs.
Between 1825 and 1847, 50,000 French people
emigrated to Algeria.
These settlers benefited from the French government's
confiscation of communal land from tribal
peoples, and the application of modern agricultural
techniques that increased the amount of arable
land.
Many Europeans settled in Oran and Algiers,
and by the early 20th century they formed
a majority of the population in both cities.
During the late 19th and early 20th century;
the European share was almost a fifth of the
population.
The French government aimed at making Algeria
an assimilated part of France, and this included
substantial educational investments especially
after 1900.
The indigenous cultural and religious resistance
heavily opposed this tendency, but in contrast
to the other colonised countries' path in
central Asia and Caucasus, Algeria kept its
individual skills and a relatively human-capital
intensive agriculture.Gradually, dissatisfaction
among the Muslim population, which lacked
political and economic status in the colonial
system, gave rise to demands for greater political
autonomy and eventually independence from
France.
In May 1945, the uprising against the occupying
French forces was suppressed through what
is now known as the Sétif and Guelma massacre.
Tensions between the two population groups
came to a head in 1954, when the first violent
events of what was later called the Algerian
War began.
Historians have estimated that between 30,000
and 150,000 Harkis and their dependents were
killed by the Front de Libération Nationale
(FLN) or by lynch mobs in Algeria.
The FLN used hit and run attacks in Algeria
and France as part of its war, and the French
conducted severe reprisals.
The war led to the death of hundreds of thousands
of Algerians and hundreds of thousands of
injuries.
Historians, like Alistair Horne and Raymond
Aron, state that the actual number of Algerian
Muslim war dead was far greater than the original
FLN and official French estimates but was
less than the 1 million deaths claimed by
the Algerian government after independence.
Horne estimated Algerian casualties during
the span of eight years to be around 700,000.
The war uprooted more than 2 million Algerians.The
war against French rule concluded in 1962,
when Algeria gained complete independence
following the March 1962 Evian agreements
and the July 1962 self-determination referendum.
=== The first three decades of independence
(1962–1991) ===
The number of European Pied-Noirs who fled
Algeria totaled more than 900,000 between
1962 and 1964.
The exodus to mainland France accelerated
after the Oran massacre of 1962, in which
hundreds of militants entered European sections
of the city, and began attacking civilians.
Algeria's first president was the Front de
Libération Nationale (FLN) leader Ahmed Ben
Bella.
Morocco's claim to portions of western Algeria
led to the Sand War in 1963.
Ben Bella was overthrown in 1965 by Houari
Boumédiène, his former ally and defence
minister.
Under Ben Bella, the government had become
increasingly socialist and authoritarian;
Boumédienne continued this trend.
But, he relied much more on the army for his
support, and reduced the sole legal party
to a symbolic role.
He collectivised agriculture and launched
a massive industrialization drive.
Oil extraction facilities were nationalised.
This was especially beneficial to the leadership
after the international 1973 oil crisis.
In the 1960s and 1970s under President Houari
Boumediene, Algeria pursued a program of industrialization
within a state-controlled socialist economy.
Boumediene's successor, Chadli Bendjedid,
introduced some liberal economic reforms.
He promoted a policy of Arabisation in Algerian
society and public life.
Teachers of Arabic, brought in from other
Muslim countries, spread conventional Islamic
thought in schools and sowed the seeds of
a return to Orthodox Islam.The Algerian economy
became increasingly dependent on oil, leading
to hardship when the price collapsed during
the 1980s oil glut.
Economic recession caused by the crash in
world oil prices resulted in Algerian social
unrest during the 1980s; by the end of the
decade, Bendjedid introduced a multi-party
system.
Political parties developed, such as the Islamic
Salvation Front (FIS), a broad coalition of
Muslim groups.
=== Civil War (1991–2002) and aftermath
===
In December 1991 the Islamic Salvation Front
dominated the first of two rounds of legislative
elections.
Fearing the election of an Islamist government,
the authorities intervened on 11 January 1992,
cancelling the elections.
Bendjedid resigned and a High Council of State
was installed to act as Presidency.
It banned the FIS, triggering a civil insurgency
between the Front's armed wing, the Armed
Islamic Group, and the national armed forces,
in which more than 100,000 people are thought
to have died.
The Islamist militants conducted a violent
campaign of civilian massacres.
At several points in the conflict, the situation
in Algeria became a point of international
concern, most notably during the crisis surrounding
Air France Flight 8969, a hijacking perpetrated
by the Armed Islamic Group.
The Armed Islamic Group declared a ceasefire
in October 1997.Algeria held elections in
1999, considered biased by international observers
and most opposition groups which were won
by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
He worked to restore political stability to
the country and announced a "Civil Concord"
initiative, approved in a referendum, under
which many political prisoners were pardoned,
and several thousand members of armed groups
were granted exemption from prosecution under
a limited amnesty, in force until 13 January
2000.
