Information AboutAlgeria |
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native_name = الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية ''Al-Jumhurīyah al-Jazā’irīyah ad-Dīmuqrāṭīyah ash-Sha’bīyah''| conventional_long_name = People's Democratic Republic of Algeria | common_name = Algeria | image_flag = Flag of Algeria.svg | image_coat = Algeria coa.png | image_map = AlgeriaWorldMap.png | national_motto = Arabic : من الشعب و للشعب ( IPA Transliteration : aθ-θawratu mina-ʃ-ʃaʕbi wa-li-ʃ-ʃaʕb ( Translation : "The Revolution by the People and for the People")| national_anthem = '''') | official_languages = Arabic | capital = , 2006)| latd=36|latm=42|latNS=N|longd=3|longm=13|longEW=E| largest_city = Algiers | government_type= Democratic Republic | leader_titles = President Prime Minister | leader_names = Abdelaziz Bouteflika Ahmed Ouyahia | area_rank = 11th | area_magnitude = 1 E12 | area = 2,381,740 | areami&2 = 919,595 | percent_water = negligible | population_estimate = 32,531,853 | population_estimate_year = 2005 | population_estimate_rank = 36th | population_census= | population_census_year= | population_density = 13 | population_densitymi&2 = 33.6 | population_density_rank= 168th| GDP_PPP_year= 2004 | GDP_PPP = $217,224,000,000 | GDP_PPP_rank = 38th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $6,799 | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 85th | HDI_year = 2003 | HDI = 0.722 | HDI_rank = 103rd | HDI_category = medium | sovereignty_type = Independence | established_events = Declared | established_dates = From , 2006) | currency = Algerian Dinar | currency_code = DZD | time_zone= CET | utc_offset= +1 | time_zone_DST= CET | utc_offset_DST= +1 does not observe | cctld= .dz | calling_code = 213 | footnotes = }} The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (, and the second largest country on the Africa n continent, Sudan being the largest . It is bordered by Tunisia in the northeast, Libya in the east, Niger in the southeast, Mali and Mauritania in the southwest, and Morocco as well as a few kilometers of its annexed territory, Western Sahara , in the west. Constitutionally , it is defined as an Islam ic, Arab , and Amazigh (Berber) country. The name Algeria is derived from the name of the city of Algiers , from the Arabic word ''al-jazā’ir'', which translates as ''the islands'', referring to the four islands which lay off that city's coast until becoming part of the mainland in 1525. History See Also: History of Algeria Algeria has been inhabited by Berber s (or Imazighen) since at least 10,000 BC . From 1000 BC on, the Carthaginians became an influence on them, establishing settlements along the coast. Berber kingdoms began to emerge, most notably Numidia , and seized the opportunity offered by the Punic Wars to become independent of Carthage, only to be taken over soon after by the Roman Republic in 200 BC. As the western Roman Empire collapsed, the Berbers became independent again in much of the area, while the Vandals took over parts until later expelled by the generals of the Byzantine Emperor , Justinian I . The Byzantine Empire then retained a precarious grip on the east of the country until the coming of the Arab s in the 8th Century . After some decades of fierce resistance under leaders such as Kusayla and Kahina , the Berbers adopted Islam ''en masse'', but almost immediately expelled the Caliphate from Algeria, establishing an Ibadi state under the Rustamid s. Having converted the Kutama of Kabylie to its cause, the Shia Fatimid s overthrew the Rustamids, and conquered Egypt. They left Algeria and Tunisia to their Zirid vassals; when the latter rebelled and adopted Sunni sm, they sent in a populous Arab tribe, the Banu Hilal , to weaken them, thus incidentally initiating the Arabization of the countryside. The Almoravid s and Almohad s, Berber dynasties from the west founded by religious reformers, brought a period of relative peace and development; however, with the Almohads' collapse, Algeria became a battleground for their three Successor State s, the Algerian Zayyanid s, Tunisian Hafsid s, and Moroccan Marinid s. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Spain started attacking and taking over many coastal cities, prompting some to seek help from the Ottoman Empire . Algeria was brought into the Ottoman Empire by Khair Ad-Din and his brother Aruj , who established Algeria's modern boundaries in the north and made its coast a base for the Corsairs ; their privateering peaked in Algiers in the 1600s. Piracy on American vessels in the Mediterranean resulted in the First and Second Barbary War with the United States . On the pretext of a slight to their consul, the French invaded Algiers in 1830; however, intense resistance from such personalities as Emir Abdelkader , Ahmed Bey and Fatma N'Soumer made for a slow conquest of Algeria, not technically completed until the early 1900s when the last Tuareg were conquered. Meanwhile, however, the French suppressed slavery and made Algeria an integral part of France, a status that would end only with the collapse of the Fourth Republic . Tens of thousands of settlers from France, Italy, Spain, and Malta moved in to