The Past and Future of Algeria

The population of Algeria is approximately 34,895,000. At least 99% of this population is classified as Berber or Arab. More than 90% of Algerians live in the costal northern region of Algeria.

The climate in the Sahara is hot and humid. The temperatures get very high. Temperatures past 100 degrees is common in the Saharan desert. The costal region has more moderate temperatures. In addition, there is a substantial amount of rain all through the year.

A minority of the population live in the oases in the Sahara. Approximately 1.5 million of the Algerian people are either nomadic or partly nomadic. Also, the fertility rate in this nation is low. More than 30 percent of the population is age 15 or below.

The majority of Algerians speak Algerian Arabic. More than 83% speak this language. Approximately 15% speak the dialect of the Berbers. French is understood by most of the population of Algeria. In addition, Arabic is also taught to most youth in this nation.

Europeans only make up 1% of the population in the land. They inhabit the metropolitan areas of the nation. This is different than in the prior history of the country. During the colonial periods of Algeria, the percentage of Europeans was about 15.2. The European inhabitants were concentrated on the costal regions of Algeria.

When Algeria became independent from France, almost all of the European residents migrated to other areas. Many returned to Europe after the liberation of Algeria.

The turmoil in Algeria is not over. Presently, the people of this nation are protesting the government law and rule. They are frustrated with some of the oppressive conditions in the nation. Unemployment rates are about 30% and poverty is rampant. The people of this nation long for rule that truly looks out for the best interest of all Algerians.

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Algeria Under the Rule of Early Presidents

Algeria has a rich history of different governmental rules. This nation had to fight very hard to gain their independence from the nation of France.

The first president of the independent government of Algeria was Ahmed Ben Bella. The law of Ben Bella was not popular, and in 1965, the government of Ahmed Ben Bella was overthrown by Houari Boumédienne. Algeria law reflected more authoritarian and socialist rhetoric during the reign of both of these presidents.

In contrast to Ahmed Ben Bella, Boumedienne used a heavy military presence to keep the population in order. This was totally different than his predecessor. Agriculture and industrialization were launched full fledged. Also, there was a mass extraction of natural resources like oil and gas.

Algeria’s economy became extremely dependent on oil. This became a problem during the 1980’s when there was a oil crisis during this time. Modernization was prevalent during this time in Algeria’s history. Village customs changed tremendously. A great urbanization began to take place in the land.

One big change was education. There was a move to educate more people in the population, so the rate of literacy rose from 10% to 60%. Also, female fertility seemed to increase substantially. Each mother was having an average of 7-8 kids per family.

The 1980’s was a time in which the youth tried to come to terms with the nations obsession with the prior war years. During this time, there was an extreme housing crisis brought on by certain government law.

Algerian Civil War broke out after 1991. There was mass conflict among the political entities. All political parties that were founded on religion were banned. This war killed nearly 160,000 people during this time. The war started to burn out around 1998. The country began to establish some semblance of order again.

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The Culture and Customs of Algeria

Algeria has some very distinct customs that include certain foods. For example, the staple of their diet is couscous. This wheat dish is steamed and served with vegetables, gravy, lamb or chicken.

The entire culture and population in Algeria consider this meal as “food.” It is considered a very basic meal in this culture. Onions, turnips, red peppers, and raisins are common seasonings in this culture. In addition, salt, cumin, pepper, and coriander are important flavors in the culture.

Customs in Algeria include roasting a lamb over a open fire. This practice goes way back into their history, and this food is as natural to the people as their warm climate.

The government of Algeria has oil and gas as the primary sources of revenue. The land has abundant resources of these natural fuels. Algerian law favors industry more than farming, so there are more benefits to those in industry. There are many evils that hinder the farming industry. Droughts, poor irrigation, and the desert are all major problems for farmers in Algeria. The climate is also not conducive to agriculture at certain times of the year.

The government of Algeria employs about 30 percent of the population in the land. Another approximately 16 percent work in construction or public work. Those in industry account for about 13 percent of the population, and there are about 5 percent employed in communications and transportation.

There is still a huge problem of unemployment in the land. Many adult men must travel to other cities to find places to work and earn money. Some immigrate to France to find employment, and they come back during the summer to visit their families.