The AIS disbanded and levels of insurgent
violence fell rapidly.
The Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication
et le Combat (GSPC), a splinter group of the
Group Islamic Army, continued a terrorist
campaign against the Government.Bouteflika
was re-elected in the April 2004 presidential
election after campaigning on a programme
of national reconciliation.
The programme comprised economic, institutional,
political and social reform to modernise the
country, raise living standards, and tackle
the causes of alienation.
It also included a second amnesty initiative,
the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation,
which was approved in a referendum in September
2005.
It offered amnesty to most guerrillas and
Government security forces.In November 2008,
the Algerian Constitution was amended following
a vote in Parliament, removing the two-term
limit on Presidential incumbents.
This change enabled Bouteflika to stand for
re-election in the 2009 presidential elections,
and he was re-elected in April 2009.
During his election campaign and following
his re-election, Bouteflika promised to extend
the programme of national reconciliation and
a $150-billion spending programme to create
three million new jobs, the construction of
one million new housing units, and to continue
public sector and infrastructure modernisation
programmes.A continuing series of protests
throughout the country started on 28 December
2010, inspired by similar protests across
the Middle East and North Africa.
On 24 February 2011, the government lifted
Algeria's 19-year-old state of emergency.
The government enacted legislation dealing
with political parties, the electoral code,
and the representation of women in elected
bodies.
In April 2011, Bouteflika promised further
constitutional and political reform.
However, elections are routinely criticized
by opposition groups as unfair and international
human rights groups say that media censorship
and harassment of political opponents continue.
== Geography ==
Algeria is the largest country in Africa,
and the Mediterranean Basin.
Its southern part includes a significant portion
of the Sahara.
To the north, the Tell Atlas form with the
Saharan Atlas, further south, two parallel
sets of reliefs in approaching eastbound,
and between which are inserted vast plains
and highlands.
Both Atlas tend to merge in eastern Algeria.
The vast mountain ranges of Aures and Nememcha
occupy the entire northeastern Algeria and
are delineated by the Tunisian border.
The highest point is Mount Tahat (3,003 m).
Algeria lies mostly between latitudes 19°
and 37°N (a small area is north of 37°N
and south of 19°N), and longitudes 9°W and
12°E. Most of the coastal area is hilly,
sometimes even mountainous, and there are
a few natural harbours.
The area from the coast to the Tell Atlas
is fertile.
South of the Tell Atlas is a steppe landscape
ending with the Saharan Atlas; farther south,
there is the Sahara desert.The Ahaggar Mountains
(Arabic: جبال هقار‎), also known
as the Hoggar, are a highland region in central
Sahara, southern Algeria.
They are located about 1,500 km (932 mi) south
of the capital, Algiers, and just east of
Tamanghasset.
Algiers, Oran, Constantine, and Annaba are
Algeria's main cities.
=== Climate and hydrology ===
In this region, midday desert temperatures
can be hot year round.
After sunset, however, the clear, dry air
permits rapid loss of heat, and the nights
are cool to chilly.
Enormous daily ranges in temperature are recorded.
Rainfall is fairly plentiful along the coastal
part of the Tell Atlas, ranging from 400 to
670 mm (15.7 to 26.4 in) annually, the amount
of precipitation increasing from west to east.
Precipitation is heaviest in the northern
part of eastern Algeria, where it reaches
as much as 1,000 mm (39.4 in) in some years.
Farther inland, the rainfall is less plentiful.
Algeria also has ergs, or sand dunes, between
mountains.
Among these, in the summer time when winds
are heavy and gusty, temperatures can get
up to 43.3 °C (110 °F).
=== Fauna and flora ===
The varied vegetation of Algeria includes
coastal, mountainous and grassy desert-like
regions which all support a wide range of
wildlife.
Many of the creatures comprising the Algerian
wildlife live in close proximity to civilization.
The most commonly seen animals include the
wild boars, jackals, and gazelles, although
it is not uncommon to spot fennecs (foxes),
and jerboas.
Algeria also has a small African leopard and
Saharan cheetah population, but these are
seldom seen.
A species of deer, the Barbary stag, inhabits
the dense humid forests in the north-eastern
areas.
A variety of bird species makes the country
an attraction for bird watchers.
The forests are inhabited by boars and jackals.
Barbary macaques are the sole native monkey.
Snakes, monitor lizards, and numerous other
reptiles can be found living among an array
of rodents throughout the semi arid regions
of Algeria.
Many animals are now extinct, including the
Barbary lions, Atlas bears and crocodiles.In
the north, some of the native flora includes
Macchia scrub, olive trees, oaks, cedars and
other conifers.
The mountain regions contain large forests
of evergreens (Aleppo pine, juniper, and evergreen
oak) and some deciduous trees.
Fig, eucalyptus, agave, and various palm trees
grow in the warmer areas.
The grape vine is indigenous to the coast.
