ALGERIA
Al Jazair is
the Arab
name for
Algeria
• Algeria is located in Northwest Africa between the Mediterranean Sea and
into the Sahara desert Algiers is the capital of Algeria.
• Algeria’s neighbors are Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and
Tunisia.
• Algeria’s land area is 919,595 square miles and 2,381,740 square
kilometers.
• It is almost 1/3 the size of the United States
• It is Africa’s 2nd largest country
Interesting History of Algeria
• Because Algeria is
located near Europe, it
was frequently invaded.
For centuries they were
governed by Spanish,
Turkish, and French
rulers.
• A revolution of
nationalists called the
National Liberation
Front used terrorist
tactics to win Algeria’s
independence from
France in 1962.
Algeria’s Flag
The green color
in the flag, and
the crescent and
star, are
symbols in
Islam, which is
the major
religion in
Algeria.
The flag was adopted on July 3, 1962, after
Algeria became independent from France.
Ethnicity
•Most Europeans left Algeria in 1962. 99%
of the people are Arab-Berbers. 75% of the
people live in cities along the coast where
conditions are crowded. Six Algerian
families live where one French family used to
reside.
The official
language is Arabic
and the chief
religion is Sunni
Muslim.
People
• 50% of Algerians are
literate, most of them
are men because
Muslims do not believe
in educating women.
• Some Algerians are
nomads who wander
through the desert with
their families, camels,
and other animals.
People
• 25% of Algerians are
living at the poverty
level. 30% of
Algerians are
unemployed.
• Most people find
pleasure in simple
activities like eating
with friends or
playing sports.
Currency (code):
Algerian dinar (DZD)
Exchange rates:
Algerian dinars per
US dollar - 69.9
(2007)
McDonald’s Happy
Meal in American
dollars= $3.50 and a
Happy Meal in
Algerian dinar’s
would cost 244.65
dinars
FOOD
• Algerians eat couscous, a type of pasta, lamb, chicken,
and vegetable stews. Their pastries are well-known, as
well as crusty breads.
• They cook with a lot of spices like coriander, ginger, hot
pepper, cumin, mint, garlic, and cinnamon.
• People in the city wear
Western style clothes.
Men wear business suits
with hats called a “fez.”
Women wear dresses,
but must cover their
faces with a veil.
• Berber women wear
blouses, skirts, & shawls
with flower patterns.
Berber women do not
wear veils. Berber men
wear a long robe called a
bernous.
DRESS
Fun Facts
• Algeria’s weekend is not
like ours; they relax on
Thursday and the Muslim
Sabbath, which is on
Fridays.
Fun Fact
• An Arab person’s name is
complicated. It includes the
individual’s name, her father’s
name, her grandfather’s name, and
her family’s surname.
– Nura bin Ahmed bin Saleh Al-Fulani
•
•
•
•
Nura is the girl’s name
Bin Ahmed is her father’s name
bin Saleh is her grandfather’s name
Al-Fulani is their last name
• What would your name be in
Arab???
– Teresa bin Richard bin Paul Al-Bender
Works Cited
“Africa in Pictures.” Google Images. 2008. 28 Oct. 2008 http://google.com.
“Algeria.” ProQuest. Feb. 2008. SIRS Discoverer. Faust Junior High School
Library, Chambersburg, PA. 28 Oct. 2008 <http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com>.
“Algeria.” World Factbook. 2008. Central Intelligence Agency. 31 Oct. 2008
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-Smith, Henry.
“Algeria.”The World Book Encyclopedia of People and Places. 1998 ed.