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A Look at the Algerian Educational System

Educational systems can tell you a lot about a country. Over the past couple of years the Algerian educational system has changed and grown to what it is today. Here is a look at some of the highlights of the Algerian educational system.

The Algerian educational system was almost non-existent when Algeria was under French rule. Education was dependent upon parents teaching children and no real structure or educational system was in place. However, once Algeria gained its independence from France in 1962 it was able to start developing an educational system.

It wasn’t until 1999 that Algeria was really able to devote the energy and resources to a properly built educational system structure. The newly developed educational system requires that students attend school until the age of 16. The government funds the educational system and pays for all students’ education. It is estimated that over five million Algerian children attend a school through the Algerian educational system.

However, there are limitations to the Algerian educational system. Algeria is a country that is constantly growing in population. This population growth has put a high demand on teachers and larger schools. However, the country of Algeria does not have the funds or resources to devote to more teachers or larger schools. It is not uncommon to see small school structures cramped with students or teachers overwhelmed with students because of this demand on the educational system.

Due to this limitation it has caused the country to devote the time and energy to their educational system. In 2004, Algeria launched an extensive educational reform review that looks at the whole educational system and how it can be improved.

Despite the efforts to devote educational resources, Algeria still does not have an established college or university. Students who wish to continue their education must attend a college or university in Europe or Canada.

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How the Country of Algeria is Governed

Algeria is now known as a French government-general. This government-general is of the French Union. What this means for Algeria is that it is in theory a state of France and is treated as such.

While Algeria has elected officials there is one position that is not elected by the people of Algeria. This is the governor-general. The governor general of Algeria is appointed by the French government.

Algeria has its own legislative body called the Assembly. This can be compared to the Senate and House of Representatives in the United States government. Each house of the Assembly has sixty members. These members create laws that only apply in Algeria. However these laws must be approved by the governor-general.

A large part of the Algerian population still do not have the right to vote. This part of the population are called the Mohammedans. Many Mohammedans have not fulfilled requirements set forth by the French. Due to this they cannot vote.

The French government has set up a department called the “Bureau of Arab Affairs”. This government office has been created in order to govern the Mohammedan. This has been done so that the culture and customs of the Mohammedan people can be preserved without interfering with the current government structure. The Mohammedan people are still very much part of the Algerian culture and have many rights within the country. In fact Mohammedans are free to hold a government position or join the army.

In summary Algeria has a democratically elected government that creates the laws for its country and people. However it is considered to be a part of France and because of that it has a heavy French influence on the laws and customs of Algeria. It is important to note that Algeria gained independence from France in 1962.

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Algeria’s Economy

Algeria is a large country in Northern Africa, and is home to more than 35 million people. The economy in Algeria is mostly subsidized by the exporting of goods such as natural gas, petroleum, animals, fruits and vegetables, oil, and tobacco. The country trades primarily with Italy and France, but also has trade relationships with Spain and the United States.

The Algerian economy has struggled throughout the years. One fourth of the country’s residents are living below the poverty line, and over 13 percent are unemployed. The banks are almost all public. The financial institutions struggle due to loans not being repaid and the state controlling almost all assets. Over the past three years, the government and the International Monetary Fund have pushed financial reform, helping banks become more stable with more accountability and supervision. After these changes began to take effect, two large European banks opened offices in Algeria for both commercial and investment banking opportunities.

With so many individuals struggling to find and keep a job that pays enough to cover the daily necessities, Algerian citizens can face great difficulties making ends meet. Even with the advancements in the financial situation on the macro level, people are frustrated with outstanding debt and have virtually no way to begin to make their payments, a situation that’s similar to the home mortgage crisis in America. Many Americans are looking to other options to avoid harassment from creditors, such as getting Chapter 13 information and then filing for bankruptcy. Algeria has struggled with maintaining consistency in repayment of debt for those who file bankruptcy; legal proceedings in these cases tend to be very lengthy, and the government is unable to maintain control over the individual’s assets. With the reforms that began in 2007, the inconsistency in the bankruptcy legal proceedings was briefly discussed, but it is still not a smooth process for those struggling with debt.

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Consulates and Embassies in Algeria

There numerous embassies and consulates representing many international countries that are located in Algeria. These agencies all play an important role in Algeria. Have you ever wondered if there was really a difference between a consulate and an embassy?