In the Sahara region, some oases have palm
trees.
Acacias with wild olives are the predominant
flora in the remainder of the Sahara.
Camels are used extensively; the desert also
abounds with venomous and nonvenomous snakes,
scorpions, and numerous insects.
== Politics ==
Elected politicians are considered to have
relatively little sway over Algeria.
Instead, a group of unelected civilian and
military "décideurs", known as "le pouvoir"
("the power"), actually rule the country,
even deciding who should be president.
The most powerful man may be Mohamed Mediène,
head of the military intelligence.
In recent years, many of these generals have
died or retired.
After the death of General Larbi Belkheir,
Bouteflika put loyalists in key posts, notably
at Sonatrach, and secured constitutional amendments
that make him re-electable indefinitely.The
head of state is the president of Algeria,
who is elected for a five-year term.
The president was formerly limited to two
five-year terms, but a constitutional amendment
passed by the Parliament on 11 November 2008
removed this limitation.
Algeria has universal suffrage at 18 years
of age.
The President is the head of the army, the
Council of Ministers and the High Security
Council.
He appoints the Prime Minister who is also
the head of government.The Algerian parliament
is bicameral; the lower house, the People's
National Assembly, has 462 members who are
directly elected for five-year terms, while
the upper house, the Council of the Nation,
has 144 members serving six-year terms, of
which 96 members are chosen by local assemblies
and 48 are appointed by the president.
According to the constitution, no political
association may be formed if it is "based
on differences in religion, language, race,
gender, profession, or region".
In addition, political campaigns must be exempt
from the aforementioned subjects.Parliamentary
elections were last held in May 2012, and
were judged to be largely free by international
monitors, though local groups alleged fraud
and irregularities.
In the elections, the FLN won 221 seats, the
military-backed National Rally for Democracy
won 70, and the Islamist Green Algeria Alliance
won 47.
=== Foreign relations ===
Algeria is included in the European Union's
European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which
aims at bringing the EU and its neighbours
closer.
Giving incentives and rewarding best performers,
as well as offering funds in a faster and
more flexible manner, are the two main principles
underlying the European Neighbourhood Instrument
(ENI) that came into force in 2014.
It has a budget of €15.4 billion and provides
the bulk of funding through a number of programmes.
In 2009, the French government agreed to compensate
victims of nuclear tests in Algeria.
Defense Minister Herve Morin stated that "It's
time for our country to be at peace with itself,
at peace thanks to a system of compensation
and reparations," when presenting the draft
law on the payouts.
Algerian officials and activists believe that
this is a good first step and hope that this
move would encourage broader reparation.Tensions
between Algeria and Morocco in relation to
the Western Sahara have been an obstacle to
tightening the Arab Maghreb Union, nominally
established in 1989, but which has carried
little practical weight.
=== Military ===
The military of Algeria consists of the People's
National Army (ANP), the Algerian National
Navy (MRA), and the Algerian Air Force (QJJ),
plus the Territorial Air Defence Forces.
It is the direct successor of the National
Liberation Army (Armée de Libération Nationale
or ALN), the armed wing of the nationalist
National Liberation Front which fought French
colonial occupation during the Algerian War
of Independence (1954–62).
Total military personnel include 147,000 active,
150,000 reserve, and 187,000 paramilitary
staff (2008 estimate).
Service in the military is compulsory for
men aged 19–30, for a total of 12 months.
The military expenditure was 4.3% of the gross
domestic product (GDP) in 2012.
Algeria has the second largest military in
North Africa with the largest defence budget
in Africa ($10 billion).In 2007, the Algerian
Air Force signed a deal with Russia to purchase
49 MiG-29SMT and 6 MiG-29UBT at an estimated
cost of $1.9 billion.
Russia is also building two 636-type diesel
submarines for Algeria.
=== Human rights ===
Algeria has been categorized by Freedom House
as "not free" since it began publishing such
ratings in 1972, with the exception of 1989,
1990, and 1991, when the country was labeled
"partly free."
In December 2016, the Euro-Mediterranean Human
Rights Monitor issued a report regarding violation
of media freedom in Algeria.
It clarified that the Algerian government
imposed restriction on freedom of the press;
expression; and right to peaceful demonstration,
protest and assembly as well as intensified
censorship of the media and websites.
Due to the fact that the journalists and activists
criticize the ruling government, some media
organizations' licenses are canceled.Independent
and autonomous trade unions face routine harassment
from the government, with many leaders imprisoned
and protests suppressed.
In 2016 a number of unions, many of which
were involved in the 2010–2012 Algerian
Protests, have been deregistered by the government.Homosexuality
is illegal in Algeria.
Public homosexual behavior is punishable by
up to two years in prison.
== Administrative divisions ==
Algeria is divided into 48 provinces (wilayas),
553 districts (daïras) and 1,541 municipalities
(baladiyahs).