farm the Algerian coastal plain and occupy the most prized parts of Algeria's cities, benefiting from the French government's confiscation of communally held land. People of European descent in Algeria (the so-called '' Pieds-noirs ''), as well as the native Algerian Jews, became full French citizens starting from the end of the 19th century; by contrast, the vast majority of Muslim Algerians (even veterans of the French army) possessed neither French citizenship nor the right to vote. Algeria's social fabric was stretched to breaking point during this period: literacy plummeted while land confiscation uprooted much of the population. However, the population increased steadily[http://www.library.uu.nl/wesp/populstat/Africa/algeriac.htm . In 1954, the National Liberation Front (FLN) launched the Guerrilla Algerian War Of Independence ; after nearly a decade of urban and rural warfare, they succeeded in pushing France out in 1962. Most of the 1,025,000 '' Pieds-noirs '', as well as 91,000 '' Harki s'' (pro-French Muslim Algerians serving in the French Army), together forming about 10% of the population of Algeria in 1962, fled Algeria for France in just a few months in the middle of that year. '' is a movie about the Algerian War Of Independence .]] Algeria's first president, the FLN leader Ahmed Ben Bella , was overthrown by his former ally and defense minister, Houari Boumédiènne in 1965. Under Ben Bella the government had already become increasingly socialist and dictatorial, and this trend continued throughout Boumedienne's government; however, Boumedienne relied much more heavily on the army, and reduced the sole legal party to a merely symbolic role. Agriculture was collectivised, and a massive industrialization drive launched. Oil extraction facilities were nationalized and this increased the state's wealth, especially after the 1973 oil crisis, but the Algerian economy became increasingly dependent on oil, bringing hardship when the price collapsed in the 1980s. In foreign policy Algeria was a member and leader of the 'non-aligned' nations. A dispute with Morocco over the Western Sahara nearly led to war. Dissent was rarely tolerated, and the state's control over the media and the outlawing of political parties other than the FLN was cemented in the repressive constitution of 1976. Boumédienne died in 1978, but the rule of his successor, Chadli Bendjedid , was little more open. The state took on a strongly bureaucratic character and corruption was widespread. The modernization drive brought considerable demographic changes to Algeria. Village traditions underwent significant change as urbanization increased, new industries emerged, agriculture was substantially reduced, and education, a rarity in colonial times, was extended nationwide, raising the literacy rate from less than 10% to over 60%. Improvements in healthcare led to a dramatic increase in the birthrate (7-8 children per mother) which had two consequences: a very youthful population, and a housing crisis. The new generation struggled to relate to the cultural obsession with the war years and two conflicting protest movements developed: left-wingers, including Berber identity movements, and Islamic 'intégristes'. Both protested against one-party rule but also clashed with each other in universities and on the streets during the 1980s. Mass protests from both camps in autumn 1988 forced Benjedid to concede the end of one-party rule, and elections were announced for 1991. In December 1991, the , 2006) The issue of Berber language and identity increased in significance, particularly after the extensive Kabyle protests of 2001 and the near-total boycott of local elections in Kabylie ; the government responded with concessions including naming of Tamazight (Berber) as a national language and teaching it in schools. Politics See Also: Politics of Algeria The head of state is the President Of The Republic , who is elected to a 5-year term, renewable once. Algeria has Universal Suffrage . The President is the head of the Council of Ministers and of the High Security Council. He appoints the Prime Minister who is also the head of government. The Prime Minister appoints the Council of Ministers. The Algerian Parliament is bicameral, consisting of a lower chamber, the National People's Assembly (APN), with 380 members and an upper chamber, the Council of Nation, with 144 members. The APN is elected every 5 years. Throughout the 1960's, Algeria supported many independence movements in sub-Saharan Africa, and was a leader in the , 2006) Provinces See Also: Provinces of Algeria Algeria is divided into 48 Provinces ('' Wilayah '') : Geography See Also: Geography of Algeria Mountains]] Most of the coastal area is hilly, sometimes even mountainous, and there are few good harbours. The area just south of the coast, known as the Tell , is fertile. Further south is the Atlas Mountain range and the Sahara desert. Algiers , Oran and Constantine are the main cities. Algeria's Climate is arid and hot, although the coastal climate is mild, and the winters in the mountainous areas can be severe. Algeria is prone to Sirocco , a hot dust- and sand-laden wind especially common in summer. ''See