HOMEPAGE LANGUAGE GEOGRAPHY HISTORY CLIMATE

Language Arabic, French and Berber are the major languages. Very little English is spoken. TOP Geography Algeria is the second largest country in Africa. In the north the mountain range - the Saharan Tell - is roughly parallel with the Mediterranean coast and is disrupted by valleys and plateaux. To the south of the Saharan Tell is the Saharan Atlas range which roughly defines the divide between arable land to the north and the southern desert. The many important Roman ruins in Algeria are in excellent condition due to the dryness of the desert. TOP History In 1830 Algeria became a French colony. 1962 Algeria achieved independence from France after eight years of guerrilla warfare in which one million Algerians died. A brief power struggle followed between moderates and militants ended when Colonel Boumedienne lead the Arme de Liberation to victory. Ben Bella was elected prime minister promising a "revolutionary Arab-Islamic state based on the principles of socialism and collective leadership within Algeria and anti-imperialism abroad. These ideals were quickly put in to practice by landless peasants as they moved onto the land vacated by the French and established cooperative farms to be administered by peasant councils. Nationalisation of major industries proceeded. However the redistribution of land was limited to that which had been French owned, resulting in large estates still owned by rich Algerians. The call for liberation of women particularly frightened these conservative landowners. In 1963 and 1964 army revolts broke out centred on the slogan "Islam is not compatible with socialism". The people were disenchanted with civil disorder and economic stagnation after the sacrifice of an entire generation impatient for progress and prosperity. 1965 Colonel Boumedienne staged a non violent coup which most people welcomed. Boumedienne made economic reconstruction his first priority. Economic growth was enhanced by the exploitation of vast deposits of natural gas in the Sahara Desert. Unemployment however, remained high forcing many Algerians to travel to France in search of employment, having to suffer a high degree of racism. During the 1970's whilst over 70% of the workforce was employed on the land, agriculture was neglected in favour of industry and production levels fell. Since 1971 efforts have been made both to improve literacy and the efficiency of agricultural output. 1978 Colonel Boumedienne died in December. Colonel Chadli Benjedid was elected as his successor, a post he held during the elections of 1984. Since independence there has been little political change. The "Front de liberation nationale" remains the only political party, which enforces socialist polices. For the poor state of the agricultural sector the centralised bureaucracy can largely be held responsible due to poor planning. A certain amount of reform aimed at reducing Algerian dependence on imported clothing, medical supplies and food has recently been undertaken by President Chadli. An increasingly powerful Islamic fundamentalist movement has caused widespread disruption in the nineties and there have been specific threats and assassinations carried out on foreigners resident in Algeria. TOP Climate There are considerable variations in temperature and rainfall. The average winter coastal temperature is about 12 degree centigrade, rising to about 25 degrees centigrade in the summer. The humidity is high. The average temperatures inland are much higher, ranging from 12 degrees centigrade in winter to 33 degrees centigrade plus in the summer, with peak temperatures rising much higher still. Rainfall varies from nothing to 70 to 100cm. Heavy rainfall in April, and snow in the Kabylie mountains in winter, makes some roads impassable or very hazardous. TOP

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