An embassy, which can also be known as a diplomatic mission, is considered to be a group of people from an individual country or nation. These people live on-site in Algeria and are representatives of their native countries. An embassy is a diplomatic office of individual countries ambassadors and other diplomatic personnel. Most typically, embassies are located in the host country’s capital. As an example, there is a British embassy that represents the nation of Britain within Algeria.

A consulate serves a different purpose to the citizens of the country it represents. A consulate is actually a branch of an embassy and it is often located in the embassy building. Its main focus is to help its citizens with getting into a country. The German consulate, for example, provides Algerian nations with visa for entry to the United Kingdom.

Because of its close ties to the French, the French embassy in Algiers is of particular import. The main French Embassy is located in Algiers in Peltzer Park, but there are French consulates located through the country. This embassy not only maintains diplomatic ties with Algeria but also has other special functions. For instance some of the French Embassy’s divisions include the Military Mission, the Economic Mission and the offices for Cultural Action.

The French Consular Services advises citizens of France living in Algeria, as well as those who are visiting. In additional the professionals at the Consulate also help Algerians who want to travel to France. Both passport and visa applications are found at the Embassy. Help can be found from the Embassy for medical emergencies as well.

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Algeria And Its Media

The state government in accordance with Algerian law controls television and radio station broadcasting companies in Algeria. But there is also a private press sector that is very vocal -often criticizing the political authorities in Algeria.

While there is no censorship directly affecting the media, Algeria does have laws that outline prison terms, fines and other punishment for anyone insulting government officials. These officials include MPs, judges, the president and even the army.

A statement released in 2010 about Algerian press freedom stated, “Although journalists no longer fear for their lives, their room to maneuver in terms of freedom of expression is limited.”

Broadcasts from outside Algerian borders are popular. Stations from France and other European countries as well as satellite broadcasts are watched across the nation. Algeria has about 4.1 million users of Internet services as of 2009; however these users generally use cyber cafés and dial-up connections. There appears to be no on-line censorship or filtering with Algerian Internet connections. There has been just one block of a political website that occurred in January 2010.

Algerian bloggers write pieces in Arabic, French and English. There are approximately 5,000 bloggers who cover many subjects in the social, political and cultural arenas.

Some of the Algerian press and publications include:
–El Khabar. This is an Arabic daily that includes French, English and Arabic pages on its website.

–Le Quotidien d’Oran is a French-language daily.

–Ech Chourok is an Arabic-language daily with English website pages.

–El Watan, Le Soir d’Algeria, Leberte and La Tribune are all French, private dailies.

–Ech Chaab is the state-run, Arabic-language daily newspaper

Television broadcasts in Algeria are presented by Beur TV and BRTV (French satellite-broadcast stations) and the state run ENTV (Enterprise Nationale de Television. Algerian Radio operates radio broadcasts with French, Berber and Arabic networks.

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Telephone and Internet Access in Algeria

For a country to attract visitors, development, business and trade a country needs a vital and efficient communications system. Tourists are especially important in this formula. They use the system to gain information about their travels using Internet and other forms of communication. These systems are also important to tourists who want to stay in touch with their home bases.

Because Algeria is still in the early stages of becoming a developing country, its systems for communication may seem immature and undeveloped. However, the country is placing a lot of effort on communication system improvements, such as higher rates of Internet and phone access. Tourists and other visitors will not feel like they are out of touch with home while in Algeria.

Some numbers and statistics place the number of phones in Algeria at five phones per 100 citizens. In 2004 the numbers state that there were approximately 2.288 million phone lines. Telephone service that is most reliable is in the main tourist region -northern Algeria. There is also an Algerian domestic satellite system that comprises 12 terrestrial stations with additional stations in the works. There are also underwater cables in addition to the satellites, all of which provided international calling services. Algeria is connection to France, Spain, Morocco and Tunisia using microwave technology. There are approximately 5 million cell users, according to 2005 numbers.

There is a generally satisfactory level of Internet access found in the main cities of Algeria. Approximately 1,1175 Internet hosts and 845,000 users were in Algeria as of 2005. Algiers, Oran and Constantine all have Internet cafes. Some hotels also have Internet access services for their guests. Tourists will find these outlets beneficial for checking email, confirming travel arrangements and such. Most Algerian websites originating out of the country are presented in both French and Arabic.

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