Algeria

HISTORY

The earliest inhabitants of what is now Algeria were Berbers, tribal peoples of unknown origin.

In the 7th century the Arabs invaded North Africa, bringing with them a new religion, Islam. In Algeria they were resisted by a woman leader—Kahina (fl. 670–98), the high priestess of a tribe supposedly converted to Judaism—but eventually the Berbers submitted to Islam and Arab authority; Algeria became a province of the Umayyad caliphate.

Algeria was made part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517. Because of its distance from the Turkish capital at Constantinople, Algiers was governed as an autonomous province. Externally, the effectiveness of its corsair fleet made Algiers a power in its own right; Algerian pirates dominated the Mediterranean.

By the late 18th century improved ship construction and firepower enabled the Europeans to challenge corsair domination. In 1827 the French consul was struck in the face with a fly-whisk by the ruler of Algiers. In retaliation 34,000 French soldiers begin their invasion of Algeria, landing 27 kilometers (17 mi) west of Algiers at Sidi Fredj on June 14, 1830. They did not subdue the country until 1848.

Fighting at the gates of Algiers in 1830

On May 8, 1945, a parade held in Sétif, French Algeria, to commemorate the end of World War II in Europe took a tragic turn when it escalated into a riot. Regrettably, this incident was followed by a series of retaliatory actions carried out by the colonial authorities in the subsequent weeks, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives.

The Algerian War of Independence was started by members of the National Liberation Front (FLN) on November 1, 1954, The brutality of the methods employed by the occupying army resulted in discredited French prestige abroad. The conflict ended with Algerian independence in 1962.

The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria was formally proclaimed on September 25, 1962. Ferhat Abbas was elected President of the provisional government.

The name of the country is derived from its capital city - Algiers.

The national flag of Algeria consists of two equal vertical bars, green and white, charged in the center with a red star and crescent. The flag was adopted on July 3, 1962. The flag's design was derived from the standard of Emir Abdel Kadir in the 19th century which consisted of two equal vertical bands, green and white.

Algeria experienced political upheaval in 2019 when 82 year old President Abdelaziz Bouteflik resigned in April, after 20 years in office, raising concerns of a power grab by Al Qaeda. After a series of postponed elections, Bouteflik's successor, Abdelmadjid Tebboune,  the former acting head of state, was elected in December 2019.

FUN ALGERIA FACTS

In 2010, the most common first names in Algeria were Mohamed and Fatima. 

 
98 percent of Algeria's exports are petroleum or natural gas.

Sonatrach is an Algerian government-owned company formed to exploit the hydrocarbon resources of the country. It operates in the exploration, production, transportation and marketing of hydrocarbons. It is the largest company in Africa by revenue. 

Algeria's size is 926,645 square miles making it the largest country in Africa, the Arab World and the Mediterranean Sea. Overall, it is the 10th-largest country in the world.

The country’s principal river, the 725-kilometer (450-mi) long Chelif, rises in the Tell Atlas and flows to the Mediterranean Sea.

In the south, rising above the desert, are the Ahaggar Mountains, which culminate in Mount Tahat (2918 m/9573 ft), the highest peak in Algeria.

The arable land comprises only about 3% of the total area of Algeria and is located mainly in the valleys and plains of the coastal region.

90 percent of Algeria is covered by the Sahara Desert.

 
Snow fell in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria on February 18, 1979 for the first time in recorded history. 

Djamaa el Djazaïr, also known as the Great Mosque of Algiers, is a mosque in Algiers, Algeria. The mosque also has a 265 meter (869 ft) tall minaret, which makes it the tallest building in Africa.

Arabic is the official language and is spoken by more than 80% of the population; most of the remainder speak a Berber dialect. 

Algeria has the second largest military in North Africa, and the largest defense budget in Africa.

Source Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia