Algeria


Ranbir B.

 

Algeria

            Map of Algeria                                                         Flag of Algeria                                         

 

               The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, or Algeria, is the second largest country in Africa. Mt. Chelia rises 2 328 meters (7,638 feet) above sea level and is the highest point in Algeria. The Sahara Desert is a good chunk of Algeria's landscape. Algeria also has some beaches. Algeria has a wide range of landscapes. Algeirs is the capital of Algeria. There is ancient ruins of a roman city in Algeria.The site is called Cuicul. It is 50 km. away from Setif, 900 meters above sea level and the town even had its own senate and foroum.                                       Ancient Roman Ruins 

 

Population

 

                                                                                                                        

      Algeria has a population of over 34 million. the earliest known people to live in Algeria were the Berbers. The Berbers have their own language and customs. Arabs live in Algeria too. Arabs come from the Arabian peninsula. In 1830 the French invaded Algeria. Algeria's population is now made up of mainly descendants of Arabs and Berbers. Berbers live in the mountains of the Kabylia region, along the coast of Algeria, and in the Mzab oases. The Tuareg are a nomadic Berber group that lives in the Sahara Desert. Before Algeria's war for independence, there were approximately 1 million people from Europe living in Algeria. The Europeans population fell after 1962 and 1992, when they were attacked by terrorists.   

 

Language

 

     Algeria is a diverse country with three very different types of languages. Arabic is the official language of Algeria . French is also widely spoken because the French invaded Algeria. Tamazight is Berber language, it was made a national language in 2002. These are the main languages of Algeria.

 

Food

 

     Algerian food is heavily seasoned, with peppers, pimiento, cumin, ginger, fennel, coriander, parsley, mint, cinnamon, and cloves. Couscous is the national dish of Algeria. Couscous is consisted of steamed semolina grains, lamb, chicken, or fish; cooked with vegetables, carrots, onions, green peppers, squash, chickpeas, and seasoned with hot pimiento sauce. Algerian people like drinking strong black coffee. They also like mint tea and a sweet fruit drink called syrop. Algerian food is very different from what we eat.

 

An Algerian family eating Couscous.

 

 

Clothing

 

     In Algeria people wear traditional clothing and western clothing. Women in Algeria usually wear a long white robe and a veil that hides everything except their eyes. In Algiers less than a third of the entire woman population wears western clothing. The traditional clothing for men is gandoura robe made of linen or wool. In cities men usually wear western clothing. There is a big difference between modern and traditional clothing.

 

Entertainment

 

     In Algeria the telecommunications service broadcasts in Arabic, French, and the Berber language. Freedom of Press was allowed in 1988, this produced many newspapers and journals. The government had control of radio television until 2011. Mohamed Lakhadar's movie got international praise and won a grand prize at he Cannes Film Festival in 1975. Algerians' who can afford a radio or television could be able to enjoy a radio or television.

 

Religion    

 

     In Algeria most people are Muslims. There are still some Berber people who still practice Berber customs. The small minority of Europeans believe in Christianity. These are the three main religions of Algeria.

 

Famous People

 

    Most Famous people in Algeria are writers. Albert Camus is a Nobel laureate, he was born in Algeria. Kateb Yacine is also notable. Mouloud Mammeri wrote novels and promoted Berber literature. There are many young Algerian authors. Algeria has many famous people.

 

 

Major Industries

     

      Algeria's economy's biggest industry is the service industry, which make up one third of Algeria's economy. Service industries include banking, real estate, wholesale, retail trade, tourism and government. Government jobs are 29% of all jobs in Algeria. Algeria manufactures petroleum products, iron, steel, textiles, processed foods, fertilizers, motor vehicles, electronic goods, cement, bricks, cork, and paper. Only 10% of Algeria's land can be used for farming. Algeria has to import grain and other foods to meet its needs. Grains, wine grapes, olives, citrus fruits, and figs are all grown by farmers. Farmers on the high plateau grow wheat and barley while taking care of their livestock. Nomads take care of sheeps, goats, and camels. Grains and cotton are grown in oases in the Sahara Desert. Algeria also has a fishing market, they fish for sardines, shrimp, tuna anchovies, and shellfish. Petroleum and natural gas mining are about 30% of all of Algeria's revenue. It is also almost all of its export income. Algeria;s natural gas deposits are fifth largest in the entire world. Algeria has many industries.

 

             

Government

 

      Algeria's government has a constitution which has been changed many times. People in Algeria vote on their president. A multiparty constitution was approved in 1996. Parties that are only from a certain religion, language, or region are banned. The lower part of Parliament is called the National People's Assembly, the people in it are directly elected. There are 389 people they are elected to five year terms. The higher part of Parliament is called the Council of the Nation, there is 144 people in it and two thirds of them are elected to six year terms and the rest are selected by the president. Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the current president of Algeria. He won reelection by changing the constitution to allow him to have a third term. He won by a questionable 90% in 2009. The Algerian government seems a bit corrupt at this time.

 

 

Poverty

 

     Algeria has widespread poverty. It is ranked only 96 on the HDI rankings list. If you lived in Algeria you would be expected to go to school for only about 6 and a half years. The average death age is 73.1 years old. 70% og poor people live in rural areas in Algeria. They have poor access to clean water, healthcare, and an education. There are many hosing shortages in Algeria, this is why you will see many shantytowns. This is directly a result of high population growth. There is lots of poverty in Algeria.

 

 

Who is Helping? 

 

    There are not lots of organizations helping Algeria. The World Food Programme can't help out that much because they are helping Western Sahara refugees. The Algerian government decided to build 1 000 000 housing units to battle the housing problem. Algeria also launched UNICEF UNITE CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS, this was to help improve healthcare. Algeria will need more help to get rid of its poverty.

 

Quick Facts

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

 

. National geographic algeria facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar 2012. <http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/algeria-facts/>.

 

Zartman, I. William. "Algeria." Lands and Peoples. Grolier Online, 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2012.

 

Layachi, Azzedine. "Algeria." The New Book of Knowledge. Grolier Online, 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

 

Naylor, Phillip C. "Algeria." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

 

"Algeria." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.

 

. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/750411/Abdelaziz-Bouteflika>.

 

United Nations Development Programme , National human development reports for algeria. N.p., 2011. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/DZA.html>.

 

. "Algeria Poverty and Wealth." Encyclopedia of the Nations. Advameg, Inc, n.d. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Africa/Algeria-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html>.

 

. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://www.wfp.org/countries/Algeria/Overview>.

 

Oulmi, Faycal . "Algeria launches UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS."UNICEF-Algeria. UNICEF, 23 D. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/algeria_30584.html>.

 

. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/191>.

 

httpwww.chess-theory.comimages2020401_2_algeria.jpg

Map of Algeria

http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/Miller/couscous.html

Couscous

http://www.flags.net/images/largeflags/ALGE0001.GIF

Flag Algeria

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/191

Roman Ruins