Each province, district, and municipality
is named after its seat, which is usually
the largest city.
The administrative divisions have changed
several times since independence.
When introducing new provinces, the numbers
of old provinces are kept, hence the non-alphabetical
order.
With their official numbers, currently (since
1983) they are
== 
Economy ==
Algeria is classified as an upper middle income
country by the World Bank.
Algeria's currency is the dinar (DZD).
The economy remains dominated by the state,
a legacy of the country's socialist post-independence
development model.
In recent years, the Algerian government has
halted the privatization of state-owned industries
and imposed restrictions on imports and foreign
involvement in its economy.
These restrictions are just started to be
lifted off recently although questions about
Algeria's slow diversifying economy remains.
Algeria has struggled to develop industries
outside hydrocarbons in part because of high
costs and an inert state bureaucracy.
The government's efforts to diversify the
economy by attracting foreign and domestic
investment outside the energy sector have
done little to reduce high youth unemployment
rates or to address housing shortages.
The country is facing a number of short-term
and medium-term problems, including the need
to diversify the economy, strengthen political,
economic and financial reforms, improve the
business climate and reduce inequalities amongst
regions.A wave of economic protests in February
and March 2011 prompted the Algerian government
to offer more than $23 billion in public grants
and retroactive salary and benefit increases.
Public spending has increased by 27% annually
during the past 5 years.
The 2010–14 public-investment programme
will cost US$286 billion, 40% of which will
go to human development.
The Algerian economy grew by 2.6% in 2011,
driven by public spending, in particular in
the construction and public-works sector,
and by growing internal demand.
If hydrocarbons are excluded, growth has been
estimated at 4.8%.
Growth of 3% is expected in 2012, rising to
4.2% in 2013.
The rate of inflation was 4% and the budget
deficit 3% of GDP.
The current-account surplus is estimated at
9.3% of GDP and at the end of December 2011,
official reserves were put at US$182 billion.
Inflation, the lowest in the region, has remained
stable at 4% on average between 2003 and 2007.
In 2011 Algeria announced a budgetary surplus
of $26.9 billion, 62% increase in comparison
to 2010 surplus.
In general, the country exported $73 billion
worth of commodities while it imported $46
billion.Thanks to strong hydrocarbon revenues,
Algeria has a cushion of $173 billion in foreign
currency reserves and a large hydrocarbon
stabilization fund.
In addition, Algeria's external debt is extremely
low at about 2% of GDP.
The economy remains very dependent on hydrocarbon
wealth, and, despite high foreign exchange
reserves (US$178 billion, equivalent to three
years of imports), current expenditure growth
makes Algeria's budget more vulnerable to
the risk of prolonged lower hydrocarbon revenues.In
2011, the agricultural sector and services
recorded growth of 10% and 5.3%, respectively.
About 14% of the labor force are employed
in the agricultural sector.
Fiscal policy in 2011 remained expansionist
and made it possible to maintain the pace
of public investment and to contain the strong
demand for jobs and housing.Algeria has not
joined the WTO, despite several years of negotiations.In
March 2006, Russia agreed to erase $4.74 billion
of Algeria's Soviet-era debt during a visit
by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the
country, the first by a Russian leader in
half a century.
In return, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
agreed to buy $7.5 billion worth of combat
planes, air-defence systems and other arms
from Russia, according to the head of Russia's
state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.Dubai-based
conglomerate Emarat Dzayer Group said it had
signed a joint venture agreement to develop
a $1.6 billion steel factory in Algeria.
=== Hydrocarbons ===
Algeria, whose economy is reliant on petroleum,
has been an OPEC member since 1969.
Its crude oil production stands at around
1.1 million barrels/day, but it is also a
major gas producer and exporter, with important
links to Europe.
Hydrocarbons have long been the backbone of
the economy, accounting for roughly 60% of
budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95%
of export earnings.
Algeria has the 10th-largest reserves of natural
gas in the world and is the sixth-largest
gas exporter.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration
reported that in 2005, Algeria had 160 trillion
cubic feet (4.5×10^12 m3) of proven natural-gas
reserves.
It also ranks 16th in oil reserves.Non-hydrocarbon
growth for 2011 was projected at 5%.
To cope with social demands, the authorities
raised expenditure, especially on basic food
support, employment creation, support for
SMEs, and higher salaries.
High hydrocarbon prices have improved the
current account and the already large international
reserves position.Income from oil and gas
rose in 2011 as a result of continuing high
oil prices, though the trend in production
volume is downwards.
Production from the oil and gas sector in
terms of volume, continues to decline, dropping
from 43.2 million tonnes to 32 million tonnes
between 2007 and 2011.
Nevertheless, the sector accounted for 98%
of the total volume of exports in 2011, against
48% in 1962, and 70% of budgetary receipts,
or USD 71.4 billion.The Algerian national
oil company is Sonatrach, which plays a key
role in all aspects of the oil and natural
gas sectors in Algeria.
