Many people know about Algeria only that it is a state in Africa. Indeed, not many tourists visit this country, but you can tell a lot about it and dispel some speculation. Sometimes they are even interested in which country Algeria belongs to. But this is an independent state with its own history and culture. What is Algeria interesting for? Which country on the African continent is called the Algerian People's Democratic Republic?
Government structure
In Arabic, the country of Algeria sounds like "Jazir", which means "islands." The state received this name due to the accumulation of islands near the coastline. The capital of Algeria is a city with the same name. This state in Africa is a unitary republic led by a president. He is elected for a term of 5 years, the number of terms is unlimited. Legislative power belongs to the bicameral Parliament. Algeria is divided into 48 provinces, 553 districts (diar), 1541 communes (baladia). On November 1, Algerians celebrate a national holiday - Revolution Day.
Geography and nature
The country of Algeria occupies a large area. This is the largest state in Africa. Its area is 2.3 million km 2 . Algeria adjoins with Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya. In the north lies the Mediterranean Sea. About 80% of the entire state is occupied by the Sahara. On its area there are both sandy deserts and stone ones.
In the south-east of the country is its highest point - Mount Tahat, with a height of 2906 m. In the vast Sahara there is also a large salt lake, called Schott-Melgir, and is located in the north of the Algerian part of the desert. Rivers are also in the state of Algeria, but almost all temporary, exist only in the rainy season.
The largest river (700 km long) is the Sheliff River. The rivers of the northern part of the country flow into the Mediterranean Sea, and the rest disappear in the sands of the Sahara.
The vegetation of northern Algeria is typically Mediterranean, cork oak prevails, in semi-deserts - alpha grass. In arid zones, very small areas have vegetation.
Population and language
Algeria is inhabited by more than 38 million people. The bulk, 83% of all residents, are Arabs. 16% are Berbers, descendants of the ancient population of Algeria, which consist of several tribes. Another 1% is occupied by representatives of other nationalities, mainly the French. The state religion in Algeria is Islam, the main population is mainly Sunnis.
The state language in the country is one - Arabic, although French is no less popular. About 75% of the population is fluent in it. There are also Berber dialects. Despite the significant area of the country, the main population of Algeria, more than 95%, is concentrated in the north, on a narrow coastal strip and in the Kabiliya massif. More than half of the population lives in cities - 56%. Literacy among men reaches 79%, while among women - only 60%. Algerian Arabs live in large communities in France, Belgium and the USA.
History
In the territory of modern Algeria in the 12th century BC e. Phoenician tribes appeared. In the 3rd century, the state of Numidia was formed. The ruler of this country got involved in the war against Rome, but was defeated. Its territories became part of Roman possessions. In the 7th century, Arabs invaded here and lived for a long time. At the beginning of the 16th century, Algeria came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. But managing it was difficult due to its geographical location. As a result, France invaded this African country, and since 1834 the country of Algeria became a French colony. The state began to look like a European. The French built entire cities, much attention was paid to agriculture. But the indigenous population could not come to terms with the colonialists. The national liberation war lasted several years. And in 1962, Algeria became independent. Most of the French then left Africa. For about 20 years, the government tried to build socialism, but as a result of coups, Islamic fundamentalists were in power. Armed confrontation continues to this day. The situation in the country is extremely unstable.
Economy
- The monetary unit of the state is the Algerian dinar.
- The basis of the economy is oil and gas production - about 95% of all exports. Algeria also produces copper, iron, zinc, mercury and phosphates.
- Agriculture has a smaller volume in the structure of the economy, but it is quite diverse. Cereals, grapes, citrus fruits are grown. Wine is produced for export. Algeria is the largest exporter of pistachios. Alpha grass is collected and processed in the semi-desert, from which later excellent quality paper is obtained.
- In livestock, people specialize in raising cattle, as well as goats and sheep.
- In the coastal part they are engaged in fishing.
Culture
The capital of the country Algeria is the oldest and most beautiful city, located in a bay with the same name. All buildings are made of light building material, which gives a special festive look to the city. Here you can see both strange narrow streets with low houses, and the most beautiful mosques in the oriental style. Among them, 17th-century buildings stand out - the tomb of Sidd Abdarrahman and the Jami al-Jadid mosque. In the modern part of the city, new buildings dominate - offices, tall administrative buildings.
Transport
- Algeria is one of the leaders among African states in developing transport links.
- There are a lot of roads, about 105 thousand km. They are indispensable for communication between cities.
- Railways of the country stretched for 5 thousand km.
- With the help of water transport, 70% of all international traffic occurs. This gives the right to call Algeria the main water power in Africa.
- Developed and air traffic. The country of the world Algeria has 136 airfields, of which 51 are with concrete coating. The largest and most important airfield - Dar-El-Beida - operates both domestic flights and flights to Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. A total of 39 international destinations.
Kitchen
Algerian cuisine is part of a wide range of Mushroom culinary traditions. Many similar dishes can be found in neighboring Tunisia. Widespread use of dishes from Mediterranean products. For cooking, often use fresh fruits and vegetables, olives. A traditional berber dish is camel meat steak . Alcohol is not allowed in Muslim Algeria. It is customary to drink sweet green tea with nuts, mint or almonds. Fans of invigorating drinks prefer strong "Arabian" coffee.
Shopping
Shopping in Algeria has its own characteristics, or rather, the opening hours of stores. For Europeans, it is not quite familiar. The fact is that the residents of Algeria, as a Muslim state, during their work take a two-hour break for a siesta. This also applies to stores that operate in two stages: morning - from 8:00 to 12:00, and afternoon - from 14:00 to 18:00. This does not apply to souvenir shops. They work "until the last visitor." Supermarkets can be bought from early morning until late at night. Tourists can bring different souvenirs from this African country: wood, leather and uniforms, copper coins, Berber carpets, silver jewelry or mats with Berber motifs.
Tourist Safety
Algeria is a developing country, special attention is not paid to tourism, and some cities are considered even potentially dangerous for tourists. Visiting them is strongly discouraged. Although there is no official ban. There have been cases of abduction of tourists. Moreover, the north of the country is considered absolutely safe. It’s worth going to the Sahara only by an organized group, with a local guide. Excursions and tours should be ordered only from official tour operators.
The most interesting
- Personal jewelry - items made of gold, silver and platinum - must be declared at customs at the entrance to the country.
- Without duty, you can import into Algeria no more than 1 block of cigarettes or 50 cigars, 2 liters of low alcohol drinks (less than 22º), and 1 liter of strong alcoholic drinks (more than 22º).
- If the passport has a mark on crossing the Israeli border, then entry into Algeria is prohibited.
- Sometimes ATMs are asked to enter a 6-digit pin code. In this case, you need to enter the first two zeros.
- Taking pictures of the local population is not recommended. This is considered indecent.
- Use only bottled water.
- The coast is comfortable to visit throughout the year, although the country of Algeria is not quite a beach resort, there are no good hotels.
- On the territory of the state a huge number of Phoenician, Roman and Byzantine ruins.
- On a cliff 124 meters above sea level, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Africa is located.
Above the entrance there is an inscription in French - "African Mother of God, pray for us and for Muslims." This is the only place in the world where the Catholic religion mentions the Muslim.