Flag description: two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white with a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion) Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia Currency: 1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 3 00 E Area:
Area - comparative: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas Land boundaries:
Coastline: 998 km Climate: arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer Terrain: mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc Natural hazards: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mud slides Geography - note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan) Government type: republic Capital: Algiers Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France) Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1% Religions: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1% Languages: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects History: From the 9th century BC the area now knownas Algeria was ruled by Carthage, and subsequently by Rome 2nd century BC-5thcentury AD. In the early Christian era, St Augustine was bishop of Hippo (now called Annaba) 396-430. The area was invaded by the Vandals after the decline of Roman rule and was ruled by Byzantium from the 6th to the 8th century, after which the Arabs invaded the region, introducing Islam and Arabic. Islamic influence continued to dominate, despite Spain's attempts to take control during the 15th and 16th centuries. From the 16th century Algeria was under Ottoman rule and flourished as a centre for the slave trade. The sultan's rule was often nominal, and in the 18th century Algeria became a pirate state, preying on Mediterranean shipping. European intervention became inevitable, and an Anglo-Dutch force bombarded Algiers in 1816. A French army landed in 1830 and seized Algiers. By 1847 the north had been brought under French control, and was formed in 1848 into the départements of Algiers, Oran, and Constantine. Many French colonists settled in these dé partements, which were made part of metropolitan France in 1881. The mountainous region inland, inhabited by the Kabyles, was occupied 1850-70, and the Sahara region, subdued 1900-09, remained under military rule. After the defeat of France in 1940 by Germany in World War II,
Algeria came under the control of the Vichy government, which collaborated
with the Nazis, until the Allies landed in N Africa in 1942. Postwar hopes
of integrating Algeria more closely with France were frustrated by opposition
in Algeria from both those of non- French and French origin. An embittered
struggle for independence from France continued 1954- 62, when referenda
in Algeria and France
A new constitution confirmed Algeria as an Islamic, socialist,
one-party state in 1976. Boum édienne died in 1978, and power was
transferred to Chadli Benjedid, secretary general of the ruling National
Liberation Front (FLN). During Chadli's presidency, relations with France
and the USA improved, and there was some progress in achieving greater
cooperation with neighbouring states, such as Tunisia. Algeria acted
as an intermediary in securing the release of the US hostages in Iran in
1981. The FLN had adopted a new party structure in 1979, whereby the party
leader automatically became president; under this new system, Chadli was
re- elected in 1983. A proposal by Colonel Khaddhafi for political
union with Libya received a cool response in 1987. Diplomatic relations
were restored with Morocco and Egypt in 1988.
In the first round of assembly elections in Dec 1991, the Islamic
Front for Salvation (FIS) won 188 of the 231 seats contested. Chadli resigned
in Jan 1992. The army stepped in and cancelled the second round of the
elections, forming a junta
From 1993 Islamic fundamentalists mounted a retaliatory campaign
against the government, targeting politicians, members of the police and
armed forces, secularist intellectuals, and foreigners in successive waves
of killings. The brutal tactics employed by the government in return were
condemned by the human-rights organization Amnesty International, including
its use of torture, summary executions, and unfair
Proposals for ending the civil strife were drawn up by opposition groups,
including the outlawed FIS, the FLN, and the Berber-based Socialist Forces
Front (FSS), at a meeting in Rome in Jan 1995. Algeria's most radical militant
faction, the Islamic Armed Group (GIA), expressed its support, but the
military regime rejected the proposals outright, launching several full-scale
offensives against the fundamentalist guerrillas in the months that followed.
More than 30,000 people were estimated to have died in the ongoing civil
strife Dec 1992-Jan 1995. In Aug 1995, following the collapse of a further
round of talks with FIS leaders, President Zeroual announced that multiparty
presidential elections would be held in Nov. The main opposition parties
boycotted the contest, enabling President Zeroual to secure a clear victory
of 67%, amid a 75% turnout, which had been achieved despite Islamic militant
calls for voters to boycott the polls. After the elections, the FIS called
for further talks with the government. Ahmed Ouyahia was appointed as prime
minister. A constitutional referendum held 28 Nov 1996 resulted in a new
constitution which provided for the recognition of Islamic, Arabic, and
Berber cultures as the three main constituents of the nation and bans the
political exploitation of Islam. The government claimed a resounding victory
with 85.5% of the vote. It also claimed a turnout of 80%, although eyewitnesses
refuted this. Islamic opposition to President Zeroual had called for a
boycott of the poll. Legislation was passed in Dec 1996 enforcing the use
of Arabic as the preferred language of public life. The imposition of the
new constitution fuelled the civil war, with renewed violence by Islamic
fundamentalists. Within a week of the results of the Nov referendum, 29
people were killed, almost all decapitated with knives. The Islamic Armed
Group (GIA) were blamed for the bloodbath. Islamic extremists killed more
than 300 people during the month of Ramadan, in Jan -Feb 1997. Rebels massacred
80 villagers in April 1997. In one of the worst attacks in the five years
of continued violence, the guerrillas ringed the village of Thalit, 80
km/45mi from Algiers, moved in and exterminated 52 of its inhabitants.
Also in 1997, more than 300 villagers were killed at Sidi Moussa, only
seven km from Algiers; the attack, which was believed to be the work of
the GIA or its faction, was one of particular savagery, involving mutilation
and disemboweling, and directed indiscriminately at all the villagers,
including the elderly, women, and children. The slaughter of civilians
in Algeria spread during late Dec 1997 and the first weeks of Jan 1998.
From the beginning of the Islamic Muslim holy month of Ramadan on 30 Dec
to 14 Jan 1998 at least 1,700 lives were taken in attacks by members of
the extreme Islamic Armed Group (GIA). The killings finally provoked calls
for an international inquiry from the USA as well as Europe. Washington
called for an investigation into Algeria's human rights abuses as well
as the massacres. The European Union Jan 1998 sent a fact-finding mission
to Algeria to discuss the situation in the country.
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