Introduction to Geography of Algeria
Algeria is the second largest country in Africa. Only Sudan is larger.Algeria, or Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, a country of North Africa. It is the second-largest country in Africa, smaller only than Sudan. Algeria stretches from the Mediterranean Sea deep into the Sahara. It has an area of 919,595 square miles (2,381,741 km2). Its maximum dimensions are about 1,200 miles (1,930 km) north-south and 1,100 miles (1,770 km) east-west.
Facts in brief about AlgeriaCapital: Algiers.Official language: Arabic.Official name: Al-Jumhuriyah al-Jaz'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah wa ash-Sha'biyah (People's Democratic Republic of Algeria).Area: 919,595 mi2 (2,381,741 km2). Greatest distances—east-west, 1,500 mi (2,400 km); north-south, 1,300 mi (2,100 km). Coastline—750 mi (1,200 km).Elevation: Highest elevation—Mount Tahat, 9,573 ft (2,918 m) above sea level. Lowest elevation—Chott Melrhir, 102 ft (31 m) below sea level.Population: Current estimate—34,355,000; population density, 37 per mi2 (14 per km2); distribution, 60 percent rural, 40 percent urban. 1998 census—29,100,867.Chief products: Agriculture—barley, citrus fruits, cork, dates, grapes, meat, milk, olives, potatoes, wheat. Manufacturing—machinery, processed foods, textiles, transportation equipment. Mining—antimony, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, mercury, natural gas, petroleum, phosphates, salt, tungsten.National anthem: "Kassaman" ("We Pledge").Flag: Symbols: Algeria's flag and coat of arms display a star and crescent, symbols of Islam, partly against a background of green, a traditional Islamic color. The flag was officially adopted in 1962, when Algeria gained its independence from France. The Arabic letter jim, which appears twice at the top of the coat of arms is an abbreviation for the Arabic form of Republic of Algeria.Money: Basic unit—Algerian dinar. One hundred centimes equal one dinar.Physical Geography
LandThe principal physical features of Algeria are the Atlas Mountains in the north and the Sahara, to the south, a vast desert that covers about nine-tenths of the country.
The Atlas Mountains are a faulted system, with steep-sided mountains and deep ravines in the more rugged parts. The region consists of three roughly parallel northeast-southwest zones. Beginning near the coast, they are (from north to south) the Tell Atlas, the High Plateaus, and the Saharan Atlas. The highest ranges of the Tell Atlas rise more than 7,500 feet (2,290 m) above sea level. The rough terrain is interrupted by small plains, particularly along the coast.
The High Plateaus are marked by rolling hills, some steep cliffs, and flat plains, with an average elevation of 3,000 feet (910 m). Though generally low, the Saharan Atlas, which fringes the desert, rises to a height of more than 7,600 feet (2,320 m).
The Sahara is made up mainly of low tablelands, with occasional areas of high terrain, such as the Ahaggar massif in the south. Here rises 9,573-foot (2,918-m) Tahat, the highest point in Algeria. Part of the Sahara consists of sand and dune areas, called ergs, among the largest of which are the Great Eastern Erg and the Great Western Erg. There are also areas of exposed bedrock, called hammadas.
WaterThere are few rivers and lakes. The Chelif River, 450 miles (720 km) long, is the chief river. Of the rivers that originate in the Saharan Atlas, it is the only one to reach the Mediterranean. Many watercourses are dry except after winter rains. On the High Plateaus and in the Sahara are expansive salt flats and marshes, known as chotts or shotts. Many of them are covered by shallow water during winter. Chott Melrhir, in the Sahara near the Saharan Atlas, occupies a depression below sea level.
ClimateCoastal Algeria has a Mediterranean type of climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers—a climate similar to that of southern California. January temperatures average about 50° F. (10° C.); July temperatures, just below 80° F. (27° C.). Most of the area has 30 inches (760 mm) or more of rainfall a year; some places receive more than 50 inches (1,270 mm).
On the High Plateaus, there is a dry steppe climate, with cooler winters and slightly hotter summers. Rainfall averages 10 to 20 inches (250 to 500 mm) annually, all of it coming in winter and spring. The Atlas Mountains have a varied climate because of their elevation.
The Sahara is one of the world's most desolate areas. Summer temperatures average above 95° F. (35° C.) and frequently rise as high as 110° F. (43° C.). Temperature changes between night and day are extreme. There is little or no rain.
Natural VegetationIn the more humid mountain areas, and occasionally along the coast, are oaks (particularly cork oaks) and coniferous trees, mainly pines, cedars, and cypresses. However, much of northern Algeria is covered with scrubby bush-type vegetation, called maquis. On the High Plateaus are dry grasslands. Beyond the mountain vegetation of the Saharan Atlas begins the true desert, where vegetation is nonexistent or sparse.
Economy
Shortly after gaining independence from France in 1962 Algeria established a socialist economy. Except for some light manufacturing industries, virtually all of Algeria's industries were nationalized. Since the late 1980's, however, the Algerian government has enacted measures to encourage the expansion of private enterprise.
Algeria suffers from many obstacles to sustained economic growth. Among them are inadequate health and educational facilities, rapid population growth, widespread unemployment, a lack of trained personnel to run technologically complex new industries, and low agricultural production.
