51 Facts About Algeria

Algeria, officially the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa.

Algeria has a total area of 2,381,741 square km.

Algiers is Algeria's capital and largest city.

Arabic and Berber are Algeria's official languages.

Algeria's official currency is Dinar (DZD).

Algeria is land bordered by the Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. 

Algeria shares maritime borders with Italy and Spain.

Algeria is the largest country in Africa followed by Democratic Republic of the Congo (2,345,411 sq km). It is the tenth-largest in the world.

It has a lovely setting on the Mediterranean coast, with a pleasant year-round climate.

Algeria is widely known as the country of cherries and dates.

Algerian dates are known to be among the best on the planet.

Visitors are traditionally greeted with dates and milk.

Algeria's official name is the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, and its National Holiday is also known as Revolution Day, commemorating the day the final bid for independence began decades ago on November 1st.

Algeria's official religion is Islam, and it is illegal to proselytise (advocate or promote) any other religion to the people. The legal system is based on Sharia law and the French court system.

Despite the prevalence of Western clothing, particularly in urban areas, traditional Muslim attire is also prevalent. People, particularly women, wear traditional garb in areas controlled by the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS).

Algeria's national animal is the Fennec Fox (the smallest of the world's foxes), and their national football team (soccer) is called "Les Fennecs" after the animal.

Algeria's national sport is football (soccer).

Algerians place a high value on hospitality. It combines Arabic traditions with French Gallic traditions. Everyone is friendly to both strangers and friends. In a small group, it is customary to greet everyone individually, beginning with the elders. Handshakes are common, but pointing with your fingers at objects or people is considered impolite. Never use your left hand separately: always hand something to someone with your right or both hands.

Sex roles are clearly defined in this male-dominated society. Men frequently gather in coffee shops to play chess, checkers, and dominoes. Women frequently socialise in each other's homes.

Close friends and relatives visit each other frequently and do not need an invitation or to notify each other first. Others are expected to plan ahead of time. When visiting someone socially, it is customary to bring a small gift for the host.

Too direct and frank conversational speech is considered impolite.

Fossil fuels account for 2% of Algeria's exports.

Petroleum and natural gas account for nearly all of the country's exports.

Algeria has the largest oat market in Africa.

With 12,200 million barrels of oil reserves, the country is the 16th largest in the world (at the start of 2017).

Algeria has no external debt and owes no money to other countries.

One out of every four people in the country lives on less than a dollar per day. Many Algerians are impoverished.

Only about 3.5 percent of the country's land is cultivated, which is far too little to feed their population self-sufficiently. As a result, malnutrition is one of the country's major health issues.

According to the World Bank, 5% of Algeria's population is malnourished.

The government implemented free national health care in 1974, which helps pay for those who are sick or injured. Nearly everyone in urban areas and 80 percent of people in rural areas have access to adequate sanitation.

Algeria has an 80 percent literacy rate, with men reading more than women. Women have traditionally been discouraged from attending school in order to care for their mothers at home. French is the language of instruction in schools.

Only 12% of Algeria's land area is populated. The northern coastal area is home to 90% of the population, with the remaining nomadic or partially nomadic population living in Sahara desert oases.

Algerians under the age of 15 account for 29% of the population.

People gather in "La Touiza" celebrations to help with harvesting and then feast. Following the hard work of harvest, large quantities of the national dish of couscous are served.

Albert Camus and Claude Cohen-Tannoudj are Algerian Nobel laureates (Physics, 1997).

Since 1964, Algeria has competed in every summer Olympics, winning five gold medals and 17 medals overall.

Unlike in other Islamic countries, women make up 60% of the student population in Algeria.

Algerian women are also prominent in society, accounting for 70% of the country's lawyers and 60% of its judges.

Algerian women contribute more to household income than their male counterparts.

Only 12% of its land area is inhabited. The Sahara desert covers more than 90% of the country.

Algeria set a new high temperature record in August of 2011. The thermometer reached 123.8°F (51°C).

Mount Tahat, Algeria's highest peak, rises 3,003 metres (1.9 miles).

The Chelif is Algeria's longest river. It is 700 kilometres (435 miles) long and flows from near Aflou through the Tell Atlas to empty into the Mediterranean.

Algeria's Tassili National Park is also called "Plateau of the Rivers". It is a large open-air museum with many prehistoric rock art drawings and other Neolithic archaeological sites. Some drawings are called the 'Aliens on the rocks'.

Cork and olive trees grow in Algeria's mountainous and fertile northern regions. There are also evergreen forests where wild boars and jackals can be found.

The High Plateaus region of Algeria has shallow or dry lakes and salt marshes.

Algeria has been ruled by Romans, Germanic tribes, Byzantines, Spanish, Turks, and French throughout its history. 

Originally, the country was known as Numidia.

Algeria's current flag was adopted on July 3, 1962.

Algeria grows its own citrus fruit, grapes, cherries, figs, wheat, and famous dates that some consider to be the best in the world. They simply cannot produce enough food to feed their entire population, so 45 percent of their food must be imported.

There are three essential Algerian dishes (one is a range of drinks, actually). Couscous, a pasta-like dish made from semolina wheat, is one. It is used to serve chicken, meat, lamb, and vegetables. It can even be served as a dessert with cinnamon or other toppings.