All foreign operators must work in partnership
with Sonatrach, which usually has majority
ownership in production-sharing agreements.
=== Research and alternative energy sources
===
Algeria has invested an estimated 100 billion
dinars towards developing research facilities
and paying researchers.
This development program is meant to advance
alternative energy production, especially
solar and wind power.
Algeria is estimated to have the largest solar
energy potential in the Mediterranean, so
the government has funded the creation of
a solar science park in Hassi R'Mel.
Currently, Algeria has 20,000 research professors
at various universities and over 780 research
labs, with state-set goals to expand to 1,000.
Besides solar energy, areas of research in
Algeria include space and satellite telecommunications,
nuclear power and medical research.
=== Labour market ===
Despite a decline in total unemployment, youth
and women unemployment is high.
Unemployment particularly affects the young,
with a jobless rate of 21.5% among the 15–24
age group.The overall rate of unemployment
was 10% in 2011, but remained higher among
young people, with a rate of 21.5% for those
aged between 15 and 24.
The government strengthened in 2011 the job
programmes introduced in 1988, in particular
in the framework of the programme to aid those
seeking work (Dispositif d'Aide à l'Insertion
Professionnelle).
=== Tourism ===
The development of the tourism sector in Algeria
had previously been hampered by a lack of
facilities, but since 2004 a broad tourism
development strategy has been implemented
resulting in many hotels of a high modern
standard being built.
There are several UNESCO World Heritage Sites
in Algeria including Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad,
the first capital of the Hammadid empire;
Tipasa, a Phoenician and later Roman town;
and Djémila and Timgad, both Roman ruins;
M'Zab Valley, a limestone valley containing
a large urbanized oasis; and the Casbah of
Algiers, an important citadel.
The only natural World Heritage Site is the
Tassili n'Ajjer, a mountain range.
=== Transport ===
The Algerian road network is the densest in
Africa; its length is estimated at 180,000
km of highways, with more than 3,756 structures
and a paving rate of 85%.
This network will be complemented by the East-West
Highway, a major infrastructure project currently
under construction.
It is a 3-way, 1,216-kilometre-long (756 mi)
highway, linking Annaba in the extreme east
to the Tlemcen in the far west.
Algeria is also crossed by the Trans-Sahara
Highway, which is now completely paved.
This road is supported by the Algerian government
to increase trade between the six countries
crossed: Algeria, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad
and Tunisia.
== Demographics ==
In January 2016 Algeria's population was an
estimated 40.4 million, who are mainly Arab-Berber
ethnically.
At the outset of the 20th century, its population
was approximately four million.
About 90% of Algerians live in the northern,
coastal area; the inhabitants of the Sahara
desert are mainly concentrated in oases, although
some 1.5 million remain nomadic or partly
nomadic.
28.1% of Algerians are under the age of 15.Women
make up 70% of the country's lawyers and 60%
of its judges and also dominate the field
of medicine.
Increasingly, women are contributing more
to household income than men.
60% of university students are women, according
to university researchers.Between 90,000 and
165,000 Sahrawis from Western Sahara live
in the Sahrawi refugee camps, in the western
Algerian Sahara desert.
There are also more than 4,000 Palestinian
refugees, who are well integrated and have
not asked for assistance from the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In 2009, 35,000 Chinese migrant workers lived
in Algeria.The largest concentration of Algerian
migrants outside Algeria is in France, which
has reportedly over 1.7 million Algerians
of up to the second generation.
=== Ethnic groups ===
Indigenous Berbers as well as Phoenicians,
Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, various
Sub-Saharan Africans, and French have contributed
to the history of Algeria.
Descendants of Andalusian refugees are also
present in the population of Algiers and other
cities.
Moreover, Spanish was spoken by these Aragonese
and Castillian Morisco descendants deep into
the 18th century, and even Catalan was spoken
at the same time by Catalan Morisco descendants
in the small town of Grish El-Oued.
Despite the dominance of the Berber culture
and ethnicity in Algeria, the majority of
Algerians identify with an Arabic-based identity,
especially after the Arab nationalism rising
in the 20th century.
Berbers and Berber-speaking Algerians are
divided into many groups with varying languages.
The largest of these are the Kabyles, who
live in the Kabylie region east of Algiers,
the Chaoui of Northeast Algeria, the Tuaregs
in the southern desert and the Shenwa people
of North Algeria.During the colonial period,
there was a large (10% in 1960) European population
who became known as Pied-Noirs.
They were primarily of French, Spanish and
Italian origin.
Almost all of this population left during
the war of independence or immediately after
its end.
=== Languages ===
Berber and Modern Standard Arabic are the
official languages.
Algerian Arabic (Darja) is the language used
by the majority of the population.
Colloquial Algerian Arabic is heavily infused
with borrowings from French and Berber.