Mineral ProductionThe mainstay of the economy is the production of petroleum and natural gas, which account for almost all of Algeria's export earnings. Petroleum is produced mainly in the eastern part of the country. Most of the natural gas comes from the Hassi R'mel region, about 250 miles (400 km) south of Algiers. Here lies one of the world's largest natural gas fields. Pipelines link the oil and natural gas fields of the interior to processing and distribution centers along the coast.
Only a few nonfuel minerals are produced in significant amounts. Among them are iron ore, phosphate rock, and mercury.
ManufacturingThe government has invested large sums in manufacturing industries and they have had considerable growth. Growth has been especially evident in the mineral-based industries, including petroleum refining, the liquefying of natural gas, and the making of petrochemicals, fertilizers, iron and steel, and cement. Other manufacturing includes truck and automobile assembly, food processing, and the making of a fairly wide variety of household and personal goods, including radios and television sets. Wine is produced in large amounts, mostly for export.
AgricultureAlthough about a quarter of the workforce is employed in agriculture, production is not sufficient to feed the nation and many foods must be imported. Most of Algeria's farmland is privately owned. Much of this land is held in plots of 25 acres (10 hectacres) or less.
Only about 3 per cent of Algeria's land is suitable for cultivation, and most of that is along or near the coast. Virtually all of Algeria's chief crops are produced there; they include wheat, barley, wine grapes, citrus fruit, olives, potatoes, and tomatoes. Livestock consists chiefly of poultry, sheep, and goats. Dates are produced in Saharan oases.
TransportationAlgeria's roads and railways were built largely by the French and have been improved and expanded since independence. Facilities are best developed along the coast and in the Atlas Mountains. Roads have been built into the Sahara, and several north-south routes now cross it. Algiers, Oran, and Annaba are major general-cargo ocean ports; Algiers has the main international air terminal.
CurrencyAlgeria's basic currency unit is the Algerian dinar.
The People
The Algerians are chiefly Berbers, together with some Arab ancestry and, in the far south, Negroid ancestry. Since Arabs were the conquering invaders whose religion and language the natives adopted, it became customary for the Algerians to consider themselves Arabs. A sense of Berber identity has been preserved by some groups, however, such as the Kabyles in the mountainous section of the north.
Among the desert Berbers are the Tuareg, known as “blue men” because they wear blue garments. The men usually wear veils; the women, unlike the women of many other Muslim groups, go unveiled. The Tuareg have the only written Berber dialect.
PopulationThe population of Algeria in 1987 was 23,038,942. An important population trend has been migration from rural to urban areas. More than half the people now live in cities.
Language and Education. Arabic is the official language, but French, which had been the official language during the colonial era, is used in government, except in certain courts. Both Arabic and French are used by the government-owned broadcasting system. Arabic is the language of about 80 per cent of the people; various Berber dialects are spoken by the rest.
Under French rule classical Arabic, used in the Muslim religion and Islamic literature, was taught in the Muslim religious schools. It was held in high esteem, since it reflected a past era of conquest and achievement, but less than 3 per cent of the population could read classical Arabic when independence came in 1962.
During the late 1880's, the French established a public school system based on that of France. French was the language of instruction, and the curriculum emphasized European literature, history, philosophy, and geography. Schooling was free and compulsory for the colonists' children; although Muslim children could attend the French schools, few did. After World War II, the French introduced plans to provide better educational opportunities for more of the Muslim population. At the time of independence, however, less than 30 per cent of Muslim school-age children were enrolled in school, and at the University of Algiers only about 10 per cent of the students were Muslims.
When the country gained independence, a campaign was launched to provide schooling for all children and to teach adult illiterates to read and write. Available teachers were either French or French-educated Algerians; the language of instruction was French. The system has gradually become bilingual. The primary grades are taught in Arabic. In the higher grades, subjects are taught in either Arabic or French, depending on their content.
There is no tuition at any level. Where facilities are available, nine years of schooling is compulsory. Primary education begins at age six and lasts six years. Secondary school also lasts six years. The literacy rate is about 60 per cent.
The leading institutions of higher learning are the University of Algiers (founded in 1879) and the University of Oran (1965). There are also various small colleges, polytechnic schools, and conservatories.
Religion and Culture. Islam is the state religion under the constitution, and most Algerians, at least nominally, are Muslims of the Sunnite branch of Islam. There are small minorities of Jews and Christians (mostly Roman Catholics) in the country.
The National Library is in Algiers, as are museums of prehistory and ethnography, fine arts, antiquities and Islamic art, and African art. Constantine and Oran have libraries and museums.
Government
Algeria is a republic. The executive branch of the government is headed by a popularly elected president (head of state), who serves a five-year term. The president appoints a prime minister (head of government), who then appoints cabinet ministers. In 1996 a revision to the constitution provided for the creation of a two-chamber legislature. Members of the lower house (National People's Assembly) are popularly elected for five-year terms. Members of the upper house (Council of Nations) serve six-year terms. One-third of the upper house members are appointed by the president; the other two-thirds are indirectly elected by municipal councils. The municipal councils are elected assemblies that govern each of Algeria's 48 wilayas (provinces).
The country's judicial system consists of a supreme court, lower courts, and special courts for crimes against the state.