Introducing Algeria Have you read about or have you ever seen pictures of Algeria What do you know about this large African country If you imagine a vast hot desert you are on the right track About four times the size of Spain Algeria’s land is over 80 percent desert The Sahara Desert also covers most of North Africa including Algeria’s neighboring countries However very few Algerians live in the sun-baked desert Algeria also has a beautiful coastline where the land meets the Mediterranean Sea Most Algerians live near this coast Here farms are abundant and large cities have modern services such as satellite television and access to the Internet Although people have lived in the region since ancient times Algeria was established as an independent country just 50 years ago Since its independence Algeria has had problems such as unhealthy water too few houses and even civil war In this same period of time the country has made strong progress in providing education and health care to its people Algeria’s government has also become a leader for peace and trade in North Africa In the midst of both problems and growth Algeria’s people maintain strong traditions Family ties are very important Religious beliefs guide everyday actions as well as major decisions Music expresses wise sayings religious ideas and strong emotions With a rich history and deep values Algerians are proud of their land and heritage
Recent unrest Recently Algeria has experienced unrest in its cities In early 2011 groups of angry Algerians gathered to publicly complain about high food prices lack of freedoms and dishonesty among leaders Many Algerians hope the unrest will lead to positive changes in the government the country The Sahara the world's largest desert It is easy to get lost in Algeria The Sahara Desert covers much of stretches 5,343,790 square miles 8.6 million square kilometers
History Struggle for Independence and Peace Algeria’s long history is marked by invasions As a result its boundaries have changed many times Algeria finally gained independence in 1962 For the last 50 years the country has experienced unrest because of conflicts over government and religion The original people The first inhabitants in the region of Algeria were called Berbers The Berbers were herders and hunters Over time the Sahara Desert expanded over the grassy herding areas The Berbers gradually moved north to the mountains and coastal region near the Mediterranean Sea Ancient conquerors Around 1100 BCE the first non-Berber people settled in North Africa These people came from Phoenicia an ancient land now known as Lebanon The Phoenicians subdued the Berbers taking many of them as slaves The conquerors built towns along the coast so they could trade goods with others by way of the sea In the 800s BCE the Algerian region came under the control of Carthage an ancient trading city Many Berbers were trained to fight in the Carthaginian army Over the next 600 years the Berbers sometimes
fought for Carthage and sometimes fought for another empire based in the city of Rome Rome defeated Carthage and took over North Africa in 105 BCE The Romans established farms that produced grains grapes beans and olive oil The Romans also brought Christianity to the region Christianity became the religion of about 30 percent of the people The ancient Romans built roads and aqueducts in the lands they invaded Remains of these structures still exist in Algeria
