Situated on the north coast of Africa, Algeria is the second largest country on the continent. It is also the 11th largest country in the world. Its history, language, customs, and Islamic religion make it a part of the Arab world. The capital is Algiers. GeographyAlgeria covers an area of 919,595 square miles (2,381,741 square kilometers). It is bordered by Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Western Sahara, and Morocco. The Mediterranean Sea lies to its north. - The Ahaggar Plateau rises from the barren landscape of the Sahara in southern Algeria.
Most Algerians live in the northern part of the country, known as the Tell. The Atlas mountain ranges separate the Tell from the desert region of the Sahara, which takes up about four fifths of the country. The Saharan region consists of several large, saucer-shaped basins, plateaus, and highlands. Some of the basins contain extensive fields of sand, called ergs. To the south are large volcanic massifs, or groups of mountains. The Ahaggar Plateau in the north-central part of the Sahara is the largest, with Algeria's highest peak, Mount Tahat, rising to 9,573 feet (2,918 meters). The Saharan region holds rich natural resources, such as minerals, and notably, oil and gas. Algeria's coastal zone and northern mountains have a typical Mediterranean climate, with warm dry summers and mild rainy winters. In the Sahara the daily and annual temperature ranges are extreme. It rarely rains; as many as five years may pass without rainfall on the Ahaggar. Plants and animalsAll plants in Algeria are types that can survive without much water. Forests cover only about 2 percent of the entire land area and are found mainly in the mountains. Much of the Tell region in the north was once covered with woodland, but most of this is now scrubland consisting of evergreen shrubs and low trees. Farther south, where it is drier, the vegetation is reduced to treeless plains. In the desert itself, there is very little plant life except for tufts of several kinds of grass, plants that need almost no water, and several shrubs, acacia, and jujube trees. Elephants, hippopotamuses, and crocodiles once lived in Algeria. Today, few species are found, mainly because there is not enough vegetation to support them. Hyenas and jackals, monkeys, hawks, and desert snakes are native to the area; so are some antelope, gazelles, hares, jerboa, and wild boars. Scorpions are common in the Saharan regions. People and cultureMost Algerians can trace their origins to two groups of people—the Berbers and the Arabs. The Berbers originally lived in the region and Arabs came later. Today Arabs make up about 80 percent of the population. Almost all of Algeria's people are Muslims, though there are a few Roman Catholics of French descent. In the late 20th century, national music and theater groups began to encourage art and preserve folklore. Craft workers produce inlaid furniture, rugs, earthenware, camel-skin products, jewelry, and a variety of other goods. EconomyThe Algerian government controls the nation's economy. That includes the production, distribution, and export of petroleum, natural gas, and minerals. The major industries are iron, steel, and petroleum refining. The country also produces fertilizers and manufactures industrial vehicles and farm machinery. Other industries include paper, textiles, electrical goods, and flour milling. Most Algerians work in agriculture, though only a small fraction of the land is used to grow crops. On the coastal plains, cereal grains, grapes, olives, and citrus fruits are the principal crops. Cereal growing and livestock herding take place in the Tell Atlas and the high plateaus. Permanent meadows and pastures support goats, sheep, and cattle. HistoryBerbers made up the majority of ancient Algeria's population. They were conquered by waves of invaders—Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Vandals. Arab armies conquered Algeria in the 7th and 8th centuries. Mass Arab migrations to Algeria followed in the 11th century. The Ottoman Turks gained control of northern Algeria in 1518. More than three centuries later, in 1830, France conquered Algiers, taking most of the best land. In the early 1920s several groups began to seek greater rights for Muslims in the French colony. Their efforts eventually turned into a demand for independence. In 1954 the National Liberation Front (FLN) party began a war to achieve that goal, and on July 3, 1962, Algeria gained independence. For almost three decades following that, Algeria was controlled by the FLN. The country's leaders during this period were Ahmed Ben Bella, Colonel Houari Boumedienne, and Colonel Chadli Bendjedid. Antigovernment rioting in 1988 prompted the FLN to adopt a new constitution in 1989 allowing multiparty elections. Algeria's first elections were held in 1991. One of the parties in the election was the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), which wanted to establish an Islamic state in Algeria. When it appeared likely that the FIS would win the largest number of seats, the military canceled the elections and took over the government. The Islamic Salvation Front rebelled against the military government, sparking a civil war that left more than 75,000 Algerians dead. In 1999 Abdelaziz Bouteflika was elected Algeria's first civilian president since 1965, though he had the open backing of the powerful Algerian military. Population (2001 estimate), 30,821,000. |