also'': Extreme Points Of Algeria Economy See Also: Economy of Algeria The fossil fuels energy sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP , and over 95% of export earnings. It ranks 14th in Petroleum reserves, containing 11.8 billion barrels of proven oil reserves with estimates suggesting that the actual amount is even more. The Energy Information Administration reported that in 2005, Algeria had 160 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven Natural Gas reserves, the 8th largest in the world. Algeria’s financial and economic indicators improved during the mid-1990s, in part because of policy reforms supported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Debt rescheduling from the Paris Club . Algeria’s finances in 2000 and 2001 benefited from an increase in Oil prices and the government’s tight fiscal policy, leading to a large increase in the trade surplus, record highs in foreign exchange reserves, and reduction in Foreign Debt . The government's continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic Investment outside the energy sector has had little success in reducing high Unemployment and improving living standards. In 2001, the government signed an Association Treaty with the European Union that will eventually lower tariffs and increase trade. In March 2006 , Russia agreed to erase $4.74 billion of Algeria's Soviet-era debt during a visit by President Vladimir Putin to the country, the first by a Russian leader in half a century. In return, 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 1 2 . Demographics coast]] See Also: Demographics of Algeria About 90% of Algerians live in the northern, coastal area; the minority who inhabit the Sahara Desert are mainly concentrated in Oases , although some 1.5 million remain Nomad ic or partly nomadic. Ninety-nine percent of the population is classified ethnically as Arab / Berber , and religiously as Muslim ; other religions are restricted to extremely small groups, mainly of foreigners. Europeans account for less than 1%. Most Algerians are Arab by language and identity, and of mixed Berber-Arab ancestry. The Berbers inhabited Algeria before the arrival of Arab tribes during the expansion of Islam, in the 7th century. The issue of ethnicity and language is sensitive after many years of government marginalization of Berber (or Imazighen, as some prefer) culture. Today, the Arab-Berber issue is often a case of self-identification or identification through language and culture, rather than a racial or ethnic distinction. The 20% or so of the population who self-identify as Berbers, and primarily speak Berber languages (such as Tamazight ), are divided into several ethnic groups, notably Kabyle (the largest) in the mountainous north-central area, Chaoui in the eastern Atlas Mountains , Mozabite s in the M'zab valley, and Tuareg in the far south. Language See Also: Languages of Algeria Algeria's largest and official , 2006) The language issue is politically sensitive for the Berber Minority , which has been disadvantaged by state-sanctioned Arabization . Language politics and Arabization have partly been a result of the fact that a 130 years of French Colonization had left both the state Bureaucracy and much of the educated upper class completely Francophone ; but also of the Arab Nationalism promoted by successive Algerian governments. French is still the most widely studied Foreign Language , and widely spoken (distantly followed by English ), but very rare as a Native Language . Since Independence , the government has pursued a policy of linguistic Arabization of Education and bureaucracy, with some success, although many University courses continue to be taught in French. Culture in Algiers]] See Also: Culture of Algeria Modern Algerian literature, split between Arabic and French, has been strongly influenced by the country's recent history. , 2006) . As early as Roman times, Apuleius , born in Mdaourouch , was native to what would become Algeria. In philosophy and the humanities, Malek Bennabi and Frantz Fanon are noted for their thoughts on Decolonization , while Augustine Of Hippo was born in Tagaste (about 60 miles from the present day city of Annaba ), and Ibn Khaldun , though born in Tunis , wrote the Muqaddima while staying in Algeria. Algerian culture has been strongly influenced by Islam , the main religion. The works of the Sanusi family in precolonial times, and of Emir Abdelkader and Sheikh Ben Badis in colonial times, are widely noted. The Algerian Musical genre best known abroad is Raï , a pop-flavored, opinionated take on folk music, featuring international stars such as Khaled and Cheb Mami . However, in Algeria itself the older, highly verbal Chaabi style remains more popular, with such stars as El Hadj El Anka or Dahmane El Harrachi , while the tuneful melodies of Kabyle music, exemplified by Idir , Ait Menguellet , or Lounès Matoub , have a wide audience. For more classical tastes, Andalusi Music , brought from Al-Andalus by Morisco refugees, is preserved in many older coastal towns. In painting, , 2006) are notable in recent years. Miscellaneous topics
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