Berber has been recognized as a "national
language" by the constitutional amendment
of 8 May 2002.
Kabyle, the predominant Berber language, is
taught and is partially co-official (with
a few restrictions) in parts of Kabylie.
In February 2016, the Algerian constitution
passed a resolution that would make Berber
an official language alongside Arabic.
Although French has no official status, Algeria
is the second-largest Francophone country
in the world in terms of speakers, and French
is widely used in government, media (newspapers,
radio, local television), and both the education
system (from primary school onwards) and academia
due to Algeria's colonial history.
It can be regarded as a lingua franca of Algeria.
In 2008, 11.2 million Algerians could read
and write in French.
An Abassa Institute study in April 2000 found
that 60% of households could speak and understand
French or 18 million in a population of 30
million then.
After an earlier period during which the Algerian
government tried to phase out French (which
is why it has no official status), in recent
decades the government has backtracked and
reinforced the study of French and TV programs
have reinforced use of the language.
Algeria emerged as a bilingual state after
1962.
Colloquial Algerian Arabic is spoken by about
72% of the population and Berber by 27–30%.
=== Religion ===
Islam is the predominant religion in Algeria,
with its adherents, mostly Sunnis, accounting
for 99% of the population according to a 2012
CIA World Factbook estimate, and 97.9% according
to Pew Research in 2010.
There are about 150,000 Ibadis in the M'zab
Valley in the region of Ghardaia.
Algeria has given the Muslim world a number
of prominent thinkers, including Emir Abdelkader,
Abdelhamid Ben Badis, Mouloud Kacem Naît
Belkacem, Malek Bennabi and Mohamed Arkoun.
=== Cities ===
Below is a list of the most important Algerian
cities:
== Culture ==
Modern Algerian literature, split between
Arabic, Tamazight and French, has been strongly
influenced by the country's recent history.
Famous novelists of the 20th century include
Mohammed Dib, Albert Camus, Kateb Yacine and
Ahlam Mosteghanemi while Assia Djebar is widely
translated.
Among the important novelists of the 1980s
were Rachid Mimouni, later vice-president
of Amnesty International, and Tahar Djaout,
murdered by an Islamist group in 1993 for
his secularist views.Malek Bennabi and Frantz
Fanon are noted for their thoughts on decolonization;
Augustine of Hippo was born in Tagaste (modern-day
Souk Ahras); and Ibn Khaldun, though born
in Tunis, wrote the Muqaddima while staying
in Algeria.
The works of the Sanusi family in pre-colonial
times, and of Emir Abdelkader and Sheikh Ben
Badis in colonial times, are widely noted.
The Latin author Apuleius was born in Madaurus
(Mdaourouch), in what later became Algeria.
Contemporary Algerian cinema is various in
terms of genre, exploring a wider range of
themes and issues.
There has been a transition from cinema which
focused on the war of independence to films
more concerned with the everyday lives of
Algerians.
=== Media ===
=== Art ===
Algerian painters, like Mohamed Racim or Baya,
attempted to revive the prestigious Algerian
past prior to French colonization, at the
same time that they have contributed to the
preservation of the authentic values of Algeria.
In this line, Mohamed Temam, Abdelkhader Houamel
have also returned through this art, scenes
from the history of the country, the habits
and customs of the past and the country life.
Other new artistic currents including the
one of M'hamed Issiakhem, Mohammed Khadda
and Bachir Yelles, appeared on the scene of
Algerian painting, abandoning figurative classical
painting to find new pictorial ways, in order
to adapt Algerian paintings to the new realities
of the country through its struggle and its
aspirations.
Mohammed Khadda and M'hamed Issiakhem have
been notable in recent years.
=== Literature ===
The historic roots of Algerian literature
go back to the Numidian and Roman African
era, when Apuleius wrote The Golden Ass, the
only Latin novel to survive in its entirety.
This period had also known Augustine of Hippo,
Nonius Marcellus and Martianus Capella, among
many others.
The Middle Ages have known many Arabic writers
who revolutionized the Arab world literature,
with authors like Ahmad al-Buni, Ibn Manzur
and Ibn Khaldoun, who wrote the Muqaddimah
while staying in Algeria, and many others.
Albert Camus was an Algerian-born French Pied-Noir
author.
In 1957 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in
literature.
Today Algeria contains, in its literary landscape,
big names having not only marked the Algerian
literature, but also the universal literary
heritage in Arabic and French.
As a first step, Algerian literature was marked
by works whose main concern was the assertion
of the Algerian national entity, there is
the publication of novels as the Algerian
trilogy of Mohammed Dib, or even Nedjma of
Kateb Yacine novel which is often regarded
as a monumental and major work.
Other known writers will contribute to the
emergence of Algerian literature whom include
Mouloud Feraoun, Malek Bennabi, Malek Haddad,
Moufdi Zakaria, Abdelhamid Ben Badis, Mohamed
Laïd Al-Khalifa, Mouloud Mammeri, Frantz
Fanon, and Assia Djebar.
