Algeria


Algeria is part of Maghreb. It took its current name only in the 19th century. Although it is not registered on the US State Department's list of the seven "rogue" countries, Algeria is ignored by American tourism media. The improvement of the relations with France, the reopening of the air-lines with Algiers should support tourism.

A land of old Mediterranean civilization, Algeria was Roman, Byzantine then Arab and French accidentally. The history of Algeria is not the topic of these pages. It is outlined briefly to try to understand particularisms of this attaching country.

Located in the centre of North Africa's Atlas, Algeria was called by Arab conquerors, Djezirat the Al-Maghreb, the West Island. The geography of Algeria is presented in broad maps to locate the journey.
 

History

Geography

The history of Algeria is presented in five large phases.
Ancient Algeria: At prehistoric times, Algeria was populated by humans whose vestiges at lake Ternifine in Oranian were called "Atlanthropes", contemporaries of Sinanthrope and Pithecanthrope in Java. At historical times, it was populated by Berbers called Libyans or Amazighens indifferently. They knew writing, they used the Tifinagh characters of the Tuaregs. As of the 12th century BC, Phoenicians established trade posts there. In 9th century BC, the area was known under the name of "Numidie" the name of the Numid dynasty. From the 2nd century BC, king Massinissa managed to unify the kingdom at the end of Punic War II. In 40 AD, the whole of the area became a Roman province. Pax Romana was shaken in 429 by the Vandals, then restored precariously by Byzantium in 533. From the 3rd century, Numidie became an active centre of Christianity whose best known figure was the Bishop of Hippone: "Saint Augustinus".
Arab Algeria, In 681 the Arabs founded Kairouan town on a virgen ground. In the 9th century, the whole of North Africa was conquered by Islam. At the End of the 15th beginning of the 16th century, the Spaniards having finished of their Reconquista chased the Arabs on to North Africa besieging major coastal cities: Oran, Cherchell...
Ottoman Algeria: for three centuries (1529-1830), the Regency of Algiers was ruled by Turk Janissaries paid by the Sublime Gate. Actually, the Turks held only the fortified towns without ruling this country.
French Algeria (1830-1962): In 1827, taking pretext of an incident between Dey Hussein and French Consul Deval, king Charles X sent a task force which took Algiers in 1831. As of 1839, Emir Abd el-Kader proclaimed the Djihad against France. The National Liberation Front was set up in 1954. A violent conflict started to be completed eight years later by the independence of Algeria and an exodus of more than one million of "pied-noirs".
Independent Algeria: The access to independence was a difficult exercise for the first thirty years. Since 1992, the GIA then FIS, foreign influence and economic problems have destabilized Algeria.

Algeria stretches in the north on 1,200Km of Mediterranean littoral and it is inserted in the south on 1,800Km in the Sahara. It is made up 80% of desert, 10% of steppes. Its surface is four times that of France.
It has borders in the east, with Tunisia and Libya, in the south, with Niger and Mali, in the west with Mauritania and Morocco.

It presents five sets of areas, from north to south, in transversal belts from east to west and parallel with the coastline. The first four septentrional belts extend from 200 to 300 km wide:

In North, the long seacoast is strewn with beautiful beaches and creeks. In the back, plains seldom communicating between them and not very open on the sea constitute the "useful Algeria" with modern agriculture: Mitidja, Oranian etc.
In the backland, the mountains of the Tellian Atlas in the west and the massif of Kabylie in the east form a barrier culminating 2,308m high, Djurdjura.
In the centre, the depression of the high plateaux in the west and Constantinoise high plains in the east, 1,000 to 1,100 m high, is the field of "esparto" grass. It is the food of the goat, sheep and dromedary herds.
In the back, the Saharan Atlas and the massif of Aurès are the southern limit of the Mediterranean influences. They culminate 2,328 m high, Djebel Chelia. This set is bored with "gates" from west to east: Bechar, Laghouat, Biskra.
In the south, the Sahara stretches 1,600 km wide. It consists of dunes, ergs, depressions, Sebkhas, high plateaux, Tassilis and reliefs, the Hoggar volcanic massif, culminating 2,908 m high.

The coastal area is characterized by a Mediterranean climate, mild winter and hot summer. Whereas the Sahara, with less than 100mm of rainfalls is a desert. Between them, the mountains and the high plateaux are steppes.


Vegetation of the coastal plain is maquis replaced by the much more profitable culture of citrus fruits and food plants. The slopes of the Tellian Atlas and Kabyly are covered by Alep pines. The depressions of the high plateaux is the field of the Esparto. The Sahara, except for the oases, is strewn with bush.
Fauna is hardly different from that of Europe except in the Sahara the kingdom of jerboas and dromedaries.

Economic facts

Civilization

Algeria's economy is developed enough. The NLF's options based on Hydrocarbons disorganized the economy by giving up agriculture which does not provide for the needs of a high increasing population.

Agriculture provide 31% of the GDP with 33% of the working population. It exported at the colonial time, but now takes part only for one third in the food needs. 10% of the territory are cultivable, but only one third is possible. The socialization of the lands was not favourable to the development of the outputs.

Mineral resources are very varied in non-ferrous metals. The reserves of iron ores should make Algeria the first world producer! Hydrocarbons, oil and gas are considerable.

Industry is developed, 21% of the GDP employing 23% of the working population. The action of the socialist State equipped the country with heavy industry, steel-works, metallurgy, petrochemistry. However the international crisis has undermined the financial resources of the country.>

Trade is nationalized and centred on hydrocarbons. The exchange control is still effective.

The Algerian currency is the Algerian Dinar.

The official name is Democratic and Popular Algerian Republic whose capital is Algiers. The population is +31 million inhabitants. The official language of Algeria is Arab as well as Tamazight. However French resists to the Arabization policy well. The population is 90% Arabic, the remainder is Kabyl.

Algeria is a republic where the multi-party democracy is hard to set up.

Algerians are 90% Sunnite Moslems and 10% Christians. Islam has the same origin as the Judaism and Christianity. The faithful of these three religions belong to the "people of the Book".

It is common to say that hospitality is the corner stone of Arab culture. This tradition is the consequence of the hardness of life in the desert and the habits of the Bedouin tribes who accommodate foreigners by offering them water, food and lodging.

The GNP is US$2,500 per capita.


Due to its long prehistory and history, Algeria is rich in vestiges of its various past cultures. The Sahara hosted thousands of frescos and rupestral engravings in Tassili next to Libya. Rome left, as on all the Mediterranean coast, many archaeological sites which testify the unit of the Roman organization. Medieval Islam architecture produced remarkable monuments, palaces and mosques inspired by Cordoba.

Travellers' information

Sights

All tourists need visas, available at consulates or in some cases at the arrival. It can be extended.

On the health plan it is recommended to consult specialized Internet sites, in France the website of the Foreign Office Ministry. No particular precaution is needed, it is necessary to be up to date with the usual vaccinations.

The budget of traveller depends on his choices, Algeria offers opportunities for small budgets.

The geographical situation of Algeria, its climatic variety offer travellers multiple possibilities of activity in the archaeological sites as well as in the Sahara.

They offer all opportunities to sportsmen. Sports activities are possible in all Algeria's areas, excursions, cycling, swimming and diving on the Mediterranean coast.

In spring 1990, I made a package tour in Central Sahara.

Neuilly, le 2004/01/11