In the aftermath of the independence, several
new authors emerged on the Algerian literary
scene, they will attempt through their works
to expose a number of social problems, among
them there are Rachid Boudjedra, Rachid Mimouni,
Leila Sebbar, Tahar Djaout and Tahir Wattar.
Currently, a part of Algerian writers tends
to be defined in a literature of shocking
expression, due to the terrorism that occurred
during the 1990s, the other party is defined
in a different style of literature who staged
an individualistic conception of the human
adventure.
Among the most noted recent works, there is
the writer, the swallows of Kabul and the
attack of Yasmina Khadra, the oath of barbarians
of Boualem Sansal, memory of the flesh of
Ahlam Mosteghanemi and the last novel by Assia
Djebar nowhere in my father's House.
=== Music ===
Chaâbi music is a typically Algerian musical
genre characterized by specific rhythms and
of Qacidate (Popular poems) in Arabic dialect.
The undisputed master of this music is El
Hadj M'Hamed El Anka.
The Constantinois Malouf style is saved by
musician from whom Mohamed Tahar Fergani is
a performer.
Folk music styles include Bedouin music, characterized
by the poetic songs based on long kacida (poems);
Kabyle music, based on a rich repertoire that
is poetry and old tales passed through generations;
Shawiya music, a folklore from diverse areas
of the Aurès Mountains.
Rahaba music style is unique to the Aures.
Souad Massi is a rising Algerian folk singer.
Other Algerian singers of the diaspora include
Manel Filali in Germany and Kenza Farah in
France.
Tergui music is sung in Tuareg languages generally,
Tinariwen had a worldwide success.
Finally, the staïfi music is born in Sétif
and remains a unique style of its kind.
Modern music is available in several facets,
Raï music is a style typical of Western Algeria.
Rap, relatively recent style in Algeria, is
experiencing significant growth.
=== Cinema ===
The Algerian state's interest in film-industry
activities can be seen in the annual budget
of DZD 200 million (EUR 1.8) allocated to
production, specific measures and an ambitious
programme plan implemented by the Ministry
of Culture in order to promote national production,
renovate the cinema stock and remedy the weak
links in distribution and exploitation.
The financial support provided by the state,
through the Fund for the Development of the
Arts, Techniques and the Film Industry (FDATIC)
and the Algerian Agency for Cultural Influence
(AARC), plays a key role in the promotion
of national production.
Between 2007 and 2013, FDATIC subsidised 98
films (feature films, documentaries and short
films).
In mid-2013, AARC had already supported a
total of 78 films, including 42 feature films,
6 short films and 30 documentaries.
According to the European Audiovisual Observatory's
LUMIERE database, 41 Algerian films were distributed
in Europe between 1996 and 2013; 21 films
in this repertoire were Algerian-French co-productions.
Days of Glory (2006) and Outside the Law (2010)
recorded the highest number of admissions
in the European Union, 3,172,612 and 474,722,
respectively.Algeria won the Palme d'Or for
Chronicle of the Years of Fire (1975), two
Oscars for Z (1969), and other awards for
The Battle of Algiers.
=== Sports ===
Various games have existed in Algeria since
antiquity.
In the Aures, people played several games
such as El Kherba or El khergueba (chess variant).
Playing cards, checkers and chess games are
part of Algerian culture.
Racing (fantasia) and rifle shooting are part
of cultural recreation of the Algerians.The
first Algerian and African gold medalist is
Boughera El Ouafi in 1928 Olympics of Amsterdam
in the Marathon.
The second Algerian Medalist was Alain Mimoun
in 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.
Several men and women were champions in athletics
in the 1990s including Noureddine Morceli,
Hassiba Boulmerka, Nouria Merah-Benida, and
Taoufik Makhloufi, all specialized in middle-distance
running.Football is the most popular sport
in Algeria.
Several names are engraved in the history
of the sport, including Lakhdar Belloumi,
Rachid Mekhloufi, Hassen Lalmas, Rabah Madjer,
Salah Assad and Djamel Zidane.
The Algeria national football team qualified
for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, 1986 FIFA World
Cup, 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2014 FIFA World
Cup.
In addition, several football clubs have won
continental and international trophies as
the club ES Sétif or JS Kabylia.
The Algerian Football Federation is an association
of Algeria football clubs organizing national
competitions and international matches of
the selection of Algeria national football
team.
=== Cuisine ===
Algerian cuisine is rich and diverse.
The country was considered as the "granary
of Rome".
It offers a component of dishes and varied
dishes, depending on the region and according
to the seasons.
The cuisine uses cereals as the main products,
since they are always produced with abundance
in the country.
There is not a dish where cereals are not
present.
Algerian cuisine varies from one region to
another, according to seasonal vegetables.
It can be prepared using meat, fish and vegetables.
Among the dishes known, couscous, chorba,
Couscous, Rechta, Chakhchoukha, Berkoukes,
Shakshouka, Mthewem, Chtitha, Mderbel, Dolma,
Brik or Bourek, Garantita, Lham'hlou, etc.
Merguez sausage is widely used in Algeria,
but it differs, depending on the region and
on the added spices.
Cakes are marketed and can be found in cities
either in Algeria, in Europe or North America.
However, traditional cakes are also made at
home, following the habits and customs of
each family.
Among these cakes, there are Tamina, Baklawa,
Chrik, Garn logzelles, Griouech, Kalb el-louz,
Makroud, Mbardja, Mchewek, Samsa, Tcharak,
Baghrir, Khfaf, Zlabia, Aarayech, Ghroubiya
and Mghergchette.
Algerian pastry also contains Tunisian or
French cakes.
Marketed and home-made bread products include
varieties such as Kessra or Khmira or Harchaya,
chopsticks and so-called washers Khoubz dar
or Matloue.
Other traditional meals sold often as street
food include Mhadjeb, Karantika, Doubara.(Chakhchokha-Hassoua-T'chicha-Mahjouba
and Doubara)are famous in Biskra.
== Health ==
In 2002, Algeria had inadequate numbers of
physicians (1.13 per 1,000 people), nurses
(2.23 per 1,000 people), and dentists (0.31
per 1,000 people).
Access to "improved water sources" was limited
to 92% of the population in urban areas and
80% of the population in the rural areas.
Some 99% of Algerians living in urban areas,
but only 82% of those living in rural areas,
had access to "improved sanitation".
According to the World Bank, Algeria is making
progress toward its goal of "reducing by half
the number of people without sustainable access
to improved drinking water and basic sanitation
by 2015".
Given Algeria's young population, policy favors
preventive health care and clinics over hospitals.
In keeping with this policy, the government
maintains an immunization program.
However, poor sanitation and unclean water
still cause tuberculosis, hepatitis, measles,
typhoid fever, cholera and dysentery.
The poor generally receive health care free
of charge.Health records have been maintained
in Algeria since 1882 and began adding Muslims
living in the South to their Vital record
database in 1905 during French rule.
== Education ==
Since the 1970s, in a centralized system that
was designed to significantly reduce the rate
of illiteracy, the Algerian government introduced
a decree by which school attendance became
compulsory for all children aged between 6
and 15 years who have the ability to track
their learning through the 20 facilities built
since independence, now the literacy rate
is around 78.7%.
Since 1972, Arabic is used as the language
of instruction during the first nine years
of schooling.
From the third year, French is taught and
it is also the language of instruction for
science classes.
The students can also learn English, Italian,
Spanish and German.
In 2008, new programs at the elementary appeared,
therefore the compulsory schooling does not
start at the age of six anymore, but at the
age of five.
Apart from the 122 private schools, the Universities
of the State are free of charge.
After nine years of primary school, students
can go to the high school or to an educational
institution.
The school offers two programs: general or
technical.
At the end of the third year of secondary
school, students pass the exam of the baccalaureate,
which allows once it is successful to pursue
graduate studies in universities and institutes.Education
is officially compulsory for children between
the ages of six and 15.
In 2008, the illiteracy rate for people over
10 was 22.3%, 15.6% for men and 29.0% for
women.
The province with the lowest rate of illiteracy
was Algiers Province at 11.6%, while the province
with the highest rate was Djelfa Province
at 35.5%.Algeria has 26 universities and 67
institutions of higher education, which must
accommodate a million Algerians and 80,000
foreign students in 2008.
The University of Algiers, founded in 1879,
is the oldest, it offers education in various
disciplines (law, medicine, science and letters).
25 of these universities and almost all of
the institutions of higher education were
founded after the independence of the country.
Even if some of them offer instruction in
Arabic like areas of law and the economy,
most of the other sectors as science and medicine
continue to be provided in French and English.
Among the most important universities, there
are the University of Sciences and Technology
Houari Boumediene, the University of Mentouri
Constantine, and University of Oran Es-Senia.
The University of Abou Bekr Belkaïd in Tlemcen
and University of Batna Hadj Lakhdar occupy
the 26th and 45th row in Africa.
== See also ==
Index of Algeria-related articles
Outline of Algeria
Algeria – Wikipedia book
== Notes ==
== References ==
== Bibliography ==
== 
External links ==
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Official
government website (in Arabic) / (in French)
"Algeria".
The World Factbook.
Central Intelligence Agency.
Algeria web resources provided by GovPubs
at the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries
Algeria at Curlie
Algeria profile from the BBC News
Algeria Atlas Map (PDF) (Map).
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR).
April 2007.
Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 December
2016.
Wikimedia Atlas of Algeria
Key Development Forecasts for Algeria from
International Futures
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre: Algeria
